Noah’s Journey(51)

“Hey, Dad.” I could tell by the tone of her voice she was smiling.

“Hey, sweetheart, how’s school?” I asked as I settled back in the recliner, holding Rory in my lap.

“School is great. My roommate, on the other hand, is a nightmare. But you know that already.”

It was the same thing every time we talked. She truly wanted me to get her an apartment off campus, but I liked knowing she was inside a building that was secure.

“Yeah,” I said with a chuckle, “I sure do, darlin’, but you make sure you remind me each time.”

“You know I wouldn’t have to remind you if you would just get me that apartment we talked about.” And there it was.

“Not happening, Liv,” I told her once again, feeling as if this conversation was a repeat of last night’s. “You still coming home during break?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said, and I was grateful she’d let go of the apartment talk. “I miss my little men and their slobbery kisses.”

“Speaking of little guys, I got someone here that wants to talk to his sissy,” I said as I tickled Rory’s stomach and he laughed.

I held the phone out so Olivia could hear his giggles, and she immediately knew who it was. “Rory! Hey, bud.”

It was amazing to watch his reaction to her voice. He grabbed my cell phone from my hand and started to babble away as if he was truly having a full conversation with the sister he adored.

Within minutes, Rogan came barreling into the living room and joined his twin brother on my lap. For the next ten minutes, Amber and I watched as they passed the phone back and forth, offering Olivia the baby-brother fix she had been lacking.



***



Amber



Tammy was truly a godsend. Without her, I’m not sure how I would get through the day. She was now surrounded by grandchildren and loved every minute of it. Every day she would watch the kids while Baily and I got the bakery open. Then Bailey would rush off to the ranch to help Jackson while I ran the bakery with Beth, a young single mother I had hired to help me while her daughter was in school. After we locked the doors for the day, I would rush off to get the boys and get dinner going just in time for Ryan to walk in the door.

I loved my little guys, but I craved some time alone with my husband.

I slipped away to take a shower as Ryan was reading the boys a bedtime story. I had become so relaxed with the sensation of the hot water rolling down my body that I must have missed the click of the bathroom door. It wasn’t until the shower curtain scraped along the rod that I knew Ryan had entered the bathroom. I looked back over my shoulder just as he stepped in with me.

Ryan had never been a bulky man, but his lean body was fit and mouthwatering. He had the ability to make me go from calm to full-blown panting in seconds.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said in the sultry voice that had a direct connection to my lady bits. He slid his hands along my hips with ease and brought them to rest on my stomach. “The boys are down, I have the monitor, and now I need my wife.”

I turned in his arms and looked up at him. “What do you have in mind, Officer?” I placed a kiss against his jaw and rubbed my slippery body against his.

“Oh, sweetheart, I just may scare you if I tell you everything I have in mind. I’ve been running all sorts of ideas through my head from the moment I walked in the door today and found your sweet ass walking around in those tiny, little shorts of yours.”

I smiled at his words, because he had told me on more than one occasion just what those shorts did to him. I’ll admit I wore them just to get a rise out of him, literally.

He slipped his hand around my bare ass and squeezed, pulling me against him. His hardness rested against my stomach. “You have got the sweetest ass, Mrs. Sawyer.”

My nipples hardened as they rubbed against his chest, making me moan. “And you, Mr. Sawyer, have an unbelievable effect on my body. So I must admit, whatever you have rolling through that head of yours, I am more than game for.”

“You sure about that?” He brushed his lips over mine, teasing me, taunting me to accept the challenge.

My mind was racing so fast, I could only nod. “I think we need to move this to the bedroom, baby,” he whispered, and I didn’t argue. My legs were already growing weak with anticipation.

We stepped out of the shower, and Ryan dried himself before running the towel over my body as he scanned my every curve. Never once had he made me feel anything but beautiful. Ryan was the kindest, gentlest man, and every touch from him was perfection. Without speaking, he led me to our bedroom. As I lay back on the bed, he spent just a few moments admiring the view. The heat in his eyes made me blush.