Sienna and I managed to sign the autographs and help the young men relax a little by poking fun at Jack and Clem. I could get away with so much more when I was with Sienna, because there was no doubt that Clem was way into my friend. The selfish part of me wished that Sienna would hook up with Clem so he could keep her in town more. But I knew from experience that you can’t force a person to settle down. It happens when you least expect it.
Later that night, I went to check in on Gracie before heading to bed and found her smiling in her sleep. She looked so angelic, it was no wonder she had Jack wrapped around her little finger. It was only when she was awake and I saw the flash of green in her eyes that I knew she had a little devil in her, a little gift from her dad. Of course, Jack was completely blind to it, because he had that exact same flash of green in his own eyes. As I reached to turn out the lights, I smiled at the pictures of her grandparents on the mantel above her dresser. My mom and dad, Jack’s mom, Grace, her namesake, and Jack Sr.
I remember the day I set up the pictures in the nursery. I had been eight months pregnant. I wasn’t sure how Jack would react to my adding a picture of his dad, but it had been three years since his dad died and so much had changed. We’d both let go of a lot of anger and found happiness in each other. Jack had found me setting them down, and I had caught his jaw clench, but then he gently smiled. There wasn’t much that he wouldn’t give his wife, but his pregnant wife he denied nothing. His hands automatically reached down to rub my belly. Something he did often. I’d heard women complain that their husband’s libido went out the window when they were pregnant, but mine seemed to have the exact opposite effect. He seemed to like my new curvy body and had found any excuse to rub me. Not that he’d ever needed one.
Jack was coming out of the master bath as I walked into the bedroom. Wrapped only in a towel, I could see water droplets glistening on his tight chest. I was suddenly thirsty and the water I wanted to devour didn’t come from a bottle.
“She asleep?” His voice was low and damn sexy.
Jack’s voice startled me out of my momentary adoration, but I hadn’t really heard the words that he had spoken. “What?” I looked up, confused.
One arched eyebrow and a devilish grin on his face told me I’d been caught. “Get on the bed.”
“On the bed?” At first I thought I had missed part of the conversation while I was busy drooling over my husband.
“You can’t look at me like that and not expect what I’m going to give you.” Jack took four steps and was in front of me, in my personal space, where it had all began.
My stomach did a flip flop at the thought of what I was going to get. More than five years with the man and he still gave me butterflies. I could tell by the gray that his green eyes had smoldered into that it was going to be hard and fast. He had that look. Hard and fast was my favorite, but only because I knew he always felt the need to follow it with slow and sweet later.
As my insatiable husband carried me to the bed, our bed, I found myself thinking about how lucky I was. My husband loved me. Wanted me. Craved me. Cherished me. And the feeling was mutual. It had been that way since the first moment our eyes locked. Sure, we’d gone through some highs and lows. But eventually we’d found our happy ever after. And really, what more could a girl want?