“I do,” I replied.
He rose from the bed and stripped out of his own clothes. “We’ll go tomorrow after practice instead of me working on the farm.”
“Will Fionn mind?”
“No, not at all.”
He laid his clothes on the chair in the corner and dropped his boxers by the bed. Then he crawled naked into bed with me. I was rubbing lotion on my hands with when he pulled me down beside him.
“I just want to hold you Skylar.”
“You don’t want to make love?” I was almost disappointed even though I was exhausted.
“You’re tired baby. Let’s do it tomorrow. I just want to hold you.”
He wrapped me in his embrace and I laid my head on his chest. Luke was active tonight. He hadn’t slowed down at all today. Ronan could feel him against his side. “Does he keep you awake?” I asked him.
“No,” he replied. “I like feeling him between us. I wonder if he’ll look like me.”
I laughed. “The others all look like Moores which was one of the reasons Ryan was so eager for me to tell you. She thought everyone would figure it out when he was born.”
“Yeah, they do.” He chuckled.
It didn’t take long before I was sound asleep. We were getting up early because Ronan had practice at seven a.m. I met him in the kitchen at six where I found him sipping his coffee. I kissed him, standing on tiptoe.
“Does it feel weird to be married?” I asked.
“Very weird but I’m happy Sky.”
“I’m glad. You’re ready to go?” I asked.
He nodded. He guided me outside to the truck and opened the door for me. I could tell he was not himself. I didn’t want to ask. I thought it was because of his dad and mom not coming to the wedding. He let me out at the farm at six fifteen with a quick kiss. I was worried about him.
I talked with Adam about it. He patted me on the back. “You can worry. You can love him but you can’t prevent him from using again if he wants to Skylar. You have to trust and hope that he’ll make the right decision.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“I am. I think it stinks that they didn’t come last night.”
“Want to go with me to pick up Maddie and Nickolas?” I asked him.
“Sure, I’ll go.”
We used Aine and Fionn’s car to pick up the kids at the football field. They were waiting with Dom when we arrived at six forty-five. Ronan was already on the field with part of the team. I waved to him when he turned to glance at me. He waved back but that haunted look remained in his eyes.
I took the two kids and told Dom we would see him later. There were only three more days of this and then the kids would be in school. “What do you want to do today?” I asked them.
“Take them to the pool,” Adam suggested. I looked at him as if he had lost his mind. We didn’t have a pool. Then he told me about the pool in the woods on the farm. We went for breakfast then we stopped at Target to see if they had swimsuits. They were still trunks for Nickolas but we settled for a tank top and shorts for Maddie. I bought a couple of cute beach towels for the kids. I also picked up the clothing items I needed. Maddie helped me pick them out while Gramps and Nickolas looked in the sporting goods section. Something Nickolas wasn’t really interested in but he was interested in Gramps. There was a definite change coming over the two children I spent time with while Dom practiced. Ronan noticed a change in Dom when he didn’t have to worry about his siblings.
When Ronan and Dominick arrived at the farm we were still deep in the woods. This was such a peaceful place. Like Maddie, I was wearing shorts and a tank top. I was too big for my bikini. They didn’t have any maternity bathing suits for me either. The three of us were splashing around in the water when Ronan and Dom came looking for us.
When you first enter the clearing on Moore land, you can hear the faint trickle of water over rock. You can also reach this place from a side street off the back side of the property or by walking a long distance across fields into the woods, through thorny bushes and thick brush. Then suddenly you hear it. Just a faint sound. Then you see it. A tiny hill side covered in rocks and moss, water flowing over it from a creek into a pool of water so clear you can see the bottom also covered in mossy rocks.
Wildflowers surrounded it in some spots. Woods were all around. Wild animals. It was quiet except for us. We were making lots of racket right now. Nickolas climbed up on a rock and was jumping off while Maddie and I watched. I just prayed he didn’t fall. He didn’t go high and he avoided the slippery looking rocks. “What are you guys doing?” Ronan asked.
Maddie and I were treading water. I turned
and looked over my shoulder at Ronan and Dom. “Watching Nickolas. He’s the bravest of us. Jumping into the pool.”