“And how are my girls?” He slung his arm around Hanna’s shoulders. She leaned into his touch.
“Lily is with Nathan and his boys, railing at the injustices of the world, and Molly is having a nap.” Hanna checked her watch. “Speaking of which, it’s time to wake her up and for me to change into something more appropriate.”
Richard scanned her body with hungry eyes. “What’s wrong with what you’re wearing?”
She laughed. “A threadbare t-shirt and shorts showing half my ass probably won’t go down too well with some of our donors.” They were nearly at the collection of huts forming the administrative center.
“Fuck the donors,” Richard whispered in her ear. His hand dropped down to cup her behind, his fingers pushing beneath the denim and caressing her bare skin.
Before they walked into the office where Claire was sitting, patiently watching over her granddaughter, Hanna took the opportunity to kiss the hell out of her husband.
He kissed her right back.
AFTER SHE HAD dressed, Hanna carried Molly out into the field. Her two-year-old was alert and content, her ringlets bouncing against her soft cheeks as they walked. Hanna loved these moments with her youngest. She’d been a much-anticipated baby, born after two miscarriages and a labor which seemed to last forever. After the roller coaster of emotions they’d put the whole family through, Hanna and Richard had agreed she would be their final baby.
That didn’t stop Hanna from longing for more.
She found Lily and Richard standing with a group of donors. They were all staring with rapt expressions as her seven-year-old extolled the virtues of the school the Maxwell Foundation was building in Namibia. Hanna wondered how long it would be before Lily demanded to go and see the building for herself.
Steven and Claire were sitting on some garden chairs, and Lucy laid out a blanket next to them. She was feeding her brood with sandwiches, though Nathan seemed to eat more than the rest of the family combined.
Ruby was behind the stage, watching Tom and the band as they kidded around with Matty, trying to make him forget his nerves. Hanna walked over to greet her, and Molly reached out for her aunt, who swung her into her arms, blowing raspberries on her chubby face.
&
nbsp; “Hey Molly-Moo. Did you have a good nap?” Ruby glanced up at Hanna. “Christ, she looks more like Richard every day.”
“Lucky girl,” Hanna murmured. “And how are you feeling?”
Ruby had entered her second trimester, though her stomach still hid the evidence of her pregnancy. She hitched Molly onto her hip and smiled, as her other hand reached out to rub her belly.
“So much better. Tom says he’s glad I can stay awake after six. He was beginning to think I had some sort of sleeping disease.”
Hanna reached out and stroked Ruby’s arm. She still felt maternal toward her, despite Ruby being nearly thirty. She’d always be her little sister, the girl who was afraid of going to school. She’d been so excited when Ruby and Tom had finally decided to try for a baby, and slightly amused when Ruby fell pregnant in the first month. Tom was already driving all of them crazy with discussions of names, and whether a crib or a Moses basket would be a better option.
“Make sure you still get lots of rest. Think of it as saving for the future,” Hanna said wryly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d managed to have an unbroken night. If it wasn’t Molly waking up crying, it was Lily having nightmares or Matty unable to sleep. Not that she regretted a single moment of it, but she couldn’t help but daydream of a freshly made bed and eight uninterrupted hours.
“I will.” Ruby grinned, passing a struggling Molly back to Hanna. “It looks like the boys are ready to go.” She gestured over at the band who were in a huddle, arms around each other. Matty looked incongruous within their circle, his tiny arms next to their big, brawny ones.
“Richard’s saved us a spot at the front.” Hanna and Ruby walked around the stage, pushing through the crowds of people gathered for the concert. Richard and Lily were standing with Nathan, while the rest of the Larsen clan had decamped to the bleachers. His eyes lit up when he saw Hanna, and he reached a hand out, pulling her and Molly into his arms.
“What song are they starting with?” He had to speak loudly to be heard over the hum of the crowd.
“He didn’t say,” Hanna replied. “He’s keeping it a secret.”
Richard leaned over to whisper something to Ruby, brushing his lips against her cheek. Her face lit up, reminding Hanna how much Ruby adored her big brother. Before she could say anything else, Fatal Limits walked onto the stage. Tom led them out and slapped Matty on the back as he climbed up into the drummer’s seat. She watched as he twirled his drumsticks, throwing them in the air and catching them, causing Molly to squeal with delight as she watched her brother horsing about.
Tom walked up to the microphone. “Hello, everybody.” The crowd cheered wildly. “I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight to see these talented kids put on a fantastic show.” He paused while the applause continued. “We’re going to start the evening off with a couple of songs. We haven’t played together for a while, so forgive us if we miss a few notes.”
Hanna smiled at this. Fatal Limits had split up over five years ago, but had agreed to come together to play this charity event. Just one more thing to be grateful to Tom for.
“And for our first song, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine. This is Matt Larsen, our drummer, and my favorite godson.” He winked at Matty who smiled back shyly. Hanna and Richard clapped loudly, causing Molly to put her hands over her ears.
“Can you beat us in, Matt?” He called out. Matty lifted his drumsticks, his face frozen in concentration as he silently counted his beat. He started a slow rhythm, his sticks cueing in Robert on guitar, and everybody started to scream as they realized the song they were starting with.
Hanna felt tears come to her eyes as she watched her son play in time to the song Tom had written for him. Dear Matty had been a number one hit for Fatal Limits the year after Matty was born, long before she had told Richard about his son. It was bittersweet to watch their son accompany Tom’s band as they played it.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Richard squeezed her hand before lifting Molly from her arms. Salt stung at her eyes as a sense of pride overwhelmed her. Matty looked like a professional, never missing a beat, always leading the song. She bit her lip in an attempt to stem the flow of tears.