Opening the door to our cabin, I burst into laughter when we get assaulted by tiny fur balls. Prec and Persy had a whole littler recently and now we have a ton of stinkin cute Pomsky’s running around.
Snuggling with the puppies and Prec for a little while, I look up, smiling at Melody who’s sitting on the couch, her feet on the coffee table and Persy is relaxing in her lap. Dom found my sister not too long ago. She’d been through some rough things and when she told me her story, it almost turned my hair white.
Locating her wasn’t easy but eventually Dom tracked her down and where did we find her? In Fates Falls out of all places, in the small town nearby.
“Right on time,” Melody grins, getting up and I shoot her a grimace.
“Sorry, but I really did try to hurry.” In a lower voice I add, “And you know how he is.”
“Heard that,” Dom says and Melody laughs. Gesturing with his hand, Dom adds, “All right, Tarzan. How about you climb down from your uncle?”
Our son, Wyatt happily shakes his head and his uncle, Melody’s husband Callan rasps, “I don’t mind.”
I catch a shiver in Melody, as always when she hears her husband’s unnaturally deep voice and she bites her lip, murmuring, “Cal?”
He tenses, throwing a look at her and then one out the window. It’s going to get dark soon and Melody is afraid of the dark. Twirling a squealing Wyatt around, he puts him down and whisks Melody to his side so fast that I barely get the chance to kiss her goodbye or thank her for babysitting.
“See you tomorrow,” she tells me quickly and I nod. The two of us have a small shelter pretty close by where we take care of wounded or orphaned wild animals.
“Come on then, love,” Callan grates in a low voice and she breathlessly turns to him and they close the door behind.
I sigh out of happiness, almost going a little teary, “Oh, they are so in l...”
“Love you more,” Dom growls, with a jealous flare to his eyes and a wet kiss lands on my mouth. I’m barely able to pull my lips into a smile because of it but then Wyatt runs in between, separating us.
“Wee, I’m fast!” Wyatt squeaks, running in the figure eight around his dad’s legs and Dom ruffles his hair. With his cute face in a grin, Wyatt points at my belly adding, “Baby.”
I tense. Oh no...busted.
Dom freezes, hope and joy flooding his eyes before dissipating as if he doesn’t believe it’s true. But it is true.
“That’s right,” I say, looking hesitantly at Dom, “Mommy has a new baby in her belly.”
Rubbing a hand down his mouth, Dom shakes his head. “You told Wyatt before you told me?”
“We were reading a book together and it sort of just slipped. Besides I was going to tell you the news when we were under the waterfall but you wouldn’t let me speak.”
Wyatt runs off and Dom pulls me to him. “I remember being very busy with something else,” he rasps and I flush, remembering his mouth on me.
With heated eyes, Dom grabs my hand and I throw a quick look at Wyatt who’s occupied with the pups while Persy and Prec patiently supervise. I let Dom lead me into our bedroom and I move to take off his shirt but stop at the sight of the scar on his shoulder, rolling my fingers over it.
It feels like it was just yesterday but I still wince when I remember how I used to think of Dom as my enemy. I never would have guessed that the silent bodyguard who did nothing but ignore me would one day become my husband. Now I can’t imagine my life with anyone else.
He’s my one true love. All I need is him. And whoever says that spoiled, rich girls don’t deserve their own fairy tale is going to have a word with Daddy Dom.
Looking up at him, I whisper, “Am I still your sweetheart?” I still need to hear it, I still need to feel small and cherished and cared for by Dom, no matter how big our family grows. Before Dom nobody used to kiss me or hug me or hold me but he gives me enough of that to last a whole lifetime.
“Still,” he whispers, with flickering eyes that tear into me and let me know that our love is as sturdy as the mountains we’re surrounded by. The two of us simply make sense and because we allowed nature to take its course, everything fell into place. We can’t peak any greater or higher than this.
The End