My boy latched on with his hand holding onto her.
She smiled at me. “I haven’t felt this wonderful since the last time we were out at Wennberg Pond. Do you remember?”
I turned on my side to face her and rubbed her arm. “I do. It was the day we had your pregnancy confirmed.”
“Mhm, and here is our precious boy.” She kissed him, then puckered up for me.
I happily accepted her invitation. “You did good, Momma.”
Patch had stopped by after lunch to check on Emilee and her knee. The injury wasn’t serious. A little rest and anti-inflammatories were all she needed. He also examined Dante, my strapping boy, then promptly left. He never lingered, always busy making house calls and whatever else.
We spent most of the afternoon in our suite, lounging around. Em and I played with Dante, and when he napped, we fooled around. I loved having her back and not hiding the way I felt.
Like now, as we strolled to the clubhouse for supper. Tina had offered to bring our meal to us, but Emilee wanted to get out for a bit, show off Dante and meet Birdie. She was sure those two would be best buds.
As we entered through the back door, the noise coming from the kitchen was a sure sign it was suppertime.
“Wow, I forgot how loud it got in here.”
“If at any time you want to leave, just tell me.” I pulled her closer. She had Dante in a baby sling.
“Okay, I will.”
The commotion stopped when we appeared. The first one to make a beeline for us was Maddy.
“Oh, Emilee.” She wrapped her in a hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Maddy had been the most vocal of the woman, up in arms over Justin taking Emilee away. The whole situation had caused some friction between Prez and his wife. To what degree, I wasn’t sure. We’d probably never know.
“I missed you too.” Emilee pulled back, opening the sling to reveal our sleeping son.
Maddy covered her mouth, her eyes tearing up. “He is beautiful, Em. Oh my gosh, our kids can grow up together. Be besties.”
“That’s what I told Dan—” She caught herself. “What I told Dodge this morning.”
Earlier, I’d reminded her to only call me by my road name in public. When we were alone, I wanted her to call me Danny. It was personal and intimate and not for anyone else but her.
“I’m dying to see Birdie.” Emilee scanned the room. “Where is she?”
“Oh, she’ll be back any minute. Storm has her. He and Raul had some stuff to talk about.”
“Some Justin stuff?” I asked.
Maddy shrugged. “Sorry, I have no idea.”
A line formed, of people wanting to see Dante and Emilee. I stayed beside her the whole time. After she sat at a table where Prez and Maddy were, along with Raul and Tina, I got us some food.
I was glad the clubhouse wasn’t busy, and none of the kittens were around—not that Emilee wasn’t used to them, but she didn’t need to be overwhelmed by more people.
“So much has changed since I left.” Emilee looked at me wide-eyed. “Hero and Boxer, off the market. I really didn’t see that coming.”
“None of us did, sweetie.” Sugar was holding Dante so we could eat. She seemed mesmerized.
“And Jill.” Em put her hand to her chest. “How’s Wolf doing?”
“Wolf will be okay,” Storm replied as he rubbed Birdie’s back. She was sleeping against his chest. “He’s grieving but keeps busy.”
“I’ve missed a lot around here,” Emilee said in a low voice. “Jill’s funeral. Boxer’s wedding.”