He reached for her hand, interlocking her fingers with his, and searched her face in the moonlight.
“I should’ve asked you about contraception.”
“I’m past all that nonsense,” she reassured him. “I would’ve mentioned it otherwise.”
“And I can confirm that I got a clean bill of health from Dr. Tio last year.”
They grinned at each other.
Bella kissed his nose. “So we can just have fun.”
“Amen to that.” He kissed her back. “Do you think you can sleep now?”
“Yes.” She eased onto her side. “Just to let you know, I snore.”
“So do I.”
“Perfect.” She spooned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Good night, Billy, and thanks for everything.”
Within two minutes she was fast asleep.
* * *
“Dad, did you hear about what happened at the Red Dragon last night? I—”
Billy opened one eye to see Chase coming in through the door, laptop in hand. He pulled up short, a look of horror on his face as he took in the clothes strewn around the floor, and the two naked people in the bed.
“Dear God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“What’s going on?” BB put his head around the door and did a double take. “Jeez, Dad, gross. Lock the door next time, okay? You’ve traumatized Chase.”
Chase backed out with all the care of a hostage situation. “So I’ll assume you know what happened, and I’ll see you at breakfast.” He cleared his throat. “You too, Mrs. Williams.”
When the door finally shut, Billy looked down at Bella, who had pulled the sheet almost over her head.
“I did tell you they were nosy, didn’t I?”
He suddenly realized she was shaking with laughter, and felt much better.
“It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been Jay,” she spluttered.
“And now I’d be a dead man,” Billy murmured. He glanced at the time. “You okay to get up and face the family over breakfast? I’ve got chores to do, and I bet you’ll be wanting to get home.”
Bella grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“All of this.” She waved a hand around, and the sheet fell to her waist. Billy made himself focus on her face, although it was almost impossible. “I’m okay with everything.”
“Like with us being a couple?”
“Yes.” She met his gaze, her brown eyes so warm and full of shyness that he wanted to kiss her. “Especially that.” She bit her lip. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Billy nodded, too choked up right at that moment to do anything else. The fact that he was home, with his family, and now had this unimaginable, unexpected gift of love from a woman he liked, respected, and lusted after was almost too much to comprehend.
“Are you okay?” Bella asked softly.
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “I’m just counting my blessings.”
Everything he’d had and lost, everything he’d ever wanted to achieve with the blessing of this second chance now made sense. Bella made sense of it. Coming home to his old friend completed a circle he hadn’t even been aware he was traveling.
He gave in to the temptation to kiss her, and then she touched him, and . . .
“Wait a sec.” He eased himself away and went to lock the door before climbing back into bed. “Maybe just for once, the chores can wait.”
Chapter Seven
“So what’s so important that you had to drag me and Erin out here, Mom?” Jay inquired as Bella maneuvered him into the darkened guest center at the ranch.
“The lights aren’t working.”
“There are a load of Morgans up here to deal with that kind of thing,” Jay protested. “Why—”
“SURPRISE!!”
Billy snapped the lights on to reveal the fifty or so guests Bella had invited to celebrate her son and new daughter-in-law’s Vegas wedding. Following Bella’s instructions, he immediately shut the door just in case Jay decided to bolt.
“Mom?” That was Erin’s delighted voice. “You and Dad are here?”
Whatever Jay might have been going to say was lost as his wife ran over to her parents and started hugging them. Jay stared down at Bella, who gave him her best wide-eyed, innocent look.