Leaning over Jamie, Rena kissed J.T., a warm kiss, nothing passionate given her recovering state, but warm was good, too. Especially when there was the promise of so much more in a few weeks.
And judging from the glint in his wife's eyes, she was already anticipating six weeks into the future as well.
Ooh-rah.
She sagged back onto her pillows, the necklace clutched in her hand to her heart, the rose resting in her lap. "God, it's good to be home."
Home. Rena. Two words with the same meaning for him now.
He'd found that just as it was okay to bring darker parts of his military career into his relationship with Rena, into his house, he now always carried a part of her with him wherever he went. It had been a long journey across the years, across an ocean, but finally he was where he belonged.
"Yeah, babe, it sure is good to be home."
>"Wow. Am I ever one lucky lady or what?" She arched up against him, whispering against his mouth. "I get love, a hunky flyboy and sensitive poetry all in one fella."
His mouth found hers, settled, held while relief over their new start swept through both of them.
And then the chemistry soared. Ooh-rah.
Her lips parted or his mouth opened. Who could tell what happened first? And what the hell did it matter? Because he was too busy exploring the warm, moist heat of Rena.
She tipped back, tugging him down onto the bed with her. Definitely ooh-rah.
He caught himself with his elbows against the bounce of the mattress, careful of the baby, of her. "You still haven't answered my question."
"What question was that?" She tickled her fingers along the nape of his neck.
"Will you go out with me this Friday?" Gathering a fistful of her hair, he kissed along her jaw, her ear, not at all averse to using a little persuasion. "We could catch a movie, go park by the shore afterward."
"Yes, I would love to go out with you, anywhere, anytime. Surprise me." She stroked her delicate foot up the length of his leg, slow, deliberate, until her leg hooked around his hip. "And it's a sure bet you'll get lucky on the first date."
Epilogue
How could a guy get so lucky in one lifetime?
Smiling, J.T. followed his wife up the stairs to their bedroom, the gentle sway of her hips, the swing of her spiral curls along her back drawing his eyes as always. Framed pictures of kids marked the years. And soon, another photo would be added to the collection once the hospital's newborn picture taken just last night was developed.
He cupped his hands around his son's tiny back, securing the baby to his shoulder with a seasoned grip. Like riding a bicycle. J.T. remembered the parent-hold well. One hand cradled under his son's bottom, the other hand cupping Jamie's dark, curly head.
Jamie. James Renard Price. Not a junior, but rather James for J.T. and Renard as a masculine form of Rena. Their two names blended for this baby who had brought them together.
He and Rena had come a long way in the past few months with the help of their marriage counselor. Not always easy, spilling their thoughts, but well worth the effort in the payback of a solid relationship. He'd learned to open up more. She'd learned that his quiet moods didn't mean distant. Rena had even told him she'd gained all the more faith in her abilities now that she'd seen how effective counseling could be from the other side of the desk.
So much love flowed freely these days, for his wife, for his new son, his other children, too. Life was good.
And about to get even better once Rena saw the surprise waiting to welcome her home.
Like a teenager ready to impress his first girlfriend, he followed her up the last stair, down the hall, to their bedroom. He stopped his wife before she could open the closed door. "Wait right here."
"How come?"
He sealed a quick kiss on her lips. "Trust me."
Her smile caressed his mouth. "All right then, flyboy. I'm waiting."
Tucking inside their room, he placed their sleeper-clad son in the middle of their bed, on Rena's favorite quilt with rings. He tugged Jamie's tiny foot. "Hold on for just a second, little man, while I go back for your mama."
J.T. made a quick sweep of the room to ensure everything was in place before sprinting to the hall where his wife waited with suspicious, but twinkling eyes.