I turn the truck off before I unlock it and head toward the little stop. “Bathroom?” I ask the older woman behind the counter. I open my jacket and show my small baby bump. She gives me a warm smile.
“Towards the back, sweetheart. It’s on the left-hand side.”
“Thank you! My bladder is tiny these days.”
“I remember those days. I had a crazy sweet tooth whenever I was expecting. There is a little bakery area back there. My granddaughter made some fresh treats herself this morning.”
“Oh, now we’re talking,” I laugh as I head toward the back to quickly use the bathroom.
When I come out, I stop at the table filled with homemade sweets. My mouth waters, not caring that Connor took me to the diner an hour ago and I ate a cheeseburger the size of my face with a peanut butter milkshake. By the time I’m done, I’ve got four containers in my hands.
“Evie!” My name is bellowed through the small store.
Oh crap. I’m in trouble. He used my actual name. “I’m here,” I announce right as he finds me. “I had to pee.” His eyes drop to the sweets in my hands. “Then I got distracted.”
He fishes out his wallet and pulls out a hundred before taking the sweets from me. “Get your little ass back in the truck, little duck,” he orders.
Desire blooms through my body at his firm tone. I hurry toward the front, with him hot on my heels. The older woman gives me a knowing smile.
“Thanks, Annie,” Connor tells the woman before dropping the money on her counter and following me out. He puts the treats in the back before he opens the box he dropped in the back. He comes back to the passenger side door. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly.
“No one is taking me from you. Wouldn't allow it.” He always gets a bit worked up when I’m not where he thinks I am. It always ends with us both naked and him inside of me.
“I love you.” He hands me the book.
“I love you too.” I hold it close to my chest. It’s our love story.
“Then when we get home, you’ll get your little ass up to our bed and be naked by the time I’m done unloading everything.”
“I—”
“You’re not helping me. You’re getting naked.”
“I can do that,” I agree. He leans in to kiss me as snow starts to fall. The storm is closing in. It’s time to get back up the mountain.
Back home.
Epilogue
CONNOR
Eight years later…
It’s snowing outside, but it’s the lazy kind with big, fluffy flakes that make a perfect powder. This is the kind of snow Evie loves best, and when I can’t find her in the house, I know exactly where she is.
I pull on my boots and grab my coat before I go outside. I’m barely off the porch when I hear the laughter, and it makes me smile. She’s helping our son Evan build a snowman, and it looks like he’s just used the carrot and coal to make a penis on it. That’s what she gets for letting a seven-year-old boy be in charge.
“That’s quite the carrot,” I tease as I look down at the snowman and then at my wife.
She giggles as she comes and gives me a kiss. “Do you feel threatened?” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I grab her ass.
I lean in close and kiss her ear. “Not after the way you came on my dick this morning.”
“Connor,” she chides, but I see the smirk she tries to hide as she slaps my chest playfully. “You’re so bad.”
“And you love it.” I kiss her again and she bites her lip.
“Maybe.” She wiggles in my arms, and I grin.
“Now you’re just begging for it again.”
“Are you guys being gross?” Evan asks, and we laugh.
“No, baby,” Evie says and pretends to glare at me. “Your daddy is just trying to mark his territory.”
“That's what Daddy says we do when we pee in the woods.”
“Damn straight,” I tell him and give Evie’s ass one last squeeze. “Where’s our baby girl?”
Just then our daughter Joyce pops out from behind the snowman and growls like she’s going to scare me. I pretend to scream in fear as I fall on the ground and take her with me. After that it’s a dog pile and we all roll around in the snow.
“Who wants cocoa before we go see Uncle Wilder and Aunt Natalie?” Evie asks. It was hard to explain to the kids that they’re all actually cousins, so we just decided to call them aunt and uncle to make things easier. Also because they’re more like my brother and sister than anything else.
“Me!” the kids shout in unison, and they go running up the porch and into the house.
Evie shouts for them to take their boots off, but before she can go inside after them, I grab her around the waist and pull her to me.