Lexy lay with her head on Cooper’s chest, her hand rested on his stomach underneath his T-shirt. This is how he and his wife spent every evening. It was their way of unwinding, of simply being together.
“Are you hungry?” Lexy looked up at him. She was just as pretty as the day they met. “I made a peach pie, or if you don’t want that I bought mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.”
He ran his fingers through her loose hair that had grown so long it was now down her back. “You hate mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.”
“You like it, and I like you so I bought it.”
He kissed her forehead. “I love you, Lexy.” He didn’t tell her enough, or if he did it was automatic, like saying good morning or good night, but he did love her. She was the best thing that ever happened to him.
“I love you, too, Coop.” She grinned up at him, raising her head slightly so she could kiss his mouth. A spark caught and the kiss grew into something more than either intended. He rolled her over on the couch, wrapping her leg around his hip.
“You always get me, you witch,” he muttered before he took her mouth again.
“I didn’t even do anything,” she giggled. After twelve years he could still do that to her.
“You were born,” he retorted. Her hand wandered up his shirt, stroking his still-scarred back.
“What are you guys doing?” they heard a voice say. Cooper lifted his head to look at his irritable twelve-year-old daughter holding their nine-month-old son.
“I’m making out with your mother. Go away.”
They had five beautiful children: twelve-year-old twins, a boy and a girl; a nine-year-old daughter; a four-year-old daughter; and a baby boy. He never thought they would have so many. They never thought they would be so old and still be having kids. Lexy was forty. He was forty-three. She thought she would have trouble conceiving, but they were as fertile as a rainforest. Their last two children were unplanned, due to his inability to keep his hands off his wife.
But there were some bittersweet times in between their happy times. Kyle had passed away just after the twins were born. It was sad but it really was a blessing. Kyle had suffered more than one person should. But he had got to see his niece and nephew before he went, and that made Lexy happy.
“I would love to go away but Conner is making noise.”
“Ma!” He squealed and held out his chubby baby arms to his mother.
“Hey, booger,” she said, still trapped beneath her husband. Conner broke out in jubilant baby giggles as he always did whenever his mother spoke to him. He would be a mama’s boy. Conner looked just like Lexy, with caramel skin and dark curls, but he had Cooper’s blue-gray eyes.
“I’m trying to do my homework,” Lacy whined.
“You waited till eight to do your homework?” Lexy asked.
“Um, no?”
“Tell me another lie.” Lexy looked up at Cooper. “Get off of me.”
He frowned at her. “I don’t want to.”
“You already have five kids,” Lacy complained. “You don’t have to do it anymore.”
“Yes, we do,” Cooper answered. “And if you don’t like it you can move out.”
She wouldn’t be going anywhere. They had the biggest house in Liberty, Texas. He had fulfilled his promise and built Lexy the house of her dreams. She had been easy to please. They had money. He ran his own accounting firm and she wrote for a living. She could have whatever she wanted, but she still shopped at Wal-Mart and insisted that the kids earn their allowance by doing chores.
“Dad!”
“Cooper!” Lexy poked him.
He looked down at Lexy, still wanting her, and she nearly blushed. They still made love every night and some mornings if they managed to wake up before the kids. “Coop.” She kissed his cheek, and when he still didn’t move she tugged on his hair. He sighed and rolled off her. There was always tonight.
“Come to Mommy.” She held out her arms to their baby, who was pumping his legs in excitement as Lacy brought him near. “How’s my little love?” She smothered his face with wet kisses.
“Daddy?”
Their four-year-old came into the den wearing her blue footie pajamas, rubbing her eyes as if she had been crying. He loved all of his children tremendously, but May stole his heart. She was his look-alike and she had him wrapped around her finger.
“Charlie smashed the cricket that was in my room and now I’ve got guts on the wall. I told him not to kill it.” Her lowered lip trembled pathetically, which caused Lexy to roll her eyes.
“Come here, princess.” He collected the little girl in his arms, kissing her tears away.
“Charlie!”
A boy, big and healthy-looking, appeared. He was a mix of his parents. “Yeah, Dad?”
“Please clean the guts off your sister’s wall.”
“No problem.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why she’s crying.”
“Because dumb-dumb. Girls don’t like guts on their walls,” his twin informed him.
“Yes,” Cooper added. “Now tell her you’re sorry.”
Charlie obeyed, giving May a loud kiss on her cheek. He was good to his sisters. Cooper was proud of his boy. He pulled him down next to him and ruffled his hair.
“Come here, Lacy,” Lexy called. “Give Mama a kiss.”
“Do I have to?” the increasingly fresh child said.
“If you want to live to see tomorrow, you will,” her mother replied. Lacy came over and squeezed her mother tightly. She gave a lot of lip but she really adored her mother. They were best friends. “I love you, Lace.”
“I love you, too, Mommy.”
“Hey!” Their nine-year-old, Corey, entered. “Nobody told me you guys were having a meeting.”
“Trust me,” Cooper assured her, “it was not planned. Come sit with us.”
She squeezed herself between her parents, resting her dark head on Cooper’s arm.
This was heaven.
Twelve years ago he nearly died, when a dark angel came and gave him a reason to live. And he owed it all to Ryan Beecher, who not only gave his life for his country, but for Cooper, too.
* * * * *
Watch for the next title in Ginger Jamison’s
REDEMPTION trilogy, coming this
Autumn 2014: JERICHO.
Don’t miss this compelling, emotional story!