Chapter 15

“You heard the doctor, Grandmother. Must you be so hardheaded?” Annie plugged in the heating pad.

“I’m not hardheaded. I heard him just fine.” She hobbled to the kitchen.

“What is it you want from the kitchen, Lilly?” Patty asked, moving near her.

“A stiff drink.”

“I don’t think that will go well with the pain pills,” Annie said.

“Oh please. I’m a tough cookie. Didn’t you hear the doctor say that?” She pulled the cork of the amber liquid and poured a finger amount into her glass.

Annie watched as she tossed it back. Shaking her head, she gazed over to Auntie Patty. “We should make some dinner.”

“I’m not hungry,” Lilly said, getting ready to pour another ounce of scotch.

“Grandmother. Don’t.” Annie’s tone was enough for her to put the cork back in and slide it out of her reach.

“You’re such a killjoy.”

She grumbled all the way to the couch. Annie watched as she placed the now-warmed heating pad on her hip.

“I’ll have Jack bring some dinner over. I have some leftovers in the fridge.”

“Okay, dear. No hurry. Soon she’ll be snoozing, and it will sound like a locomotive in the living room.” Patty kissed Annie on the cheek.

“I don’t know how you do it, Auntie. Living with her takes the patience of a saint.”

“We’re family, Annie. You take the bad with the good.”

“Did you get Grandmother all settled in?” Jack was stirring some of the leftovers in a pan on the burner. The microwave beeped. Pulling open the door, he took out a sizzling plate. “I figured we’d have leftovers.”

“You read my mind. Would you mind taking a couple of plates over to them? Grandmother needs some nourishment in her body. Although, between the pain pills and the scotch, she’s probably already sawing logs.”

He took down two plates and began dishing up the food. “Not a problem.”

Annie covered the plates with foil. “Please remind her to alternate the heat with the ice.”

“Will do. Back in a flash.” He leaned in for a kiss.

Annie brushed her lips across his. Watching him leave, she traced her mouth with her fingers. The kiss. It was nice. It’d been a while since they’d been intimate. A warm feeling washed over her. Her man. He still had it. And she promised herself to let him know just how much.

“All is well in the cottage. Lilly was sleeping, but she woke up and seemed to have an appetite. I set them up with the food. Patty said she’d call you before they go to bed to give you an update.”

“Thank you, Jack.”

They ate in silence, but the kiss they’d shared earlier played with her emotions throughout dinner, and the little butterflies she used to get when they were first a couple came fluttering back.

It was just like old times. They tag-teamed the nightly bath routine for both children. The assembly line worked well. Jack would hand a dripping wet and giggling Ashton to Annie who’d wrap him tightly in a towel, rushing him into the bedroom. He didn’t have a bashful bone in his little body, but Annie realized the importance of giving him some privacy.

“Dry off good, then put on your pajamas,” Annie said, backing out of the room and closing the door almost until it clicked shut.

When she popped inside the bathroom, Jack was washing Carolina’s back while she splashed water.

“I can finish her up if you want to go check on number one.”

Jack moved out of the tight space, letting Annie in. She bent down at the side of the tub and began to soap up a washcloth. Could it be things were completely back to normal?

They finished the bedtime ritual, reading one of Ashton’s favorite books, then both of them took their turn kissing him good night. Little Carolina was already asleep. The warm bath did it every time.

Annie took her time getting ready for bed. She washed her face with the special soap she’d treated herself to, then applied a light lotion. Normally she didn’t require lotion because the humidity did a great job of keeping her skin nourished and looking youthful, but in the wintertime it never hurt to put a little bit of moisture back into the skin. Brushing her long locks until they shined, she turned off the light and entered the bedroom, expecting to see Jack asleep. He’d been sleeping a lot lately, and she wasn’t sure if it was depression or something else. But there he was, wide-eyed, with a grin plastered ear to ear.

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be awake.”

“I waited for you.”

Kicking the covers back, she sat on the edge of the bed with her back facing him. His hand brushed her backside, sending shivers up her spine. Removing her slippers, she slowly rolled in under the sheet, resting her head on the pillow. Pulling up on his elbow, Jack studied her. She could feel his eyes all over her, and she began to blush like some newlywed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his tone low and seductive.

She swallowed hard. The rapid pinging of her heartbeat made her feel giddy. Definitely feeling like she was experiencing something new. But this was Jack. Her husband of over six years. Someone who she’d seen through many phases of his life, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, and he made her feel as if it were their first time as husband and wife. A warm feeling traveled through her body.

“Thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve this sort of flattery, but I like it.” She moved her head and gazed at him.

He inched closer.

She studied the shape of his mouth.

He leaned in and kissed her.

When she opened her eyes, he’d moved away. “It’s been a long time since you’ve kissed me.”

“Too long.” He moved back in, pushing her hair away from her face, kissing her cheek then her mouth.

It was true. It was like riding a bike. But like riding a bike with the training wheels on. Wobbly at first, a bit scared and tense you might fall but soon sailing down the sidewalk with the breeze blowing in your face, and a smile brightly lighting the way.

The love she felt for him was as big and strong, faithful, and committed as the day she said I do. And nothing they’d been through or would go through would deter her from her continued love and support.