Elaine rubbed her hands over the back of her neck. Summer had set in with a vengeance, and here she was three days before Christmas, trying to ensure the kids had some sense of festivity.
Ten of the young cockerels would be roasted, and she thanked Mrs. Garmin for her foresight in setting up a breeding program. There was a bevy of women taking turns to run the spit they’d fashioned for these kinds of occasions. Fluffy feathers seemed to have adhered themselves to Elaine’s clothes and hands from assisting with the plucking.
The salad would be picked fresh on Christmas morning, and while there wouldn’t be a huge number of presents, Liam had arranged a surprise for the children—a piñata filled with new items from a store they’d visited several weeks before. There would even be a new book for every child, including a range of board books for the newly-born addition and the nearly-there one who was due any day.
Liam. Now he made her smile day after day. Each night was a wonderland of erotic sensuality, and during the day he took every opportunity to show her just how caring he was—no mean feat as he’d become the leader of the community, democratically elected.
The coffee in her cup had turned cold as she sat looking at it. “So why haven’t I told him I love him yet?” Initially she’d had concerns about Ramon, well aware he wasn’t as keen on her. But he was thawing and that certainly was a help.
The walkie-talkie beside her sqwarked. “Elaine? Nina’s in labor, and we need Ramon at the surgery.”
“Okay. He’s out back with Liam. I’ll get him and send him down.”
She placed the device face-down and headed to what had once been her backyard. Now it was a mass of green and red, planted with tomatoes, corn, and lettuce. The two men were weeding, a task shared equally by all members of the community.
“Ramon? Nina’s in labor, and they need you.”
He indicated with a wave that he’d heard and she moved down the yard as he set off at an amble.
“He looks happy and rested. Really different from what he was like when I first met him.”
“He met someone in the latest intake. A girl called Sarah who is a refugee from Sydney. She’d been biking down here when the epidemic took hold and a family kind of adopted her. He’s thinking they should take it slow, like us.”
Elaine searched Liam’s gaze, watching as he brushed the dirt off his hands.
“I think that’s looking good.” He motioned to the garden. “I never expected to like gardening half this much.”
His words stopped her in her tracks. Never expected… “Liam? I’ve not been fair to you, have I? I mean here you are, working at making a life for all of us, while I’ve been hiding from the truth.”
As she was about to launch into her spiel, Jeff came through the gate. “Liam? When you’ve got five can I talk to you about an idea for water saving?”
Liam nodded distractedly, his gaze on hers. “Elaine, what do you mean hiding from the truth?” There it was, the tiny chink of uncertainty that she’d avoided and ignored for all these months.
“Well, you told me months ago that you love me. You still do, right? Even though I haven’t said the words.”
He grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I know you love me just as much as I love you.”
That floored her. “You know?”
“Of course, and so does everyone else.” He swooped in and kissed her hard on the mouth, the way he always did before a big decision was made. It had become their trademark Mrs. Garmin had told her a couple of weeks ago.
Elaine groaned. “See, that’s the problem. You make it too easy for me. I need to say the words, Liam.”
He laughed as Mrs. Garmin appeared around the gate. “Elaine, dear, we need toilet paper and the store is in your shed.”
There was never any privacy, she thought with a growl. “Go ahead, Mrs. Garmin. Just make sure you note down how many rolls you’re taking.” The little woman disappeared, and Elaine grabbed Liam’s hand. “Come with me.”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “I remember the first time you said that to me.”
Memories of that night filtered through her brain and she tugged harder, urging him to a little more speed, because the hit of passion had pleasure spiking through her again. They rushed inside the house.
“Latch the door,” she ordered. “Otherwise they’ll come looking for us.”
At the base of the stairs, their lips met and clung. “I need to shower,” he groused.
“I’ll join you, but first, let me say this. I’ve been an idiot for months, hiding from the truth. I love you. I love who you are, what you do for everyone. Every day I’m thankful for that chance meeting at the grocery store. I’m thankful for Ramon and everyone around us, but you...” Her eyes burned from unshed tears. “You complete me, Liam. No one else could do that.”
“Good then. Now we can make it official.”
“What? How are we going to do that?” He shocked her with the ferocity of his demand.
“In Scotland they used to marry by making the declaration in front of everyone. I can’t think of any people more important than our large community family. Christmas Day, let’s make the declaration.”
“That’s not quite how I imagined it. I wanted flowers and a dress, photographs and—”
“Already taken care of,” Liam said with a grin. When she frowned, he slid his hand under her chin. “Mrs. Garmin has been altering her wedding gown for the last month, Ramon has his digital camera, and the flowers? We’ll pick them from the gardens you had us plant for the bees.”
Just like that, it was planned. “I can’t think of anything better.”
Liam winked. “Well, there’s this one thing. Let’s put those pregnancy tests you stashed to good use.”
They rushed up the steps to the shower, but only a small portion of their time in there was spent washing. As he lathered her, he whispered encouraging words that heated her from the inside out until she was wanting and starving for his touch.
Lifting her up, he settled her on his very hard cock, sliding in without the barrier she’d come to hate. His skin rubbed against her intimately, and she moved up and down, her body breaking apart with an orgasm that stole her very breath, and he jetted deep within her body.
Afterward, he toweled her down and laid her gently on the bed before climbing in beside her. “I hope that takes, but if it doesn’t, we’ll try again and again.” His hands turned in slow, arousing circles that dipped into every hollow while kissing her, his tongue sliding into her mouth.
Elaine’s hands twined in his damp hair as he settled himself once more before sliding home. “Fill me, Liam.”
He rocked his hips, nudging at her with exquisite care, one hand cradling her breast. “When you’re big and full, your breasts larger than they are now, and I’m inside you, we’ll remember this. Me loving you and promising you to be here forever, Elaine. Because I love you.”
She moved, suddenly unable to settle for the long, slow loving, and needing him with every ounce of her being.
Liam pounded her, the rhythm wild and hungry, until they exploded in each other’s arms.
She lay back, her gaze on the ceiling as he rolled to his side, and she frowned until he returned. “I found this a couple of weeks ago and wondered if you’d wear it for me?”
He produced her grandmother’s sapphire and diamond ring, the one that had been removed from her hand only after death. It was a tangible reminder of the longevity of love and the care her grandmother had heaped on her. Tears sprang into her eyes as she remembered the woman who’d given her a childhood of love. And now, the man who offered the ring was offering her the world. It was right.
There was no other answer. “Yes. Yes, I will.”
They sealed the vow with a kiss.