Page 14 of 5 Golden Flings

Afterward . . . this time he lay beside her, her head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her while his free hand lazily stroked the curve of her hip. “God, I love you,” he muttered against her hair.

“I love you too.” She smiled and kissed the underside of his jaw.

“You surprised the shit out of me, showing up like that.”

“I meant to,” she said smugly. “My fingers were crossed that you’d go along with me.”

“You were having so much fun I had to.” He kissed her forehead. “Who’s keeping the kids?”

“Your mom. They’re having a blast, going by what I heard on the phone when I talked to her today.” Ella was four and William had just turned a rowdy two.

“I miss them. I can’t wait to see them at Christmas.” He smoothed his hand over her stomach. “Are you still on the pill, or did we possibly just make another one?”

“I’m still on the pill. I wouldn’t make that decision without you. Why? Do you want another baby?”

“I think probably. How about you? What do you think?”

The idea of another pregnancy was a bit surprising. She hadn’t thought about having another baby, but now that he’d mentioned it the idea was oddly appealing, despite the months of physical misery. He made getting a baby started a hell of a lot of fun, and once they were born the love was overwhelming. Taking care of two little kids and running a business was crazy time but she loved it, so why not add a third to the mix?

“If you’re sure, I won’t take another pill. Maybe we can get a new one here before William is three.”

Hatch smiled a very masculine smile and licked her nipple. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.

CHAPTER 7

“Daddy’s home!”Ella shrieked, tearing open the front door and streaking out of the house. Nova didn’t try to stop her because she was running too, though she stopped to swoop a giggling William up in her arms.

“Daddy daddy daddy,” he was yelling, all but deafening her.

Hatch jumped out of the truck and met them halfway, wrapping them all in his arms and lifting Ella so she could scatter wet kisses on his face. William launched himself out of Nova’s arms and Hatch caught him, then somehow, between the onslaught of the two kids, he managed to give Nova a lingering kiss that promised more fun time later.

“It’s Christmas!” Ella shouted.

“Not yet. Two more days,” Nova said.

“You said Daddy would be home for Christmas! He’s home!”

“She’s got you there,” he murmured.

“I didn’t say it would be Christmas when he got home, I said he would be here at home when Christmas came. Nice try, young lady, but you still don’t get to open your gifts for another two days.”

“Just one,” she wheedled, then looked at Hatch. “Please, Daddy.”

“No, no cheating at Christmas. Santa would know and he’d feel bad.”

She heaved a dramatic sigh. “Oh, okay.”

He set her down and they both watched their daughter run back into the house. She was very like Nova, from her slender, almost delicate build to the sleek, light brown hair and blue eyes. William, on the other hand, was sturdy and disturbingly strong for his age. Hatch carried him in one arm and held her hand as they walked into their house, the one she had so lovingly decorated for Christmas knowing he’d be here to enjoy it. Her family would arrive tomorrow for Christmas Eve dinner, and Granita — his mother’s meshing of “grandma” with Nita, her name — would be in and out for the whole time, since she lived nearby.

As they entered the house he took a deep breath, taking in the scent of evergreen and spices. The Christmas tree twinkled, the area around it overflowing with wrapped gifts, battery-operated candles glowing everywhere. Nova had thought it prudent to do away with real candles when Ella was born. He looked around, took another deep breath, then hugged her close with their son wriggling in protest between them.

“I’ll quit,” he said, his voice raw. “I’m missing too much of this time with you, with them. I want to be in bed with you every night, especially if we’re going to have another baby. This is what’s important to?—”

Nova laid her fingers over his mouth, her expression glowing as she looked up at him. “You don’t have to stop doing what you’re so good at, what you feel the need to do. I don’t have to give up what I love doing, either. You need to trust my ingenuity more. I spent that trip looking at real estate, schools, WiFi availability, and investigating how reasonably I’ll be ableto build a profitable internet presence. The kids are young and will transplant easily. I have good employees and I’m already training one to be manager. We’ll handle everything online. Oh, and Granita wants to move to Nevada with us.”

He was silent, his expression stunned. “Holy shit,” he finally said.

“Howy shit,” William repeated.

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