Page 73 of Shielding Maya

At seven p.m. Reece stood up and tapped his fork to his glass. "We have the election results."

A shiver ran down his spine, and Maya leaned over and whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

"I haven't won yet."

"It doesn't matter."

He kissed her lips, heard a couple of 'awes" then turned his attention to Reece.

"Fifty-one votes for Jasiah Weston. Four votes for Adam Jacobs. Our president is Jasiah Weston."

Maya's arms flew around his shoulders and her lips pressed tightly to his. "Congratulations." She said between kisses.

He stared into her eyes for a few moments, then turned to his mom who sat at a table in front of them. She had tears streaming down her cheeks and her hands clapped together in unison with the rest of the group.

Someone yelled, "Speech. Speech."

He smiled at Maya and stood. He held a glass of cider in his hand and waited for the applause to die down.

Swallowing the emotion he felt, he took a deep breath. "If any one of you would have told me a few weeks ago how much my life would change, I would have thought you had found some elixir and downed the entire bottle."

The crowd laughed. He swallowed and looked at his bride. "I've been unreasonably blessed this year. I've suffered heartache too. But, I'm excited for all that lies ahead of us here in Hickory Hills and I promise to work tirelessly for the improvement of our lives up here. I promise to always do my best for all of you."

Applause once again sounded, and he waited. He bent down and helped Maya stand up. He wrapped his arm around her waist and after the applause stopped he took a deep breath. "I'm proud to stand before you, side by side with my bride, and agree to be your leader."

He kissed his wife's luscious lips then whispered. "I love you."

She laughed. "I love you too."

42

Maya waited for Tate to respond to her comments. She and Jasiah had talked endlessly about this over the past few weeks.

"And, you're sure about this?"

"I am. It makes perfect sense. When this one joins us..." She pointed to her still flat stomach. "I want to be close. We need law enforcement up in the hills and I'm the most qualified. It solves a couple of issues."

Tate grinned at her and shook his head. "I never would have believed you'd be pregnant before Addy. To be honest, before Spencer, Henry, or Myles."

Maya laughed. "To be clear, Spencer, Henry, and Myles can't get pregnant."

He laughed out loud and she laughed with him. "Touché. You know what I mean."

"I do. I can't believe it either."

"You know you can come back anytime you want? I mean it. And, if you ever crave a bit of action, we'll likely have something for you here."

"Thanks, Tate."

Maya stood and walked around his desk. She hugged Tate. Her childhood friend and playmate turned boss. But, he was always her friend.

She exited his office and crossed the living area to Rafe's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in."

She opened the door to see Rafe sitting at his desk, computer screens lined across the wall above him.

"Hey, Maya. How are you?"

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