Anna
Anna leaned against the shower wall while the hot water poured over her. Five hours of sleep was definitely not enough, but she’d always been a sucker for that sexy crooked smile of Drew’s. Last night’s dip in the river had been no exception.
Finally forcing herself from the delicious warmth, she pulled her favorite blue dress from a hanger and zipped it up the side. A sleepy reflection stared back in the mirror while a cheerful man, whistling no less, walked behind her in ocean blue dress pants and a red striped tie.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” He was even more chipper than normal. She didn’t know it was possible for him to be more of a morning person.
She’d seen him in a suit before, knew the way it fit every muscled inch of him to perfection. But today, she couldn’t pull in a breath, couldn’t close her gaping mouth while her heart set to marathon speed.
He placed a kiss on the right side of her neck. “You look incredible.”
The rumble of his voice against her skin had her knees buckling, but his hands steadied her waist.
“You aren’t so bad yourself, Dr. Stevens, but we do not have time for whatever thoughts are running through your head right now. We cannot be late today.”
“My thoughts?” He kissed across to the other shoulder. “That blush says I’m not the only one with thoughts, and if you don’t want to make us late, I’d suggest you stop looking at me like that while calling me Dr. Stevens.”
She pressed her lips to his in what she’d planned to be a swift kiss, but he immediately deepened it, lifting her on the counter to stand between her legs. With a reluctant whimper, Anna pulled away, and Drew laughed as he helped her step into her light pink Mary Jane heels.
The drive to the chapel was short, but Drew’s anxious tapping of the steering wheel and side-glances in Anna’s direction puzzled her. What did he have to be nervous about?
They joined her family gathering in the front pews while Pastor Jeff briefed Beth and Kevin on the ceremony details they’d already been through three other times.
“Anna, we asked Drew to stand with you and Jace. That okay?” Beth said over her shoulder.
Anna spun to find Drew waiting directly behind her. That handsome face lit in his biggest soul-splitting smile, his shoulder shrugging.
“Um, yeah, sure,” she barely choked out. Her scattered emotions landed on joy.
Drew joined Anna next to Kevin and Beth with a reassuring squeeze of her hand. She couldn’t focus on the instructions, staring at Drew and the adorable way he listened to every word. He turned to her and placed a kiss on her temple. They took their seats in the front row while the rest of the town filed into the chapel.
“Is this what you two were talking about yesterday?” Anna whispered.
His smile was ear to ear. “Yeah, Beth said she wanted to tell you.”
“So what did she say?”
“I can’t remember exactly, but basically she asked if I planned to be a permanent member of your family.” He brushed a stray hair behind her ear then cupped her cheek. “I told her I’d never wanted anything more. If that’s okay with you, of course.”
A permanent member of her family…
“I told you, I’m in this,” he whispered in her ear, lingering there. “I’m not going anywhere, Sunshine.”
Anna could only manage a nod without the happy tears spilling over. Drew didn’t miss her glistening eyes. He placed his arm protectively around her, and her head fell to his shoulder; she breathed in the spicy clean scent that was her home.
Their conversations had danced on the edge of forever talk, but Drew agreeing to this was a real commitment to a future together.
Pastor Jeff greeted the congregation. Beth, Kevin, Drew, and Anna joined him on stage with baby Jace. The whispers and awwws from the crowd were obvious, but Anna couldn’t take her eyes off Drew next to her holding a sleeping baby in his arms. He stared down at Jace with so much love that a single joyful tear slipped down Anna’s cheek, but her mind also raced with the fear that she might not ever be able to give him a child of their own.
When they took their seats, Max slapped Drew on the back, and Anna didn’t miss his relieved sigh at Max’s approval.
They shared a million handshakes and hugs after the service, then waved their goodbyes to spend an afternoon alone on the water.
Anna ran her fingers over the soft hair at the base of Drew’s neck as he drove. “You looked great up there today.”
“Yeah? My hands were shaking. I thought I might drop him. Are you okay with Kevin and Beth asking me?” He glanced her way, uncertainty in his eyes.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
His fingers traced small circles on her bare thigh. “I don’t know. It sort of bonds us…forever.”
Anna waited for the surge of panic, but it wasn’t there.
“You think I don’t want that?” she asked.
He smiled, that bright crooked Drew smile, kissing her left ring finger. That simple kiss changed the foggy picture of their future together from fantasy to crystal clear reality.
“Just making sure.”
***
Boat safely backed into the water, Drew dropped anchor in a nice quiet cove before throwing his line in the water. Anna removed her cover up and stretched out on a towel to get some sun. Her favorite straw hat covered her face, and Roxy settled in beside her as she soaked up the delicious rays.
Warm hands grazed her bare stomach sometime later, pulling her from sleep. Drew leaned above her, forearms caging her in on each side.
He peeked under her hat. “Nice nap?”
She nodded with a yawn.
“I’ve been very lonely,” he teased.
She cupped his cheek in her hand. “Is that right?”
Drew closed his eyes, his lips stopping a breath from hers. “Maybe you should make it up to me by giving me a peek at that tattoo?”
“It’s not something you can see with my bathing suit on.”
He kissed her chest, her belly button, then the side of her knee before coming back to capture her mouth. His bare chest pressed her into the towel, and her hands gripped his biceps.
Muscles coiled tight under her hands, and she slid down his side to the tie of his board shorts. But a movement across the boat caught her attention.
Drew noticed it a second later but not fast enough to grab his pole before it disappeared into the water. He jumped in after, making the save before it completely left the surface.
Anna doubled over at the waist, chest heaving from laughter by the time he climbed back in the boat.
“Guess distracted fishing is a bad idea.” She could barely get the words out through her giggles.
He set the pole down in the boat, his hair sending tiny droplets of water down his face and chest. “You think you’re funny?”
“You needed to cool off anyway, right?”
She continued to laugh as he stalked toward her, a mischievous spark in his eyes. “You think so?”
“Don’t!” she screamed, but he’d already cradled her to his chest and thrown her over the side. The cool water on her hot skin caused a shiver as she sputtered to the surface. Drew cannonballed in after.
He dodged her attempts to push him under, so she settled for splashing. They eventually called a truce, and he pulled her to him. Their arms and legs tangled together after he grabbed a raft from the boat for them to float.
“Luke asked me again last night about partnering with him to buy out Frank’s business,” Anna said.
Spending time together at the bonfire went well, but Anna wasn’t completely sure where Drew stood on the subject anymore.
“You’re finished at Yoakum Ridge next week?” he asked, and she nodded.
His fingers fidgeted with the edge of the raft before taking her hand in his. “Do you want to partner with Luke? Do you want to…move here permanently?”
Being home the last six months had lifted the weight pressing on her chest. Since the day she saw those final divorce papers sitting in her email, she’d needed to get away, get away from that place and all the memories of Mason. But now she wanted to move forward…with Drew.
“I do. He and I talked about it, and I’m excited. Luke is the best contractor I’ve ever worked with, and I know we could make a great team. But I need to know you’re okay with it. That you…”
“I trust you, sweetheart, and I trust that pain in the ass too. If it’s what you want, then I’m on board. But if you want to keep your job, I’m willing to move with you. You…are my home.”
“I love you, Drew. I want…” Anna paused, pulling in a steading breath. She waited for the fear to set in, the doubt, but staring into the golden flecks in his incredible brown eyes, the boy she had loved her entire life, Anna knew she was truly home. “I want you. This. The life we always planned to have together.”
She whispered the last word and looked down at their hands intertwined on the raft.
Drew brushed his thumb across her cheek, down to her chin. “Does that mean you’ll officially move in with me and Roxy?”
She smiled. “If you’ll both have me.”
Her gaze lifted to his, and the devotion there burned straight down to her soul. His lips melted into Anna’s, his ever-present strength mixing with how tender and patient he loved her.
“Have you confirmed our reservation for your friend’s wedding next weekend?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m excited for you to meet them.”
Layla, Ryan, and Anna were all part of the wedding party for their college friends Lisa and Reed.
A wide grin spread across Drew’s face. “Why don’t we add a day to our trip? Change our flight and leave on Wednesday instead of Thursday? We’ll spend the day together on the beach before your girls’ day Friday.”
“You aren't too busy?”
He placed a lingering kiss behind her ear, and her entire body broke out in tingles. “Never too busy for you. Dad will cover for me.”
Anna stared at him, his eyes now closed, arms propped behind his head as he relaxed on the raft. His tan chest glistened with water droplets, a light dusting of hair leading down to his red board shorts. This kind, caring, incredibly sexy man that she loved with every bit of her heart actually loved her as much in return.
Drew was her home, and she wanted nothing more than to build a life with him on their river bank.