Prairie
8 months later…
“I think that’s the last of them,” Logan says, placing two neatly stacked boxes at my feet.
“Finally,” I sigh. “Remind me why we thought it was a good idea to move ourselves across the country without any help?”
“Mm, so we could do this,” he suggests, reaching for the hem of my shirt. I slap his hand away and he instantly begins to pout.
“No way. I am determined,” I say firmly. “I will unpack this kitchen.”
“Fine, but you better hurry,” he warns. “I’m heading for the shower and you better be naked and under that water with me in the next ten minutes Mrs. Mackenzie.”
“Or what?” I challenge.
He pulls me against his hard chest and seals his mouth to mine in a demanding kiss, making me dizzy before he leans back.
“You don’t wanna know,” he says. “Ten minutes babe.”
He heads for the bathroom and I look around at the three large boxes of kitchen supplies that still need to be unpacked. I begin pulling out tea towels and coffee mugs, knowing that I won’t get it all done but I can at least make a small dent before my husband demands my attention. My husband. The words still make me blush.
The last eight months have been a whirlwind. Once Logan was fully recovered from his injuries, we had a serious talk about what we both want moving forward. I continued to work at the bank and Logan found a job when he was physically able to at a garage. Four months ago we got married. We both agreed that we didn’t want to waste any more time and that we wanted to move onto whatever the future had in store for us. We had a small ceremony at the courthouse downtown with my mom and Neil, Holly and Brooke and Trevor. I knew it would only be a matter of time before those two were together and I was right. They argue like crazy and both claim that it’s not serious but I’ve seen the way he watches her on stage. I can’t see him letting her get away any time soon, that’s for sure.
I made the decision after we got married that I wanted to go back to school and get my degree in social work. I want to help people the way that Holly helped me. I applied to college on the west coast after we decided that a fully fresh start was what we both wanted. The owner of the garage where Logan was working had a contact down here and next week he’ll be starting his apprenticeship for his mechanic’s license. He hopes to open his own shop someday and I fully support him. The apartment we just moved into is modest and cheap but I love it. Because I’m with Logan, and I know that someday we’ll have all the things we dream of.
“Babe! Two minutes!”
I put down the coffee maker and bite my lip in anticipation as I pull off my T-shirt and saunter casually down the hallway.
Logan really hates waiting. And so do I.
Logan
Seven years after that…
I look down at my daughter Zoey, arms clutched tightly around the stuffed turtle that Santa left for her this past Christmas. I pull the pink quilt up over her legs and kiss the mop of dark brown curls on her head before I sneak out of the room and close the door. As much as I love my three year old daughter, she’ll be up demanding five more bedtime stories if she hears me and I need to have some alone time with my wife.
I turn off the lights and check the locks before I make my way upstairs. I can hear the water running and my first thought is to jump Prairie in the shower but I think better of it when I remember the weary look on her face when we sat down for supper. Every so often she has a difficult case that she can’t shake off and I know she needs to unwind. We found out during her first year working as a counselor that she was pregnant with Zoey. I had just opened my garage and money was tight but somehow we managed, and I thank fucking God every day that I got a second chance with Prairie. The three of us lived in that tiny apartment for two years until we were able to buy our first house, but I wouldn’t trade those two years for anything in the world.
I step into the walk-in closet and peel off my T-shirt and jeans, stripping down to my boxers. I open the bathroom door just as Prairie steps out of the shower, beads of water rolling down her soft skin.
“She asleep?”
“Out like a light,” I say, reaching for my toothbrush.
“Good,” she sighs with a smile. She wraps her arms around me from behind and lets the towel around her slip free. “I talked to Brooke today.”
“I noticed I had a missed call from Trevor, but I didn’t have time to call him back.”
“They’re thinking of coming up with the kids next week,” she says, tracing her fingertips lightly over my chest. “Brooke said they’re taking two weeks off from filming for the holidays and Trevor has some time to kill while he waits for the permits on the new condos he’s building.”
“Zoey would like the company,” I grin. “She asked me again tonight what she has to do to get a sister.”
“Is that right?” Prairie grins. “Don’t be too long.” She gazes at me in the reflection of the bathroom mirror, her pale green eyes flickering with desire before she pads to the bedroom.
There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think my wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. Watching her as a mother has only added to that feeling. She’s everything our little girl deserves.
I rinse my mouth and turn off the light, the only thing illuminating Prairie’s naked body above the sheets is the subtle glow from the dim lamp on the nightstand. I crawl under the sheets and pull her to my side, her body molding instantly to mine.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, just a tough day,” she says.
“You wanna talk about it?”
“No, I’ll be okay. Promise,” she assures me, tilting her head up and pressing her lips to mine.
The kiss starts soft but one small moan from her parted lips has me rolling her onto her back and caging her beneath me.
“Goddamn, you do things to me,” I growl. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” she grins, reaching her hand down to my length and squeezing hard. “No more talking, just make love to me.” She tilts her hips up, seeking relief but this is just one of those times where I can’t rush with her. I want to feel all of her, and I want her to feel me.
I gently press her hands back into the mattress and hold them there while I trail a lazy path across her collar bone and down to the pink tip of her breast. A gasp falls from her lips when I pull the hard bud into my mouth and nip it gently. I let go of her hands but she keeps them in place, knowing that I want to take my time tasting her. I kiss the skin across her stomach, letting my lips linger on the faded stretch marks that she hates so much.
“Beautiful,” I groan against her hipbone.
I nudge myself between her legs, her fingers now tangle in my hair as I swipe my tongue along the seam of her folds. With every brush against her clit, she moans and bucks her hips up. I’ll never have enough of her or the way she tastes. Like sweet honey on my lips.
“Mm, Logan, don’t stop,” she moans.
I can feel her climax coming but before she can let go, I’m sliding up her writhing body and thrusting into her harshly. The pulse of her centre around my cock as her lips find mine is heady and overwhelming.
“Give me another one Prairie,” I growl, nipping and sucking the soft skin along her throat, her fingertips digging into my back.
We come together in a blur, my heart beating out of my chest against hers. I don’t stop moving until the tremors around my cock cease and she falls back onto the pillows with a sleepy smile.
I take my time cleaning her up with a warm cloth, letting my mouth touch every sweet spot I can find before I make my way back up to her sweet mouth. I cradle her face with my palms as her thighs fall open all the way, letting me rest between them. I drag my thumb across her full bottom lip and she wraps her legs around me.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispers.
“Pregnant?”
“Yeah,” she says, her eyes shining. “Are you ready for another one?”
I press my mouth to hers, coaxing her lips to open so I can taste her again. When I pull back slightly I speak the words against her lips.
“You and me.”
“Always,” she says.
My Prairie. The girl who took my heart and never gave it back. The woman I love and can’t live without.
My bluebird.
The End