Chapter Thirty

        Emma Jean woke up slowly. Not wanting to leave the warm cocoon of Noah’s bed, she tugged the bedding up to her chin and attempted to wrap herself in it. She met resistance in the form of one sleepy-eyed and rumpled man.

        “Mornin’, sunshine,” he rumbled, snuggling in close.

        “Mornin’, Noah. You need a nickname.”

        His brow jumped. “I do?”

        “Hmm. You call me sunshine, so it’s only fair.”

        “Yeah? What would you call me then?”

         She mulled it over for a few beats before issuing her declaration. “Mine.”

        Noah grinned as he rolled her over onto her back. “Always, sunshine. Always.”

        Since they were both still naked from the night before, Noah wasted no time in proving just how much he belonged to his woman. Sliding his hands over her hips, he nestled himself between her legs and dipped his head low to capture a nipple with his teeth. She let out a hiss as her hips immediately began undulating. Noah was a master at pressing all her buttons. He shifted up her body so that they were face to face. Dipping his tongue into her mouth, he slid his cock inside her at the same time.

        Her hands were all over him. Anywhere she could reach, she memorized with her touch. His movements were slow and rhythmic. Noah rarely fucked her; he made love to her. Worshipped her. And as much as she reveled in his adoration, she was not a delicate flower. She wasn’t going to break. She wanted him to unleash the passion she knew he possessed. To communicate that, she dug her fingers into his ass and demanded ‘more.’ When his rhythm didn’t alter, she nipped at his earlobe.

        “Noah. Fuck me harder,” she moaned.

        That did it. He slammed into her hard enough the headboard collided with the wall.

        “Yes,” she breathed.

        “Don’t want to hurt you,” he grunted, trying to restrain the power behind his thrusts.

        She almost laughed at the idea. “You’d never hurt me. But I want to feel you the rest of the day, so give me what I need.”

        Whether it was the need behind her demand, the fire in her eyes, or the desire to mark her in some way, he caved and gave her what she wanted.

If he was honest, he wanted it too.

***

They arrived at Tally’s just in time for the coffee to finish brewing. In other words, right on time.

“I’m sure Jonas will be here any minute, since he’s always up with the sun, but I don’t want to start breakfast until everybody else is here,” Tally was saying to Luke.

“What do you mean by ‘everybody?’ Besides Jonas, there’s just Carter, right?” Noah asked.

“And Fiona.” Tally gave her brother a strange look.

“She’s not with her family?” He seemed surprised, and Emma Jean gathered he didn’t know the true nature of the relationship Fiona had with her family.

Not that Emma Jean knew all the details, but she knew enough to know that things were strained. She wasn’t at all surprised that Fiona would be joining the Hawkins Stables clan for Christmas, though she was sad for Fiona. It was a shame that she and her family couldn’t put aside whatever differences they had to spend the holiday together.

“As far as she and I are concerned, we are her family.”

“Got it.” Noah was well acquainted with his sister’s penchant for welcoming anybody and everybody into the fold, so he didn’t question her further.

Noah deposited the gifts they’d brought under the tree, pausing to ruffle the dark hair of a sleepy Tuck, who was watching cartoons.

Emma Jean poured two cups of coffee, handing him one.

“Thanks, sunshine.”

“You’re welcome, mine.”

He grinned at her, taking a sip.

        Not a minute later, Jonas arrived with Carter hot on his heels. Ten minutes later, Fiona breezed in. The men were booted from the kitchen and subjected to watching Frosty the Snowman  with Tuck while the women got breakfast together.

A little over an hour later, everyone was gathered in the living room, thankful they were wearing elastic waistbands, and opening gifts. The adults were a tad bit more sedate during their gift exchange compared to the exuberant destruction Tuck caused in unwrapping his presents.

Emma Jean and Tally both waited with bated breath as they watched Carter and Fiona exchange gifts, wondering if the two of them would ever move beyond co-workers. They’d been stealing glances at each other for several months, and their mutual interest was obvious to everyone else but them, for some reason.

Emma Jean tried to bite back her grin as Fiona pulled a new pair of leather work gloves out of a box and smiled.

“Thank you, Carter, they’re perfect.”

Carter’s body visibly relaxed with her reaction. Poor guy had been worried. He needn’t be. His gift was practical, yet thoughtful, exactly the kind of gift Fiona would appreciate.

“Now you,” she insisted.

Carter tore open the envelope she’d handed him and pulled out a piece of paper. He stared at it for a moment, not saying anything, and it was obvious to Emma Jean that Fiona was the one who was now worried.

“I thought,” she paused to clear her throat, “I thought you could use that on your truck. Keep her in good shape.”

“What is it?” Tally called from across the room.

Carter finally lifted his eyes. “A gift certificate for work at Luke’s garage.”

“Aww! That’s so sweet!” Tally cooed.

Carter’s lips twitched. “Yeah, it is,” he said, looking at Fiona. “Thank you.”

Fiona blushed with the look Carter was giving her. “You’re welcome,” she said, ducking her head.

Emma Jean didn’t blame her. Whenever Noah looked at her the way Carter was looking at Fiona, she felt it everywhere, from her heart to between her legs. It was the look of a man hopelessly in love. She hoped the two ranch hands figured it out soon.

“Come on, baby, up.”

Emma Jean raised her hands so Noah could help her up off the floor. “Are we leaving already?”

“Not quite. Thought we’d take a lap around the stables. You haven’t seen the horses lately.”

His thoughtfulness left her feeling warm all over. He was right; she hadn’t spent any time with the horses lately. So, they bundled up and strolled, hand in hand, to the stables where she gave them all treats and said hello to each one. She was so busy giggling at Heidi trying to bum for an extra carrot, that she didn’t notice Noah had disappeared.

“Noah?” she called out.

No answer.

She took a few steps and tried again. “Noah?”

This time she was met with a meow .

Looking down at her feet, she saw Larry, the cream-colored Persian, with a floppy red bow around her neck. Smiling, she picked the cat up and rubbed her face in the soft fur.

“Did they put a bow on you? The indignity!” She tried to adjust the bow, but her hand caught on a small, white card that was attached. “They gave you a gift tag, too? Man, Larry, someone really doesn’t like you.” She snorted, imagining the offense the feline must feel at being treated like a Christmas decoration.

She tilted her head and squinted at the card attached to the ribbon and couldn’t believe her eyes. The card read:

Dear Emma Jean,

Will you be my new mom?

Love, Larry

        Her head snapped up just as Noah reappeared with a shit-eating grin on his face.

        “Really?” she breathed.

        “Yeah, baby. She’s yours if you want her.”

        “Of course, I want her!” She shoved her face in Larry’s fur once more, not even caring that she was soaking the cat with her happy tears. “Wait. Does Tally know we’re taking one of her cats?”

        Noah laughed. “Of course, she does. She helped me decide which cat it would be. I’ve seen the way you two are together. Larry doesn’t seem to like many people, but she likes you.” He shrugged as if it were a no-brainer.

        “Thank you.”

        “Merry Christmas, Emmie.” He kissed her softly and only stopped when Larry let out a hiss and took a swipe at him. “Okay, then, time to go.” He ushered her and their new cat to the door when he had stashed a pet carrier for the ride home.

***

        At home, they laid on the living room floor in front of the tree, naked and perfectly content in each other’s arms. Larry had appropriated the tree skirt as her own bed despite the fact that Noah had bought a cozy cat bed for her.

        “I wish we had a mantle to put this on.” He was holding the first of Emma Jean’s two gifts for him.

It was a rustic picture frame she’d picked up the country store at the mall. Inside was one of the many photos that Tally had taken that day at the lake after Noah lost his swim trunks and they’d had their water fight. In the photo Noah and Emma Jean each had an arm around the other and they were laughing at something. She couldn’t remember what they were laughing about, but it didn’t matter. It was a simpler, innocent time for all of them. Before Luke left to join the Army and before Emma Jean started dating Cody. Now that the four of them were back together, it was nice to gaze upon that photo and remember that they had all shared something. Something that they were on the way to having again. She never wanted to lose sight of that.

Emma Jean’s second gift had led to them to their current situation, naked on the floor. Noah had howled with laughter when he unwrapped the cookie jar Emma Jean had picked up at O’Shea’s. Stuffed inside were coupons for both sexual and non-sexual favors that Noah could redeem at will. He’d used two already.

He planned to keep the cookie jar on his desk.

Aside from Larry and all the necessities that went along with owning a cat, Noah also got Emma Jean a necklace. It was a small, gold medallion, on a delicate chain, that was inscribed with the letter E. It was classy and understated and she loved it.

Running her fingers through this chest hair as she laid there with her head on his shoulder, she gazed up at the man she knew she’d spend the rest of her life with. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Noah Hawkins.”

Meeting her warm brown eyes, he replied, “Sunshine, nothing in this world shines brighter than you.”