Until You (The Redemption, #1)(87)

“He does now, does he?” she murmurs.

“He does.”

The thought still fills me with pride. How far The Force Crew has come in the last year. From the cluelessness of those first days as we figured out what was needed to become an official business to today. We have ten employees on our staff, a stellar reputation that has netted us more requests for protection than we can meet, and a profit margin that is shockingly good for a company in its infancy.

“Come on. Put it to rest,” she says as I make a few more notes on my pad. “You don’t want to keep your girls waiting now, do you?” She presses a kiss to my head, prompting me to drop my pen, turn my chair, and tug her down so she’s sitting on my lap.

My lips find hers instantly—like they always do—and smother her laugh. I take the moment of solitude without the girls or our company near to enjoy my wife. To sink into all this woman is and everything she’s given me—shown me I deserve to have.

“What’s that for?” she murmurs when the kiss ends, fingernails playing with the hair at the base of my neck.

“Just because.”

“Just because, huh?”

“Yep.” Another tender kiss. “Just because I love you. Just because you’re incredible. Just because you’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible. Just because until you, I never thought any of this was possible for me.”

“Ditto.” She smiles against my lips.

“And right on cue.” I chuckle when a chorus of girls rings out and into the open windows of my office—the old outbuilding on the property.

She rises and holds out her hand to me. “Let’s go. The girls are busy showing Justin and Sheila their latest jumps into the pool. They might need a break and some adult libations to enhance their enjoyment.”

I bark out a laugh as we move across the yard, hand in hand. The girls have been so excited to see their uncle Justin and aunt Sheila again that they’ve been overwhelming them with dance routines, pool jump competitions, makeup tutorial watching, and everything in between.

Even when you’re used to them, it’s a lot . . . and since my partner is only here for the week, they’ve been inundated.

“Bravo,” I say and clap as Addy perfects a jackknife off the diving rock.

“Come on, Addster. Show your old man the one I taught you to do,” Justin says, his grin wide. He looks good with some sun on his face. The time here has done him well.

It’s done me well too.

Besides, I give him a year before I get the call that they’re moving to Redemption Falls. Six months, maybe.

“Whoa!” I shout out when Addy jumps and spins into the pool, a mass of arms and legs and complete grace. “That was awesome. A perfect ten for sure.”

I look from a grinning Addy to Paige and then back to my best friend and his wife . . . and then to my wife.

“What’s wrong?” Tenny asks.

“Nothing.”

She nudges me. “Spill it, Madden. You have that look in your eyes.”

“Just thinking about the difference eighteen months can make. For you. For me. For Justin. I mean . . . there were days I didn’t think I wanted to live, and now . . . now I can’t wait to live every single day.”

Tenny gets that soft smile on her face she reserves just for me and links her fingers with mine. “Crazy huh? But I don’t think I’d want it any other way. It makes all this that much sweeter because of what we went through to get here.”

“I love you,” I whisper and press my lips to hers.

“I’ll love you even more if you get the grill going,” Tenny says. “Your four girls are starving for hamburgers.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a mock salute as Justin wheels over to the poolside and lifts himself into the sling we had installed so he can swim with the girls.

“Here, let me help,” Sheila says and stands.

“Don’t you dare lift a finger,” Tenny says. Sheila works around the clock to give Justin what he needs, so when they visit us, we like to make sure to give her the help and break she deserves. “You’re here to relax and let us take care of you for a bit.”

“Tenny, you know I don’t—”

“Let us spoil you,” I say. “And we won’t take no for an answer.”

“I know what you can do,” Tenny says. “You can drink another glass of wine.”

Sheila laughs, and it sounds so good to hear. “Now that? That I can do.”

I half-heartedly listen to Sheila and Tenny chat about nothing before heading over to the pool to watch the girls shriek and laugh while they play with Justin in the pool.

Tenny brings out the tray of patties and sets them down beside me.

It’s only when I go to put the burgers on the grill—when I count them out to make sure I make enough—that something Tenny said hits my ears again.

Your four girls are starving.

My four girls?

But . . .

When I look up, Tenny is standing, back leaning against the patio pillar, eyes on me, and a look in her eyes I know I’ll never forget.

“What do you mean my four girls are starving?” I ask as I take a few steps toward her.

“Just what I said,” she says coyly.

“But Sheila’s a vegetarian.”