Against the Odds: A Love Story (14 page)

“Raine,” he breathed into my hair, taking my shoulders in his gentle hands and turning me to face him. “It's been a long time for me.” His voice was low and raspy.

I took one of his hands in mine and kissed it. “That is the best wedding present you could ever give me.” I pressed my hand against his chest and felt the pounding of his heart. “You are the love of my life, Hayden McKade. And you will be the last man I ever give myself fully to. I am completely yours.”

He smiled at me tearfully. When he spoke again, I could hear the deep emotion in his voice. “Woman, you completely own me, heart, mind, body, and soul. And you always will.”

There were no more words between us. Staring into each other's eyes, we undressed, slipped beneath the cool covers, and we loved.

Never in my life could I have ever guessed that love, passion, and ecstasy could produce an experience that was so fulfilling, so unearthly that it literally gave me the sense of being lifted to a higher plain. I never dreamed a body could experience them all at once. But I did, with his every touch, his every kiss, and his every softly whispered word. When we finally became one, I reached an even higher plain, a plain that I never knew existed.

Then we held each other, never wanting to let go, and I was amazed.

A love that has been tested is an inspiring thing to behold.

Twenty

I
turned to my side, propped up an elbow and rested my head against my hand as I lay watching Hayden watching me. He lay on his back. He was so relaxed, and his eyes held the intoxicating look of love. I pressed my hand to his face and smiled. He smiled back and continued to quietly gaze at me.

“You probably won't believe this, but you've made me a mother today, Hayden.”

He grinned. “And just how do you know that, darlin'?”

“I just know.”

He turned on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. “You really want a baby, don't you?”

I nodded. “I've dreamed of nothing else since the day you told me how you felt about me in the stable. Well, actually I started thinking about it the moment you walked into the stable eating that strawberry.”

“Really?” he said, grinning wider. “You were dreaming about having my babies even then?”

I nodded, smiling at his playful grin. “I picture us with a half dozen kids or so running around this place.”

“Half dozen, huh. Well, I guess it's a good thing I built big.”

“It is,” I agreed, thinking about how much work he had put into building the five bedroom home. I sighed softly and placed my hand on his arm, feeling the firm muscles beneath his tanned skin. “Our boys will be strong and handsome like their daddy.”

He pulled me into his arms. “And our girls . . .” He paused and kissed my lips lightly. “Our girls will be beautiful like their mama.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed him then, and all conversation ceased as the passion between us flared once more.

That evening we finally got up and ate a light meal. Then, wrapped together in a blanket, we sat out on the porch swing and talked. It was another cool evening, but we had each other to keep warm.

Hayden held me close and I rested my head against his shoulder.

“You know your mama's gonna have my hide for not giving her time to get here for the wedding.”

“Naw,” I drawled. Hayden's speech was slowly rubbing off on me. “I think she will just be happy we worked things out.”

“She's not the only one.”

I nodded and looked up at him. “I love you, Mr. McKade.”

“And I love you, Mrs. McKade.”

I brushed my thumb against his lips as he lowered his head and kissed me. Each time he kissed me, touched me, or even looked at me, I could feel his love wash over me, and the warmth of it consumed my very soul. As his kiss deepened, my whole being yearned to melt into him.

“Raine,” he whispered as his mouth continued to passionately coax mine. “I'll make you happy. I promise I will.”

I eased back a little and looked into his eyes. “You've already made me happier than you could ever know.”

He pressed his mouth to mine again. “You're everything to me, Raine,” he continued to whisper. “You're everything.”

I sighed and burrowed further into his embrace. His arms tightened around me as he pressed his face into my hair. We held each other in silence. No more words were needed. We just let our hearts do the talking. We ended that night and the next, sitting on the porch swing, reveling in our love, and anticipating our future.
 

Life is grander when you can share it with your soul mate.

Twenty-one

O
ver the next few days, I settled into my new home by adding some much needed decor. I started the transformation by adding wildflower arrangements here and there. I hung some southwestern prints on the walls and added thick woven area rugs to each room. I placed a large scented jar candle on a warmer in the kitchen. It made the whole house smell like pumpkin and spiced apples. I also bought a stereo for the living room, and Hayden quickly made it a house rule that we share at least one dance each night. I loved that rule.

In our bedroom, I placed a large vase of silk sunflowers on the dresser, and another on a round, dark wood table in the corner. Other than my toiletries in the bathroom along with new matching towels, my clothes in the walk-in closet with Hayden's, and a few framed photos of Hayden and me here and there, nothing else had been changed. The room was still Hayden, with a feminine touch.

Hayden told me he loved what I did with the house. He said it felt more like home to him now,  not just because of the things I had added, but because I was there. He always melted my heart when he said things like that.

The next week we flew to California for a few days and went to Disneyland. Neither of us had ever been there before and were excited about going. It was also the first time I had ever seen Hayden in anything except Wranglers and boots. Dressed in knee-length denim shorts, exposing his muscular calves, a tan, form fitting t-shirt, and a pair of New Balance sneakers, he was completely and utterly adorable. I had also bought myself some denim shorts and cap-sleeved t-shirts for the trip, as well as a pair of Sketchers Mary Jane shoes so I would be comfortable waking around the park in the hot sun.

We spent two days at the park, going from ride to ride. Fortunately, I took a tube of motion sickness pills with me, so I was able to handle the rides pretty well and I had a lot of fun. At the end of both days, we left the park with bags of souvenirs to take back home.

We spent our last day in California at the hotel. Earlier in the day we went for a swim in the pool, or rather Hayden went for a swim. I just walked around in the shallow end. Though the water felt good, I told myself that one day I would indeed learn how to swim.

Truthfully, Hayden spent more time admiring me in my bathing suit than he did swimming. And he always managed to stay close by to fend off any male guests that came my way. All he had to do really was get out of the pool and walk his massive body toward me, and that usually got rid of anyone who stopped to chat. I had to smile whenever he did that, and it made me love him all the more.

We lay by the pool and let the sun dry us for a while, then we went back up to our suite and ordered room service.

I sat on the sofa next to Hayden, wrapped securely in his arms.

“Thank you, for bringing me here, Hayden. I've had so much fun.”

“You're welcome, darlin',” he said, pressing a kiss to my brow. “We'll have to come again sometime.”

“I'd like that.” I looked up at him and smiled mischievously. “Just to see you in shorts again would make the whole trip worth it.”

“Is that right?” he said, grinning and tightening his embrace.

“Definitely.” I reached up and pressed a hand to his face, softly brushing my thumb across his lips.

“Well, I wouldn't mind seeing you in that bathing suit again either.”

“Tell you what,” I whispered as I pulled his head down and touched my lips to his. “How about I put it on each day and greet you at the door when you come home?”

He eased back and smiled widely. “Darlin', if you did that, them meals you work so hard to cook every day would go to waste, because we'd be too busy to eat.”

I chuckled. “This is true.” I looked into his eyes and sobered. “I love you. Thank you for marrying me, and for loving me so much.”

He smiled lovingly and swallowed hard. When he finally spoke, there was emotion in his voice. “I love you, too, baby. And thank you for not giving up on me. On us.” He gently cupped my face and lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me slowly, tenderly. I sighed as the kiss deepened and I was quickly lost in the passion between us. With each whispered word from his lips against mine, I was pulled further away from the world around us and deeper into his, into the one his love created for me. And it was in that world that I knew I would always stay.

Heaven can be mirrored in a simple phrase.

Twenty-two

I
stood at the kitchen sink, scrubbing a frying pan I had just used to cook pork chops for dinner. I expected Hayden to come through the door at any minute, and because of feeling sick earlier in the day, I had fallen behind. But I did manage to have dinner ready on time.

I smiled as I thought about my handsome husband. He made the past two months the happiest of my life. I never dreamed marriage could bring such contentment, but I guess being married to someone I loved with all my heart and soul helped.