Last First Kiss (23 page)

He got one of the two photographer’s Bill had hired to come over and get several poses of Alyssa with the animals. The next hour went quickly as he made sure every child there had pictures taken with the animals.

Afterwards, Bill announced it was time for boat rides down by the pond. He had purchased four canopied paddleboats, each able to seat four people. The boats began to fill up with children and adults as they all took to the pond, paddling leisurely around. They agreed on fifteen-minute rides until everyone had taken turns.

To pass the time while waiting for boat rides, children played in one of the two inflatable jumping cages he’d rented. Bill had spared no expense when it came to Mac and Lexie’s birthday party. Jackson knew his goal had been to make sure Toby’s girls didn’t have one moment of sorrow on their special day. By the looks of it, he’d succeeded. This was sure to be the highlight of the year for every child in attendance.

By the end of the day, after most of the guests had gone home, Giselle walked up to Bill, put her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. “I’m overwhelmed, Bill. You’ve made this day so special for them.”

“
They make me feel special every single time I see them. It feels good to be able to return the favor,” he said, watching Mac and Lexie run toward them. He leaned over to catch both girls in his arms and lifted them easily.

Mac laid her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for the best day ever.”

“
This was the best birthday party I’ve ever had, Paw Paw. I love you so much!” Lexie hugged his neck tightly.

“
I love you too, my girls. The animals, the pond, and the boats are always here for you. You can come over anytime and bring your friends, too,” Bill told them.

“
Even my new friend, Alyssa?” Mac asked.

“
Sure you can.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “And tell her pretty momma to come along, too, while you’re at it.”

“
Do you like Miss Gwen, Paw Paw?” she asked, her eyes wide with childish curiosity.

“
I sure do. Do you think she likes me?” he asked.

Lexie nodded vigorously. “I heard her tell Carrie you were a fine looking hunk of a man,” she whispered excitedly in his ear. “I think it means she wants to be your girlfriend.”

“
Do you really think so?” he asked both girls as they nodded enthusiastically.

“
I think you need to marry her,” Lexie whispered.

A deep chuckle rumbled through Bill’s chest as he removed his cowboy hat and passed a hand through his hair. He leaned over toward Lex. “You, do? How about if I ask her on a date first, you know, just to make sure we’re compatible?”

“
Okay, but you better hurry, Paw Paw,” Lexie warned, “or some other guy might start to think she’s
patable
too!”

Bill put his head back and laughed. “I wouldn’t want that to happen, now would I? Thanks girls,” he said, putting them down so they could run off.

Bill and Giselle exchanged amused grins as they walked toward the remaining members of Sam and Carrie’s family. It was six o’clock, and the children were all exhausted from playing hard, pink from too much sun, and quickly running out of fuel.

“
Bill, this was a blast!” Carrie said. “I’d have never guessed this was the first little girl’s birthday party you’d hosted.”

He waved off the compliment. “All I do is write out the checks and delegate all the real work.” He removed his hat and looked around. “Has anyone seen Gwen?”

“
She was hanging around waiting to speak to you earlier, but you were busy,” Carrie told him. She raised her hand and pointed. “Look over there. She and Alyssa are going to their car, but I bet you can catch her if you hurry.”

“
Excuse me, but I’ve got some ‘patability’ issues to iron out.” He winked at Giselle then jogged toward Gwen and Alyssa.

<><><>

Gwen felt a sharp stab of disappointment at not being able to tell Bill goodbye. She’d waited around as long as she could, but he’d been busy, and Alyssa was too exhausted to wait any longer. She’d just helped her into the back seat when the sound of Bill’s voice caused a stir of excitement in her.

Gwen straightened and turned towards the sound. “Hey, Bill. You seemed busy—I didn’t want to interrupt.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “Now, I’d have been real hurt if you and Alyssa left here without saying goodbye. Did ya’ll have a good time?”

“
We had a wonderful time, didn’t we sweetie?”

Alyssa nodded then gave a huge yawn.

“
Whoa, she’ll be out before I reach the end of the drive way.” Gwen looked up at Bill. “I had fun, too. It was nice meeting you.” She smiled and held her hand out to him.

He took her hand, but held it and stepped up closer. “Gwen, would it be a waste of time if I called you for a date?”

She looked into his sexy blue eyes and seemed to lose her voice. All she could do was to shake her head.

His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Does that mean ‘No, I wouldn’t be wasting my time’ or ‘No, I don’t want to date an old man like you.’”

Gwen’s eyes widened as she took a hard swallow and finally found the nerve to answer. “You would
not
be wasting your time, and I can think of several ways to describe you, but ‘old’ isn’t one of them.”

He smiled and pulled out his wallet, then handed her two business cards. “There’s my phone number if you ever need to get in touch with me. I’d appreciate it if you’d write your number on the back of one of those so I could call you.”

She reached into her purse, pulled out one of her business cards from the hospital, and handed it to him.

He gave her a crooked grin. “Even better.”

She looked closely at his card. “Don’t you have a mobile...a cell phone?”

“
I never needed one before, but—” he swept his hat from his head and stepped closer, “—if you promise to call me, I’ll buy one tomorrow.”

She nodded. “I promise.” She heard a sound from the back seat and they both looked down. Alyssa had already fallen asleep and was snoring. She laughed quietly. “I need to get her home.” When she turned back around, Bill had moved in so close she could feel his breath on her face as he spoke to her.

“
Well,” he said, as the deep baritone vibrated in her ear sending chills down her spine. “I’ll talk to you later.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek then pulled back a bit. He moved back in and kissed her lightly on the mouth then hovered for a moment over her lips before he looked down at her. She’d closed her eyes and when she finally opened them, she saw him watching her. She raised a hand to her face, knowing by the heat that it was pink and flushed.

Bill cleared his throat before speaking again. “Gwen, I think I should tell you that I’ve waited a long time to look for a lady to share my life with. Once I think I’ve found her, I plan on moving ahead quickly. I’m not getting any younger, and time is too precious to waste. How do you feel about that?”

She gazed up into his sober, blue eyes. “I feel the same way, but...” She placed her hand against his chest when he attempted to move in for another kiss. “I don’t want to waste my time either, so...I do have a few questions.”

He raised his hand and rubbed his thumb softly along her bottom lip. “Fire.”

Her body immediately flooded with need.
No kidding
. “Are you looking for a long relationship?”

“
I’m looking for a rest of my life relationship,” he breathed.

She closed her eyes and calmed herself. “Would you have a problem with Alyssa?”

“
Absolutely not, she’s a wonderful little girl.”

She swallowed hard before asking the final question. “How would you feel about having more children?”

“
All for it...As many as you want...As soon as you want.”

“
Oh, dear God,” she said, in a sudden release of breath.

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time holding nothing back. When he finally pulled away, they were both drawing in ragged breaths and trembling. He rested his forehead against hers. “Just so you know, I’m okay in
all
departments.”

Gwen raised a brow at his devilishly handsome grin. “I bet you are.” She pulled away from him and situated herself in her car. After turning the ignition with shaky hands, she lowered her window and looked up into his piercing blue eyes.

Bill folded his long, lean body over, and rested his arms on the opening. “I’ll give you a couple of hours to settle in before I call.”

“
That would be perfect.” She closed her eyes as he leaned into the window to kiss her again. Once he straightened, she placed a trembling hand on her gearshift, and put it in drive.

Bill watched the red tail lights of her Chevy disappear in the dust, knowing that wasn’t the last he’d see of Gwendolyn Perry. He wanted her in his life, wanted to make life easier for her and Alyssa. He turned away from the dust trail and started the walk back to the barn. “Bill, ole boy...it’s time to get your game on,” he mumbled.

Bill met up with Sam and Carrie on his way back to the barn. He tipped his hat to them. “Carrie, Sam, I hope you had a good time.”

“
We had a great time, thank you,” Sam replied.

“
Did
you
enjoy yourself?” Carrie asked smugly.

He gave her a wide grin. “Best damned day I’ve had in a long time, hon.”

“
Good for you, Bill.” She gave him a hug.

The couple walked back to their truck and exchanged amused looks as they heard Bill whistling a snappy tune.

“
That old dog,” Sam said with a grin. “The Lord sure works in mysterious ways. I didn’t even know our girls knew Alyssa.”

“
They didn’t, but they do now,” Carrie hinted.

Sam looked confused. “They must have if they invited her.”

“
Maybe
they
didn’t invite her.” She gave her husband a wink. “Bill and Gwen are perfect for each other, don’t you think?”

Sam stopped walking and stared at his wife. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

Carrie laughed. “Just try to keep up, babe.”

CHAPTER 14

Giselle walked down to the pond, and stared at the placid water. Her stomach churned and her chest felt tight with nervous tension. She wondered for the twentieth time that day what it was that was keeping her on edge. Why was she so nervous? She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and gave Bill a half-hearted smile.

“
What are you looking so serious about, darlin’?” he drawled.

She stuck her hands in her back pockets and forced herself to relax. “I was just thinking what a good day it was, that’s all.”

“
It was, wasn’t it? The girls are tuckered out, but don’t want to give it up just yet.”

Giselle smiled as she watched her daughters trying to skip stones in the pond, something Jackson had shown them earlier. “I know. I’ve been trying to get them to go for ten minutes. I’m sure you’re tired of seeing us by now.”

“
No hurry,” he said. “This place is gonna be too damned quiet after you leave.”

“
I know what you mean,” she said, thinking about how quiet the house would be once she got her girls home. She’d be lucky if they stayed awake through their baths.

“
Those boats sure look nice,” she said as she pointed to the paddleboats. “There was so much going on today, I didn’t have a chance to take a ride in one.”

“
Well, let’s take one out. Come on girls, your mom didn’t get a turn on a paddle boat!” Bill called to them. “Hang on just a minute, hon.”

Giselle stood at the edge of the pond, staring out at the sunset, waiting for Bill to get back.

“
I heard someone’s ready for one last boat ride?”

She turned, surprised to see Jackson walking over to the nearest boat, as her girls ran to him like metal shavings to a magnet. “Oh...I thought Bill would—”

“
He asked me to so he could attend to his hired hands,” Jackson answered in a gruff, businesslike manner. “Well, come on then.” He pulled the boat alongside the dock so they could climb in easier.

Giselle situated herself in the back to the right of Mackenzie and let Lexie sit up front with Jackson. He began a leisurely trek around the water’s edge, paddling with his muscular legs. Giselle tried to stay focused on the glorious sunset reflecting off the glasslike surface of the water, but her gaze continued to return to Jackson. From her vantage point at the back of the boat, she was able to observe him unnoticed as he pumped up and down at the pedals. His arms rested on the steering wheel of the small craft, but even in his relaxed posture, she could see the definition of muscles and tendons in his upper body.