{Chapter 29}

This is where she was always meant to be. Right in the circle of Wade’s arms as the Sunday morning sun shone through the window behind them. Realizing that he was still sleeping, she lay deathly still so as to not awaken him and cherished the moment.

It had hit her like a brick wall that Wade was her entire world. She couldn’t even dream about leaving Texas now. Not after coming to know Jay and everyone else… and after falling in love with Wade.

She had to tell him her feelings soon. She couldn’t wait and allow her feelings to build up inside her until they came out in a way she didn’t want them to. Feelings like this weren’t meant to be locked up inside where no one knew them.

She felt Wade stir and his grip tighten.

“Mornin’” he said groggily.

“Morning” Aubrey smiled.

“It’s Sunday, ain’t it?” Wade asked, removing his arms from around her to sit up.

Aubrey nodded and rolled onto her back. Wade rubbed his eyes and looked over at Jay.

“Look at him” he smiled. “Sound asleep.”

Sadie lay across one of his arms that lay over on half the bed while Jay’s little form took up the other half. It was a perfect scene.

Remembering how late it was, Aubrey moved to get up.

“I need to start breakfast,” she said.

Wade’s arm encircled her waist.

“The boy ain’t even awake yet” he told her.

Aubrey looked at him a moment before lying back down and resting her head on his chest. “Guess I have a few minutes.”

**********

Erik must have said a wonderful piece from the Bible, because Wade’s attention was focused on him the whole time he was talking. Aubrey couldn’t remember a word he said. Wade had held her hand under the table the constantly that morning. Aubrey could hardly keep her eyes off him. He had such a handsome face, with a masculine, hard-set jaw line that accentuated his beautiful eyes. His brown hair needed a trim, but Aubrey decided that she liked it longer. Everything about Wade was beautiful. From the inside to the outside.

Now she thanked her father for pulling that shotgun on them and making them marry. It was the best mistake that he ever made.

Before she could collect her thoughts, Erik’s sermon was over and she hadn’t heard a word.

I’ll pay more attention next time.

She told herself.

They all stood to go their separate ways, and Aubrey stood by Wade.

“Come push us!” Jay and Sandy ran up to her.

Aubrey smiled down at them. She really didn’t want to leave Wade.

“You go on” Wade told her. “I’ve got to talk to the boss a second.”

Aubrey nodded and followed the children outside.

She pushed them for a while, higher and higher until they squealed with glee or until Sandy cried. Sadie barked down below them and wagged his tail. The puppy was getting bigger by the day - and eating more, too.

Wade came out to the barn after a while.

“What did you have to talk to Toni about?” Aubrey asked.

“Work stuff” Wade smiled.

There was a strange glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before he talked to his boss. What was the man up to?

“Boring cows, huh?” Aubrey smiled.

“Cattle” Wade corrected.

“What’s the difference?”

“Cattle in the breed in general. Cows are the females, and bulls are the males,” Wade explained.

“Oh” Aubrey nodded. “I won’t make that mistake in front of Mark.”

“Probably best not to” Wade grinned.

“Higher!” The children demanded.

“I’ll relieve you,” Wade offered.

“Thank you” Aubrey stepped back and let Wade take over the job of swinging the children, resting her arms.

Wade pushed the kids higher until they screeched and then laughed with them. Aubrey hadn’t noticed how good Wade was with kids before.

Was there anything the man couldn’t do?

Whatever he was up to, Aubrey decided that she trusted him.

**********

Waking up the next morning, Aubrey made Wade coffee, made his down a cup, and grabbed his hat from the peg on the wall.

“Be careful in the cold today,” She whispered, as Jay was still sleeping.

“I will. Take care of yourself and don’t worry about the chores today. It’s getting too cold for you to be out” Wade cautioned.

“You’ve been a Texan too long. If you think this is cold, you couldn’t survive a winter in Georgia or worse, up north somewhere” Aubrey teased and placed his hat on his head.

Wade situated it and smiled at her. “You’re probably right.”

“I’ll still stay home, since you insist” Aubrey said.

Truth was, she needed a break from the chores to do some baking and cleaning.

“Good girl” Wade patted her on the head.

Aubrey smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’ll be home before supper, won’t you?”

Wade shrugged. “Not sure with the cattle. They don’t understand that I have a pretty little wife that I wanna get home to” He kissed her nose as he spoke.

“Then I think I’ll have me a serious talk with these selfish animals. They can’t have you all to themselves” Aubrey played with the hair at the back of his neck that had grown to a length where it had begun to curl at the end.

Wade smiled and kissed her waiting lips, sending a jolt of butterflies loose in her stomach.

“I love you,” Wade whispered in her ear.

Aubrey’s emotions were all jumbled up that she couldn’t reply, and when she could finally compose a coherent sentence, he had left and was mounting his horse.

“I love you, too,” she whispered into the silence.

He came home that night, later than usual and bone tired. He was so tired that he didn’t feel like eating supper.

“You have to eat, Wade,” Aubrey protested.

“I’m really not that hungry” Wade sat on the edge of the bed and removed his spurs, forgetting to leave his hat at the door.

Aubrey let it slide, though she desperately wanted him to keep his strength up.

He lay down for a brief moment, just to “rest his eyes”, but when Aubrey checked on him, he was sound asleep.

Smiling, she pulled his boots off and put his hat in its proper place before putting a blanket over him and kissing his forehead.

The next morning, she woke up to his arms around her, holding her close. She smiled and snuggled against him, breathing a sigh of relief. Life was perfect in moments like these.

The same routine stretched on for weeks until Aubrey began to wonder.

Wade wasn’t normally that tired after working with cattle, and on Sundays, he could hardly keep his head up. Something was terribly wrong.

When she approached him about it, he would wave her off and say “You’re worrying too much” or “I’m fine, love” or something to that effect.

It continued to a point where Aubrey began to have her doubts about his “work”.

**********

“One month down, three to go” Erik reminded his wife as they sat beside the fire one night.

“Yep. I didn’t forget” Toni smiled.

“How’s your morning sickness?” Erik asked as she sat down in his lap.

“Horrible” Toni admitted.

“Still not any better?” Erik asked.

“Nope” Toni laid her head on his chest. “I shouldn’t mind as much the second time around, but I didn’t think of it until it started happening.”

“I’m sorry” Erik smoothed her hair off her forehead.

“You should be. You did it to me,” Toni said.

Erik smiled. She had told him the same thing with Sandy.

“You know you’re my favorite wife?” He asked.

“Favorite? That would mean that you have had others” Toni smiled.

They went through this spill every now and then.

“Daddy?” Sandy’s small, frightened voice said.

Erik turned his head to see their daughter looking at him from her bedroom doorway.

“What is it, pumpkin?” Erik asked her.

“I had a bad dream,” Sandy said innocently.

“Awe” Toni’s crooning voice said. “Come here, you can sit in Daddy’s lap, too.”

Erik smiled as both of his girls snuggled against him.

Never before had he felt so proud to be a father and a husband. God had blessed him more than he deserved.