Raffe doesn’t take it fast. We go at an easy pace, his hand rhythmically brushing against my bare leg. It feels so incredibly good, I have an internal debate with myself on whether or not I’m actually in Heaven.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Jenny
I'm making breakfast for my boys, listening to them talk about the wedding.
“I love that they’re having it here,” Brody says to Jackson.
“Me too, brother.”
“How’s Willow feeling?” Brody asks.
“She’s due on her brother’s wedding day. How do you think she’s doing?”
Brody sighs. “Well, if there’s anything Daisy and I can do to help out, let us know.”
“If she has that baby and misses the wedding, she’s going to freak.”
“Well, just tell her to keep that little bun in the oven.”
Jackson laughs, standing. He walks over and places a kiss on my cheek. “Thanks for breakfast, Ma. I’ve got to get on the road.”
I dry my hands off on my apron and give him a hug. “Drive safe.”
“I will.”
He passes Raffe on his way out. “Sleeping a little late there, old man,” he tells his father.
It makes me chuckle because I know why he slept so long. Let’s just say our intimacy has rocketed up a notch as we’ve gotten more comfortable with each other. I know I definitely woke up with a smile on my face.
Raffe is in such a good mood, he doesn’t let our son’s remark bother him. He just shrugs, rubbing his hands together. “Something smells good.”
I pull his plate out of the oven with the bottom of my apron. He sits down by Brody, who is trying his best to get one more pancake down.
“I just need one more and I’ll beat my record,” he tells Raffe, holding his stomach.
Raffe just shakes his head, smiling at me as I set his plate down in front of him. He pats me on the butt. Brody pretends not to notice.
I go back to the sink to fill a vase for the flowers my Jackson brought me this morning. When I reach in my pocket for the scissors I found earlier, I find something else. I pull out the little frog from my windowsill.
He was already in the window of my cabin when I moved in. I remember how happy he made me. I felt like his sole purpose in life was to welcome me home that day.
My gaze goes to the bare windowsill above the sink, and I smile. It’s begging for something to liven it up. I set him in the middle. The iridescent green color sparkles in the morning sun. I’ve always loved him because it looks like he has a smile on his cute little face.
Brody steps up beside me while I’m cutting the stems of the flowers. “Thank you,” he says, leaning down to give me a kiss on the cheek. When he pulls away, he notices the frog in the window.
He nudges it with his finger. “It’s … it’s the frog from your house,” he says.
I laugh. “I found him in my pocket.” I pat my apron. “I forgot he was there. He was one of the few things I found in the cabin when I first moved in,” I tell him.
His hand covers his mouth, and I see emotion pooling in his eyes.
“Hey.” I place my palm against his back. He instantly grabs me and holds me tight. “I miss her.” He begins to cry.
Raffe stands, coming to my aid. He rubs Brody’s back while he continues to hug me. He explains quietly why the frog triggered him.
“I’m sorry, Brody. I didn’t know. I’ll take him down.”
