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Cadence swept off the dirt from her jean shorts, feeling worried.
A cornered West wasn’t a pleasant one. She’d seen that more times than she could count while working with Lacy. Lacy had learned that lesson only too well in the end. He was awaiting trial for more embezzlement schemes than his fancy lawyers could combat all at once. It kept him busy and out of her hair.
Thankfully.
And still she was wary of the repercussions. Porter had his hands full trying to soothe all her fears, and well… he did it easily. There was something about her goofy guy that felt strong, stalwart, secure. She trusted him completely.
Maybe he had more in common with “Mousy” than he’d ever like to admit.
“How’s my beautiful pregnant wife?” His hands found her waist, and she shifted, seeing him below her on the ladder. “Here, let me help you.” He easily scooped her off her feet.
Ballerina barked, leaping up to join in the fun.
Cadence’s arms went around Porter’s sinewy neck and shoulders as he lowered her to the ground. His lips nuzzled her cheek and then her ear. She twisted, laughing, as he started tickling her. He held on to her tighter to stop her from slipping to the ground. “Porter!” she lectured.
“What?” he said. “We can’t have you falling.”
He knew exactly why he was in trouble, and that wasn’t it. “Don’t ruin Lily’s surprise!”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He pressed her up against the door. “I was thinking of a different kind of surprise.” His hands went to her stomach. She still wasn’t showing, but he often liked to search for any sign of those kids for himself.
Good luck!
“Hey there, Ace and Catcher,” he whispered to them.
“Nice try,” she said. Throwing out names was their favorite game. So far, Porter favored the sporty ones.
“Ash and Grayson,” she said.
His nose wrinkled. “Ash and Cash?”
"I'm not making their names rhyme! School is hard enough as it is…”
"It'll make them tough."
"No."
"Fine," he said. “Ash and… uh, Miner.”
“Ugh, no.”
They had a while.
“Come here.” He hugged her and their new family to him. “My little Angel, Ash and Miner.”
“They might be girls, ya know.”
“Ash and Silver,” he amended. And then he lavished all his love on their mother. His fingers slid to her waist. “Ballerina!” he shouted out. The dog caught the hem of his jeans with her fangs.
Cadence giggled, loving that Charlie won the dog naming battle yet again. “Ballerina,” she mused. “Now that would be quite the name for our little girl.”
“Not a chance.” She felt Porter’s lips against her ear. She didn’t complain. Her knees felt weak with his love. Her children were going to be lucky to have a father like him.
Just you wait, kids. You’re going to love it here. Can’t wait until God brings you both home to our arms.
Porter was busy building a cozy little cottage for them near Funches. The rowdy old war vet had opened up more of his land to them, and Cadence had put her investment skills to use to find the funds to buy it. Funches was now their grumpy new neighbor. West had stayed true to his word. He retained the “useless” mountains and rivers that he’d acquired from Lacy and kept it as a barrier between their land and Trout’s oil conquests. He’d even set up a mini gas station stocked up with Fresca to enable the grumpy old man’s parties.
Cadence caught sight of Lily behind Porter’s muscular shoulder and straightened immediately. “Lily! You came.”
