Chapter 16: Chapter 16

“Ben, have you seen Mr. Rabbit anywhere?” Imara yelled back over her shoulder as she stretched her arm along the floor under the kitchen table. “I can’t find him, and I’ve looked everywhere.”

He came into the kitchen as he pulled his shirt on and smiled at his wife on her hands and knees in front of him. “Sorry, Baby. He has to be here somewhere, though.”

A puff of air blew her hair off her face as Imara gave up and pushed her hands into her thighs and stood. Two arms wove around her, and two soft lips kissed her cheek. She leaned into him, and he placed another kiss on the side of her mouth. “Good morning, Mr. Sleepy Head.”

After she patted his arm, he backed away and tucked in his shirt as he licked her taste off his lips. “Tell me you haven’t been up all night again.”

She shrugged, and her lips twisted as she glanced at Eliza playing on the floor with her wooden blocks. “Well, not all night. She got back up right after midnight as soon as that old moon poked through the curtains.”

He knew it wasn’t kind to expect Imara to spend those late nights up with Eliza, but knowing that his daughter got his Lycan genes made him proud, and he smirked a little as he kissed her cheek. “Thank you for letting me sleep, Baby. I appreciate it.”

She slid a plate of food in front of his place at the table. “You can pay me back for it later, Sweetheart.”

A throaty growl started in his throat as he pulled her to his lap, then rubbed his hand between her legs, through her skirt. “I might be the only man who enjoys owing favors to someone.”

Hearing their daughter giggle behind her, Imara pulled his hand away and straightened her skirt. “Later, Mr. Logan.”

Little chubby fingers wrapped around the chair’s wooden rungs, and she stood on shaky, fat knees to show her parents her two sharp teeth. Imara pushed her baby’s dark hair to the side and leaned back against Ben’s chest. “I can’t believe she’s a year old already. It hardly seems possible, does it?”

He pressed his face against the back of her head and closed his eyes to the sense of impending doom that he tried so hard to ignore. “You’re right, Baby. I never thought this day would come.”

With her hands wrapped around the edge of the table, Imara pulled herself to the other chair while Ben moved his hands under Eliza’s arms and lifted her to his lap. “Hey, there, Sweet Pea.” Her green eyes twinkled as she slapped her hands on her father’s mouth, and he kissed it with each strike.

Imara dragged her fork through the egg on her plate before cutting off a piece and offering it to Eliza. “Do you have many deliveries today?”

He pushed a piece of bacon into his mouth and shook his head no.

She wrinkled her nose and wiped the yolk off her baby’s cheek. “Good. They’ll be here around suppertime.”

Ben’s nostrils flared as he caught a whiff of the visitor approaching and yelled at the door. “Come in, Momma.”

Her fingers appeared around the door first before she peeked around the corner and gasped. “Where’s my little Eliza?” The chunky baby rocked in Ben’s lap, and her little hands grabbed the air for Anna. “Come to Grammy.” She scooped her up in her arms and twirled her around. “Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea.”

Ben never complained once about his tired back, but he used the chair to give it a crack before he shook out his arms. “I heard you got Sweet Pea something special; what is it?”

Anna gave her granddaughter an exaggerated smile and spoke in a sing-songy voice as she poked her finger into her fat belly. “No. No. No. That is Grammy’s secret. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

***

The evening sun beat against Imara through the window as she washed dishes, and Sofia spread the last of the icing onto Eliza’s birthday cake, then licked the remains off her thumb. “What do you think?”

Imara’s hand covered her chest as she glanced over her shoulder. “It’s perfect. Eliza will love it. So will Ben; he just loves sweet things.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Sofia raised her pointy orange eyebrow. “I bet he does, you little vixen.”

Imara snapped her in the behind with her dishtowel. “Stop! You’re making me blush.”

Sofia brought the dishes to the sink and pushed her hip into Imara’s. “Oh, come on. Tell me all the disgusting details. So, is he, well, judging by the size of his hands and feet, I’d wager…”

Her cheeks turned red as Imara covered her mouth with her hands and nodded. “He is. I swear the first time I saw it, I was terrified, Sofia. I could hardly walk the next morning.”

Her shrill cackles spread through the farm from the open window as Sofia fanned her face. “Oh, Imara, you dirty little tramp, you. Oh, I’m so happy you found Ben. You seem so very happy. Well, I guess I know why now.”

They laughed so loudly that they didn’t even notice the door open until Shaw’s massive arms scooped Imara up into them. “What are you old hens cackling about?”

He set her down, and Imara wiped her eyes with her apron and tried to catch her breath. “Nothing at all.”

Thorin stooped down and picked Eliza up from the rug and held her to his chest as he made ‘num-num’ noises when he kissed her cheek. “How’s my birthday girl?”

Seeing Shaw and Imara in the kitchen made Ben freeze in the doorway and clutch at a pain in his chest. He could see the lights dim around him and heard the whispers trying to break through. “Stop it. Don’t see it. Not tonight.”

***

The cradle clicked on the wooden floor as Ben rocked it gently and gazed at his daughter while she puckered her lips. “I need to get cracking on that other room. She’s pouring out of this thing.”

“Ugh! I won’t like her sleeping in another room at all.” The silver brush she’d used all her life pushed through Imara’s hair as she sat on the side of the bed.

He crawled in behind her, and Imara set down her brush, then pulled her legs into bed. Ben clasped his hands under his head as he peeked over at her. “Might be nice, though. We can be as crazy and loud as we want.”

After Imara snapped out the orb above them, Ben climbed on top of her and pushed his hands through her hair as he hovered above her face. “I told you I’d pay you back, didn’t I?”

Even though she couldn’t see his face in the darkness, she nodded and wrapped her fingers up in his hair. “You sure did.”

The rough calluses on his hands moved down her cheek as he kissed his way across her face. “I need you. You’re like the blood in my veins. I can’t live without you.”

He took her chin in his mouth, and she gasped when he slid inside her. Every breath he took was to make her happy, and as he pounded against her hips, he felt her joy in his chest. Her breathy, silent whimpers and moans floated through the dark air of their room until she mouthed his shoulder, and the throbbing depths of her body swallowed him. She felt his tears hit her cheek and the jerk of his chest, and her arms encircled him. “Don’t you ever leave me, Baby. Please.”

Her neck was wet with every fear and doubt he had, and she combed her fingers through his hair. “I’m bound to you. There is no leaving.”