Chapter 41: Chapter 41
“Dammit, why can’t I ever find this blessed bunny?” While her fingers wiggled and patted at the braided wool rug lining the floor under the couch, Imara spent another morning searching for the toy Sofia made for her so long ago.
Every inch of his wife was a thing of beauty, and as Ben stood in the doorway admiring how her ass wiggled before him, his whole body ached at the sight of her on her hands and knees. “You find that thing yet, Baby?”
The silk ribbon slid between her fingers, and she twisted them around it as she pulled Mr. Rabbit from under the couch. A frustrated puff of air blew from her mouth and lifted the hair out of her face as she examined the stuffed animal. Like the sun rising over the forest that lined their city, the truth suddenly dawned on her, and she shot an evil eye at her man.
“You!” Her foot pressed into the floor as she pushed off her other knee and inched towards him. A pointy little finger poked into his chest, and her eyes narrowed at him. “This whole time, it was you! You’re the one who keeps hiding this rabbit.” She slapped his arm and pointed back at the couch. “How else would he end up all the way back under that piece of furniture?”
His lips curled under to hold back his smile as she shook his head. “I’m not certain I know what you’re talking about.”
While he inched towards the kitchen, his hands went up in front of his chest. “It’s not my fault; you know how tricky those rabbits are, Imara.”
“You shit!” Yanking her into his chest, Ben tickled at her ribs and kissed all over her face while she giggled along. “I’m mad at you. Stop it!”
His hands clasped behind her ass to keep her from slipping away as she half-heartedly attempted to push out of his hold on her. “I thought you would’ve figured the mystery out after all these years, Imara.”
With her lips pouting at being more than a little bit embarrassed she fell for the joke consistently for a hundred years, she pushed her finger into his chest. “That’s a cruel trick. I’ve spent hours on my hands and knees searching for that thing.”
He tugged her a little closer to his hips and nodded. “Yes, I’m aware. Why do you think I did it?” Both his hot hands spread out across her back as he rocked her back and forth. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay you back for my piss-poor behavior later.”
“Yes, you most certainly will.” As she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, her green eyes batted up to meet him. “You best be prepared to spend some time on YOUR knees, Mr. Logan.”
After a swat on her bottom, he let her go and pointed at her as he backed away. “Yes, ma’am. I got no problem with that at all.”
Little chubby fingers reached out to their mother, and Imara kneeled to pick the baby up from the blanket on the floor as Ben shuffled to the kitchen table and narrowed his eyes at the drawings scattered everywhere. “Those are good, Sweet Pea.” He dropped onto the bench beside Eliza and pushed her long, dark hair off her shoulder. “Who is that fella right there, though, with the yellow hair?”
Tiny feet swung back and forth under the table as she hummed Greensleeves to herself. “He’s my boyfriend. He doesn’t live here yet, though.”
“Boyfriend?” He leaned back and called out to Imara as she entered the kitchen. “Did you hear what she said?”
With twisted lips, Imara shrugged, then lowered Jason into his highchair. “Yes, she told me all about him. She says he lives in a faraway land, and he’s a wolf-like Daddy.”
“A wolf? Well, I guess that would be alright then.” After he dropped the picture back on the table, he rubbed tiny circles on her back. “Just as long as Daddy’s your number one wolf.”
With her little tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, Eliza gave him the wink she’d been working on in the mirror for weeks. “You’re always my hero, Daddy.”
The healing warmth of Imara’s hands never lost their magic, and as she slid her fingertips on Ben’s, his eyes rose to meet her. “Yes, Sweet Pea. He’s my hero, too.”
A faint whisper tugged at Ben’s ear, then moved down his arm and took over his fingers until they pushed aside one of the drawings. The long-forgotten burn of fear spread through his chest as he saw an angel bathed in golden light hovering above a burning castle.
His heart pounded against his chest as Daniel’s visions returned to him, and his teary eyes darted to his little girl. “Sweet Pea, what’s this all about?”
Even missing a front tooth, her grin was just as sweet as she gazed at her mother. “That’s Momma. She’s my hero, too.”
The paper flickered between his shaking fingers as he kissed the top of Eliza’s head and glanced across the table. “Yeah, you’re right, Sweet Pea; Momma is a hero. She’s the greatest hero that ever lived.”
The end… for now!