Page 26 of Holly's Valentine Vow

“I love you too, Daddy,” Ruby adds, climbing onto Holly’s lap to hug my neck.

“What am I, chopped liver?” Holly teases.

“Mama, youknowwe love you, but Daddy doesn’t know it yet,” Mina states.

“I love you girls too,” I tell them. “We’ll check with the attorney to see when we can get that done, okay?”

“Yippee!” Ruby screeches.

“I think it’s time we head home,” Holly whispers. “They’re getting sugared up.”

I can’t stop chuckling. “So, you’re just gonna leave them with your grandparents, huh?” I ask.

“Absolutely. Take me home, husband, and make me yours,” she demands.

“Your wish is my command, wife,” I reply.

Chapter Fourteen

Holly

After the noiseand excitement from the reception at Grammy’s, the quiet after the snowfall as I ride on Rebel’s lap over the path that Pappy put in between their house and mine is magical. The snow started falling again, putting another pristine layer of sparkles on the ground. I’m still not sure how I managed to fit on the motorized wheelchair because the bottom of my dress is very poofy. I start giggling which has Rebel looking down at me.

“What?” he asks as he motors us toward the ramp that’s coming off the back porch, since that’s the area that’s got the covered pathway.

“Explain to me again why I’m not walking alongside you?” I manage to say between giggles.

“Because if I could walk on both legs, I’d have you curled into me. This is kind of the same,” he replies, smirking at me.

“If you say so.”

I’m not going to begrudge being in his arms no matter how he accomplishes that fact, but when we finally reach the sliding glass door and I attempt to get up, he stops me by gripping my hip. “Nah, babe, gonna carry you over the threshold,” he states.

“Rebel, you’re not supposed to walk yet!” I exclaim. I know it’s one of ‘those’ superstitions and as I’ve discovered, my man definitely has a boatload of them, so it would make sense he’d latch on to any of them that predict a long and happy marriage.

“Who said anything about walking, Holly? Hold on, this might get bumpy,” he advises as he pushes the door wide then hits the button, so the wheelchair goes over the slight hump that Pappy put a guard over for just this reason and I find us in the area that’s between the kitchen and the dining area.

He spins us around, closes and locks the slider, all while grinning at me. “Let’s grab some drinks then head into our room,” he murmurs, which sends a full-body shiver through me.

God, his deep voice alone can practically make me orgasm. Humming a bit, I open the refrigerator door once he gets us there and gasp. “I wonder who did this?” I ask as I pull out a bottle of chilled sparkling wine and two fluted glasses that have been engraved in fancy script with our names and our wedding date.

“I suspect Paul did it earlier,” he admits. “He wouldn’t let me get anything out of the fridge this morning when I was thirsty. In fact, he insisted on ‘manning the kitchen’ until it was time to get ready.”

“My Pappy can be sneaky, that’s for sure,” I advise, grabbing two bottles of water as well. “I’m glad they got sparkling winethough, because I’m not much for champagne unless orange juice is involved.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for the future,” he teases as he spins us around then heads toward the bedroom.

Once we’re in there, I carefully maneuver out of the chair, then place all the drinks on Rebel’s nightstand. Turning, I see Rebel just staring at me, so I ask, “What? What’s wrong?”

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Holly. You always are, whether you’re in work clothes, cleaning clothes, or even your pajamas, but today, you outshine even the brightest star in the sky.”

Tears fill my eyes at his words, and I briefly wonder why I’m so damn emotional lately. Every little thing turns on the waterworks, from seeing how pretty the girls looked today to how happy Grammy and Pappy looked when we turned after Prophet announced us as husband and wife. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“You’re welcome, but there’s no need for thanks, sweetheart. I’m speaking the truth. Do you need me to unzip anything before you get into something more comfortable?” he questions.

“Yes please. It looks like it’s buttoned, but there’s an invisible zipper underneath it with the pearl buttons on top,” I tell him, moving closer so he can help me get undressed. I feel his hand as he moves my hair so he can reach the zipper tab, then slowly, so damn slowly that I can feel my skin breaking out in goosebumps, he pulls it down.

Feeling the combination of the air from the ceiling fan plus his warm breath against my skin adds to the sensation and by the time he has it at the end and the front of the dress is gaping, I feel like I should be panting, my desire is so close to the top, it’sprobably evident to Rebel. Not that I care, of course, but still… it’s like everything has been amplified for some reason.

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