Page 105 of Hand Picked
“I did not bring you up here to talk about leaf spots.” Webb hauled me over to stand against one of his prized Gravensteins. Then he stood back, pulled something from his back pocket, and cleared his throat.
“Oh my God. Tell me that isn’t a historical scroll,” I said with a laugh. “I thought you were allergic.”
“Hey. We’re about to have a very sentimental moment here, okay?” He pressed a firm kiss to my lips, which was enough to get me to stop laughing… at least temporarily.
Then he unrolled the scroll and began to read. “At a private affembly… I mean,assembly, held at the parcel of land borderethed on one side by a natural waterway of some notability and on another by a stone wall commemorating the Great Spongy Moth Plague, on this the twenty-fourth day of August, be it here Enacted that Partners who are hereby enjoined together in Matrimony, be it through Historical Handfasting or—”
I couldn’t hold back my laugh. “I get it. We’re married. It seems to be something you enjoy reminding people of.” And something I’d never get tired of hearing.
Webb’s answering smile was so sexy, it made me want to jump his bones. I looked around. We were actually plenty far away from both farmhouses. The Sundays wouldn’t be able to see us from the Sunday side, and Aunt Susan and my mom wouldn’t be able to see us from the Williams side.
“Hush, baby,” he warned, leaning over to drop another quick kiss on my lips. “This is important. And if you were married to someone as sexy and kind as my husband, you’d want everyone to know, too. Now, where was I?Ahem… Be it through Historical handfasting or one of those Quickie Vegas Deals—”
“It does not say that.”
“It does! Let’s see… blabity-blah about commingled family members and such… okay, this is the important part. Let it be Known that Thomas Webb Sunday, by this Extremely Legal Decree which He Did Not Order off the Internet, hereby Disclaims, Proclaims, and Exclaims that the Land Parcel so nameth-ed doth belong In Perpetuity to one Lukey Guilford Williams Sunday in a gesture of Unity, Commitment, Appreciation, andUncomplicatedLove—see what I did there?”
“I see,” I agreed, though I was pretty sure our love was the only uncomplicated part of this.
“—And also as a Marriage Portion symbolic of his Everlasting Gratitude to the Williams Family. According to the agreement here signed, Let It Be Known that the Land Parcel, henceforth to be known as Hand-Fast Hill—”
“No!” I sputtered in amusement. “Hand-Fast Hill?”
“—will remain a Celebratory Prominence upon which the Sunday and Williams family may congregate, and from which Lukey should probably pay Apple Tithes, at a Rate to be Determined Later, but since it’s Legally His Land, He May or May Not So Chooseth—”
“Wait,” I said as the oldie-worldie words translated in my head. “Is this… are you… You’re joking, right? You’re not actually giving me your orchard.”
Webb frowned and squinted at the scroll. “I could have sworn this says it’syourorchard. Hmm.”
I grabbed the scroll, rolled it back up, and placed it safely on the 4x4 seat before returning to stand in front of him. “You’re giving me this land?” I asked again, bewildered.
Webb’s face relaxed into a smile. “Yep. I mean, we’re married, so things are a little murky. This protects the land for your descendants and keeps it separate from the Sunday Orchard properties in case you ever decide you want to do something else with it. It is legally part of the Williams Farm now. Or, well, I guess you could separate it out and—”
I took his hands in mine. “I don’t want to separate anything out. That’s the point. I want the Williams Farm and the Sunday Orchard to be one big happy family… estate.” My face heated. “That sounded fancier than I intended. I mean, I want my descendants to be your descendants, Webb.”
Webb stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. “I want that, too. And now that your mom and Aunt Sue are moving into your farmhouse and you’re at our place, and Knox and Gage are up the hill in the Pumpkin House, it feels like a family estate already. But… I need you to always know you’re worth more to me than any parcel of land, Luke. You and our family… there’s nothing more important.”
I laughed and nestled closer to him, kissing the side of his neck. “You’ve been watching Hallmark movies with Marco again, haven’t you?”
The breeze blew apple scent around us. Webb had once described it as the scent of his childhood, and I wondered if there would be any future Williams-Sunday children to join Aiden in experiencing the same magical memories one day. I hoped so.
“You might be right,” he admitted. “But so am I.”
I pulled back and gazed up at him. “Thank you. For the land… Hand-Fast Hill… and the love. And the family. And for being part of my happy ever after. You’re my dream come true in real life.”
“Fucking Christ. Now who’s been watching Hallmark?” he teased.
“Have youseenBetty White inThe Lost Valentine? I can’t help it if every time Marco plays it, I happen to be folding laundry in the same room.”
Webb leaned in and kissed me. Even though we’d been living together full-time as a married couple all summer now, his kisses still took my breath away. It only took seconds before I was hard and desperate, having dirty fantasies about getting naked on Hand-Fast Hill.
“You drive me fuckin’ crazy,” Webb said against my ear. His hands were down the back of my pants, and his hard dick was jabbing me in the gut.
“Lonnie Duncan warned me the bloom would fall off the rose pretty fast now that we’re truly married,” I said, gasping when Webb’s teeth clamped lightly around my earlobe. “Seems like he didn’t know what the freak he was talking about.”
The rumble of Webb’s laughter made my dick even harder. “Mrs. Duncan’s bloom has been solidly planted in Mrs. Graber’s rose garden for years.”
“Ew!” I laughed until Webb’s fingers wandered under my shirt, found my nipple ring, and tugged. “Oh God. More of that, please.”
