Page 51 of Unwrapped By the Grumpy Mountain Man
“And they’re not going to have their mother for potentially a long time. They’re going to look to you, and love you more and more each day like a second mom.”
“I’m honored. I want that. I love that you’d trust me to step into that role for all of you.”
I dig my fingers into her short hair, causing a shiver to run down her body that almost feels like my own. “Marry me?” I ask.
She laughs softly against my lips. “I already did.”
“For real this time. I promised the girls they’d get to be there this time if we had a redo. I didn’t know then–that’s a lie–I didn’t admit to myself then how much the idea of that was a secret hope. So,” I kiss her, then pull away to bring her left hand between us.
I rub my thumb over her stacked rings that glisten in the low light. “Marry me for real this time, Violet Wilder. Be ours, forever.”
Violet brings my left hand up and kisses my black and onyx ring. “I’m yours, Hud. And you're mine. Yes, I will marry you.” She smiles through renewed tears. “Again.”
Smiling, I kiss her again, slow and deep. I slowly peel her out of her PJs as she pulls down my pants. Quietly and slowly, I make love to my wife. This connection I’ve been overcome by from the moment she showed up at my door late November has only fused deeper into my cells. She feels like a part of me, which is wild to grasp logically. It’s been such a short amount of time, but feels like we’ve been on this path far longer.
Together, we’re going to give my girls so much love. I vow to keep this home a constant, for all of us. A safe space of peace, refuge, joy, and so much love.
But first, we all must heal and navigate the next few months. Us from this custody battle, and Violet and her dad as they decide the future of her family home. But we don’t have to figure it out alone anymore. We get to do it together.
CHAPTER TWELVE
VIOLET
Christmas morning dawns bright and clear, sunlight reflecting off fresh snow outside our bedroom window. I wake to find Hudson's side of the bed empty, the sheets still warm from his body. Somewhere downstairs, I hear Lucy's excited chatter and the lower rumble of Hudson's voice attempting to keep her volume down.
A smile spreads across my face as I stretch, savoring these first quiet moments of Christmas Day. Our first Christmas as a family. The thought fills me with a warmth that has nothing to do with the thick comforter still wrapped around me.
A full week has passed since the girls came to live with us permanently. A full week of adjustments, of nightmares and tears, of healing and growing closer. Of becoming a real family, not the pretend one we started as.
The door creaks open, and Silvie peeks her head in. "Vi? Are you awake?"
"I am," I smile, sitting up. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."
She slips into the room, closing the door behind her. In her hands is a small, clumsily wrapped package. "I wanted to give you this before everyone else is around," she says, suddenly shy.
My heart melts at her nervous expression. Of all Hudson's daughters, Silvie's acceptance has meant the most to me. Her initial wariness was understandable, but the walls between us have fallen steadily over the past month.
"Can I open it now?" I ask, patting the bed beside me.
She nods, climbing up to sit cross-legged next to me. The package is light in my hands, wrapped in green paper with candy canes all over it. I carefully undo the tape, preserving the paper.
"You can just rip it," Silvie says, bouncing slightly with impatience.
I laugh. "Sorry, old habit. My mom always saved the paper."
Inside is a handmade picture frame, painted in swirls of blue and yellow. The photo inside makes my breath catch. It's from last week, when we went ice skating at the rink in town. Hudson has one arm around me, the other around Silvie, with Lucy and Angie in front of us. We're all laughing, cheeks red from the cold, looking every bit the happy family we've become.
"Daddy helped me with the frame," Silvie explains. "But the picture was my idea."
"It's perfect," I whisper, running my finger over the glass. "Absolutely perfect."
"Do you like being our step-mom?" she asks suddenly, those wise eyes watching me carefully.
I set the frame aside and take her small hands in mine. "I love being your step-mom," I tell her honestly. "It's the best gift I've ever received."
She studies me, then nods, apparently satisfied with what she sees. "Good. Because we want you to stay with us, and keep Daddy happy."
"Well, that works out perfectly," I say, pulling her into a hug. "Because I love you. All of you, and I don’t plan on going anywhere without coming back."
