The Wanted Short Stories Read online

  “What? We leave tomorrow morning, and there is no way off the boat. Are you insane?”

  She spun around and poked me in the chest. “This is all your fault. I said to let your dad and Carol watch them. But did you listen to me? No. You said to let them stay with Ellie and Gunner. They’d have fun, you said. Well, look at what we’ve got now.”

  I shook my head and tried not to laugh. “Ari, you seriously think our children wouldn’t want to come back home?”

  She nodded her head quickly. “They’ve forgotten us.”

  I had to admit it. My heart was beginning to hurt a little from just thinking about Luke not texting me to tell me about the game.

  I grabbed Ari and pulled her back into my arms. We both stared out and watched the sunset.

  When my cell phone dinged with a text message notification, I practically pushed Ari away from me. I pulled my phone out and saw a text from Luke.

  “Aha! He texted me! He sent me a text. Pesh…see!” I shoved my phone in Ari’s face.

  She frowned and pulled out her cell phone. “Nothing,” she whispered. She looked back at me and tried to smile. “What did he say?”

  I opened up his message and read it aloud.

  Luke: Hey, Dad! Hope you and Mom are having fun. Sorry I didn’t text last night or earlier today. Uncle Gunner took Colt and me hunting last night and this morning. It was fun, but it wasn’t as fun as when you and I go. We won our game! Kiss Mom for me, Dad. I miss you both. I’ll be glad when y’all come home tomorrow. Oh…by the way, I kind of hit Will. He said he liked Alex. Uncle Josh wasn’t too happy with either one of us. I kind of have a black eye from fighting with Will.

  I looked up at Ari and smiled as I saw a tear rolling down her face. I quickly blinked my eyes to keep myself from tearing up.

  Damn, I love that boy.

  Ari began laughing. “He kind of has a black eye?”

  I shook my head. “He is so protective over Alex. I think he will be more protective than Colt will be.”

  Ari wiped away her tear. “I miss them.”

  Then, her phone went off. She began jumping up and down. “It’s from Grace! It’s from Grace!”

  “Read it to me!”

  Ari smiled. “Hey, Mama, please tell me you are still coming home tomorrow. Oh my gosh, Aunt Ellie took us to the mall. Mom, it was awful. Did you know she hates shopping? Who hates shopping? I miss your good-night stories, Mama, and Daddy’s good-night hugs. I can’t wait to see y’all.”

  Ari started crying as she dropped her arms to her sides and looked at me. “They still love us!”

  I let out a chuckle and pulled her into a hug. “I told you, baby. I told you.”

  Ari’s knee was bouncing a mile a minute as we drove to the airport. “He’s gonna make us miss our plane,” she hissed through her teeth.

  “We have plenty of time, Ari. Stop worrying.”

  She let out a sigh. “Um…are we close to the airport, sir?”

  Right after she asked, the cab driver turned the corner, and right in front of us was the airport.

  I grabbed her hand and kissed it. “We’ll be home in a few hours, baby.”

  She smiled weakly. “I just want to see the kids.”

  “I know. Me, too. Grace will be happy that we have three new horses heading our way.”

  Ari chuckled. “Yeah, she will.”

  After getting our luggage out of the taxi we headed into the airport and checked in our luggage before making our way to the gate.

  It didn’t take long before we were sitting in our seats, and the plane was taking off for Austin. Ari fell asleep, and she slept during the whole flight while I worked on my computer. Every now and then, I would look over at my sleeping beauty and smile. I silently said a prayer and thanked God for the blessings in my life.

  Ari must have been exhausted because she was still asleep when the plane landed.

  I gently nudged her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Baby, we landed.”

  She sprang up and quickly took off her seat belt. “It’s about time. What a long flight!”

  I looked at her like she was insane. “How would you know? You slept the whole time.”

  She rolled her eyes and pushed me out into the aisle. I reached up into the overhead bin, pulled out her carry-on, and handed it to her. I was pretty sure she was about to push the older couple in front of us out of the way if they didn’t speed it up.

  After exiting the plane, I laughed as I tried to keep up with her as she practically ran to baggage claim.

  She turned and said, “You get the truck. I’ll get the luggage and meet you out front.”

  I kissed her on the cheek. “Yes, ma’am. Text the kids and let them know that we will be there in a couple of hours.”

  She clapped her hands and did a little hop.

  I made my way to the truck and then headed to the pick-up curb in front of the baggage claim doors. Ari was already standing there, talking on the phone to someone. I couldn’t help but smile as I saw the huge grin on her face.

  She must be talking to the kids.

  I jumped out of the truck and grabbed the suitcases. I put them in the bed of the truck as Ari went on and on about how proud she was of Luke. My heart soared when she told me that Luke had hit two home runs.

  I held the door open for my beautiful bride as she hopped up into the truck. I ran around and got into the driver’s seat. Then, we headed off toward Mason. The closer we got, the more excited Ari and I got.

  “Next time, I say two days. I think two days is about all I can take being away from the kids.”

  “I agree. Gunner told me that he has already made arrangements to take Ellie to a bed-and-breakfast in Fredericksburg. I say we follow their lead next time we want to get away.”

  Ari snapped her head toward me and let out a gasp. “Yes! Oh my gosh, what a great idea. We would be away but not really too far away. Brad and Amanda have been doing something like that for a few years now. They go away for a weekend each month. Usually, their parents take the kids for the weekend, and Amanda and Brad lock themselves in the house and fuck like rabbits. Why the rest of us never thought of doing the same thing is beyond me.”

  I let out a laugh and nodded my head. “Well, from now on, I’ll make sure we get some us time.”

  Ari and I talked about Sweet Dancer most of the way home. Layton Morris had called back, and we made arrangements to have Dancer sent straight to his ranch for his trainer, Lucky, to start working with our new horse. In exchange for the training, Layton wanted to breed a mare with Charmer. It was a win-win situation for both of us.

  Ari began jumping around in her seat as I pulled up to the gate. I thought she was going to jump out and push the gate open.

  “Oh my God. Has our gate always opened so damn slow?” she asked.

  I started down the driveway, and when we pulled around to the barn, our kids were there with my dad and Carol.

  Ari’s hands went to her mouth, and she began crying. “They look bigger!”

  I laughed and put the truck in park as Ari threw the door open. She jumped out and ran toward the kids.

  “Mommy!” Grace yelled. She ran and jumped into Ari’s arms.

  Luke stopped just short of Ari, letting her hug and say hello to Grace. I couldn’t be more proud of my son. He was so much like me that it was unreal, but he also had Ari’s caring heart. Ari set Grace down and then held her arms open for Luke. He walked straight into her arms and held on to her as he told her how much he had missed her.

  I quickly wiped away the tear from the corner of my eye before the kids turned their attention to me.

  Grace’s face lit up when I smiled at her. “Daddy! Daddy!”

  I bent down, and she slammed her body so hard into me that I almost fell backward.

  “I missed you so much. Please tell me we are getting new horses!” she said.

  I laughed and hugged her tightly before letting go. “How does three new horses sound?”

  She le
t out a scream and began jumping up and down. I glanced up and saw my son waiting patiently for his turn.

  I kissed Grace on the cheek and whispered, “Your mama bought you some new clothes.”

  Grace’s mouth dropped open, and then she did a little fist pump before running back to Ari. “Mama, show me my new clothes!”

  Ari laughed as she nodded her head, and then she walked toward the truck. I looked back at Luke as he came up to me and put his hand out for me to shake it.

  “Dad, I’m really glad y’all are home.”

  I shook his hand and then pulled him into a hug. “Me, too, son. Me, too. While the girls go crazy over clothes, how about I take the suitcases into the house, and you go help Bandpa saddle us up a couple of horses? Then, we can go for a ride.”

  He nodded his head quickly. “I’d love that!”

  I glanced up and saw my dad smiling as Luke took off running to the barn. I walked up, shook my father’s hand, and kissed Carol on the cheek.

  “Thanks y’all for bringing them home for us.”

  My father smiled as he watched Luke. “That boy is so much like you it’s unreal. You’re going to have your hands full with him, son.”

  I turned and watched as Luke jumped and tried to hit the top of the barn door. He was nowhere near close to it, but I gave him props for trying.

  “You’re telling me, Dad.”

  I took the suitcases into the house, and Carol, Ari, and Grace all made their way to our bedroom to see the outfits Ari had bought for Grace. I rolled my eyes when Grace began gushing over the clothes. She was, for sure, a mini Ari.

  I made my way down to the barn, and as I walked up, I could hear my father and Luke talking. I stopped and stood there for a few seconds, taking it all in. Growing up I had missed these moments with my father, but I was thankful that he was here and able to be such a huge part of my life as well as Ellie’s and our kids’ lives.

  “Bandpa, are you riding with us?”

  “I figured you’d like to spend some time with your dad since you haven’t seen him for a few days.”

  “I’d like to spend time with both of y’all,” Luke said.

  My heart soared. Whatever Ari and I were doing with our kids, we were somehow doing it right. I took a deep breath in and tried to contain my crazy emotions as I walked into the barn. When I saw the smile on my son’s face as he looked at me, my whole world stopped, and I took this moment in.

  Moments like this just brought me back to the day when I’d known my life would never be the same. It was the day I’d sat under an oak tree, and the love of my life had saved me.

  The End

  Josh and I made our way up the stairs, stepping oh-so quietly. Will and Libby had been sleeping for over two hours, and I had been in pure heaven. The house had been so quiet that we just sat on the sofa and took it in while we massaged each other’s shoulders, backs, and feet. Then, Josh had gotten the idea of heading upstairs for some much-needed us time. I was a bit pissed that we had wasted over two hours sitting on the sofa before one of us thought of it.

  We walked into our bedroom, and Josh turned on the upstairs monitor.

  I quickly stripped out of my clothes and jumped into bed. Josh quickly began undressing.

  “Fast. We have to go fast. They’ve been asleep for far too long,” I said.

  Josh nodded his head and began kissing my breasts. He moved his lips up my neck, and I let out a soft moan. When I felt him pushing against me, I spread my legs open wider. The moment I felt his heat inside me I about came.

  “Josh,” I whispered.

  I gently moved my fingertips up and down his back as he slowly and passionately made love to me.

  “Heaven,” Josh said as he pushed in deeper.

  “Yes.”

  Then, we heard something. We both instantly stopped moving and snapped our heads over to the monitor.

  “Oh God, Will is up!” I said as I watched Will sitting up in his bed.

  One quick glance at Libby’s bed showed that she was still sleeping.

  Josh and I quickly looked back at each other.

  “Move! Josh, go!”

  Josh began moving in and out faster. As much as I wanted him to take it slow, I knew we had a limited amount of time now that Will was up. Soon, he would start calling out Libby’s name to wake her up.

  “Harder!”

  “Jesus, Heather. Faster, harder—I’m trying, damn it. I just wanted to enjoy you.”

  I shook my head. “I know, I know! God, it feels good. I’m sorry, baby, but hurry.”

  Josh grabbed my hips and began moving faster and harder.

  With each thrust, he said, “They. Can. Wait. A. Few. Minutes.”

  “Oh God, Josh, I’m so close.”

  “Heather, I’m going to come.”

  “No, wait!”

  And just like that, it was over.

  As soon as Josh collapsed on top of me, Will started calling out, “Libby! Libby!”

  I closed my eyes and wanted to cry. I hadn’t had an orgasm the last three times we had sex. I was long overdue for one. I opened my eyes, and I watched Josh jump up from the bed, and he started getting dressed.

  I got up on my elbows and frowned at him. “What happened to letting them wait for a few minutes? I need relief, too.”

  Josh gave me that crooked smile of his, and I fell back onto the bed and pouted. He walked up to the edge of the bed and opened the drawer in the side table.

  He reached in for the vibrator. “Is this what you want?”

  I jutted out my bottom lip and shook my head. “I wanted to come with you inside me.”

  “Wibby! Wibby, get up!”

  I looked at Will jumping up and down in his bed.

  Turning back to Josh, I smiled. “That’ll do. Hurry! The little monster knows how to open the bedroom door.”

  Josh quickly began moving the vibrator in and out. He sat down next to me, and the moment he put his mouth on my nipple, I lost it. I didn’t mean to call out so loudly when my orgasm hit me, but I did.

  Will must have heard me because my orgasm was cut short when he yelled, “Mommy! Mommy!”

  I opened my eyes and looked at Josh, who was attempting to hold back his laughter.

  “Baby, I promise to take care of you tonight.”

  I pushed his hands away and got up. I quickly got dressed and began stomping out of the bedroom. I turned and looked at him. “Three. I want three orgasms tonight.”

  Josh’s eyes lit up, and he nodded his head. “You got it, baby. Three it is.”

  I smiled as I turned and headed downstairs. When I opened the door to the twins’ room, Will was sitting on Libby’s bed, holding her hand. My heart melted. Libby had Will wrapped around her little finger. He was fiercely protective of her, and he had already gotten into a scrape with Luke when he pushed her.

  I smiled as Will looked at me and grinned. He held his fingers up to his mouth as if he was trying to tell me to be quiet.

  “Wibby is sweeping, Mommy.”

  I nodded my head and stuck out my hand. He jumped down from his bed and walked toward me. Getting to spend one-on-one time with just one of the twins would be a rare treat.

  As I was heading out the door with Will, he stopped, turned, and let out the loudest scream I’d ever heard.

  “Wibby! Wake up!”

  My mouth dropped open, and Libby immediately sat up and began crying. Josh walked past me and quickly scooped her up into his arms. He couldn’t stand to hear her cry or know she was scared.

  I couldn’t help but grin as she instantly stopped crying the moment Josh had picked her up.

  I barely heard her say, “Daddy.”

  Josh walked around with her for a few seconds while I changed Will.

  I glanced back at Josh and said, “Do we try again?”

  Josh let out a sigh and nodded his head as he set Libby down. “Come on, y’all. Let’s try to go potty.”

  Libby went screaming down the hallway. Will started to
drop his drawers in the hallway, and he was about to pee on the wall.

  “No, Will!” Josh and I both yelled out, scaring him.

  The second I saw the lip pout, I knew we were done for.

  Josh and I quickly dropped down on the floor and began trying to make him giggle.

  That was when I heard a crash.

  “Mommy…” Libby said in a hushed voice.

  I fell back onto my butt and let out a long sigh as I dropped my head into my hands.

  Josh stood up and headed toward the living room. “We will survive this, Princess. We will survive.”

  I paced back and forth as I waited for my mother to answer her cell.

  “Hello?”

  “Mom!”

  “The desperation in your voice almost makes me want to giggle. It brings back a memory of you in your crib, taking off your diaper.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Really, Mom? You have to bring this up again?”

  “You clean poop off a wall and tell me you wouldn’t bring it up every chance you got.”

  “I was, like, three, Mom!”

  She let out a loud laugh. “I know. Oh, man, sweet revenge, and I didn’t even have to lift a finger.”

  “Mother, this is serious. I need to get Heather out of this house. I will totally pay for a nanny to come in and help you for a couple of days.” I pushed my hand through my hair, and when I felt something slimy and wet, I quickly jerked it to the front of my face. “Applesauce?”

  “What? What about applesauce? I was saying, your father and I would love to come and stay for a few days. We don’t need a dang nanny to take care of our own grandchildren.”

  I placed my hand back in my hair and let out a gasp. “How did they get so much applesauce in there?”

  “Oh Lord, I’m packing a bag right now.”

  She hung up the phone before I could even say anything else.

  I was about to hit Gunner’s name on my phone when a text came through.

  Mom: My friend Nancy can come and help your father and me out if needed. Don’t worry. Take Heather somewhere and spend some time together.

  I loved my mother more than anything right now. I pushed Gunner’s number and glanced back toward the house.

  “What’s up?”