His question stopped me abruptly.
“Getting dressed,” I answered as if it should’ve been obvious.
“Unless you want to be tied to our bed for the rest of the weekend, you won’t make another move in putting those clothes back on.” His voice was so serious. There wasn’t a glint of humor in his eyes.
I loved a challenge.
Slowly, while staring him right in his eyes, I pulled the clothing up my legs, redressing myself. His hazel eyes darkened considerably and he started in my direction. But Andreas would not be put off.
His cries grew to shrieks.
“We’re sending him over Carter and Michelle’s for the weekend.” Aaron narrowed his gaze. “Him then you.”
The warning caused my nipples to ache with need.
I watched Aaron as he walked up the stairs.
Needless to say, I spent that entire weekend, mostly on my back, and all fours.
Chapter Thirty
Now
Deborah
“We did it!” I gushed as I looked around the open space of our shelter’s lobby. This was one time the shelter was closed for business, due to our grand opening event. We’d managed to gather support from local politicians, nonprofits, and businesses to come together for this special night.
“We did,” Michelle responded, looking around at the other three women.
“It’s been such a pleasure putting this together with you four. I couldn’t have asked for better daughters if I’d birthed you all myself.” My sons married some pretty terrific women. And the fact that all four had jumped at the chance to come together and help create this vision I’d had for years, made my heart swell.
“You wouldn’t have known what to do with daughters,” my husband’s deep voice stated behind me.
Smiling, I leaned back into his hold when he circled my waist with his arms. I didn’t care that I was in a floor-length, cobalt blue ball gown and that he might be wrinkling it. The night had gone extremely well. The shelter had exceeded our donation goal for the year, almost promising that we’d be around for at least another eighteen months.
“You ladies did a hell of a job.” Joshua came up behind Kayla, holding her much the same way his father held me.
I watched as my other three sons did the same with their wives. My smile grew as Carter’s hands went protectively to Michelle’s belly. Those two hadn’t announced it yet, but I knew another grandchild was on the way. And then, of course, there was Aaron and Patience. At six months, her belly was on full display. I still caught the worried glances Aaron threw her way whenever they were in a room together but he was there for her.
I turned to Robert, wrapping my arms around him. “We did really good.”
Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss to my lips. “Yes we did, princess.”
“Hey, cut that out!”
Robert looked over my head, eyes narrowing on our youngest son.
“What Tyler meant to say is, we’ve got a surprise for the both of you.”
I turned to Carter, who’d made that announcement.
He glanced between his three other brothers and their spouses, but it was Aaron who reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket and pulled out an envelope. Taking the proffered card from Aaron, Robert opened it.
Robert’s lips formed into a bright smile as he read. When he glanced up there was a sheen that covered his eyes. I looked back at our sons and then to Robert again.
“Princess, it seems that, in honor of you, our boys have donated more than a million dollars to fund a soup kitchen, women’s shelter, and rehab facility in Beattyville, Kentucky.”
I was floored. Part of our shelter in Williamsport’s mission was to also eventually provide these types of services to women in the remote region of Kentucky where I grew up.
