Page 16 of Scarred Mountain Man
“Yep.” I took a sip from my mug and felt immediately comforted by the warm liquid. “I can still make you a caffeinated version, though. Ryder can’t live without his caffeine.”
I knew she’d opted for decaf because I couldn’t have caffeine. That was the kind of friend she was.
“It’s coming together,” Daisy said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but next thing you know, you’ll be unpacking the last box and wondering how you’re already done.”
“I can’t wait for that day.”
I plopped down on the sofa and she joined me, both of us holding our mugs. “Thank you for spending your day off helping me,” I said.
“Hey, we have to stick together.” She hid her smile behind the mug, taking her first slow sip, then lowered it to her lap. “Besides, you helped me when we moved to a bigger place.”
“Did you imagine when you invited me here to help out with your daycare that I’d end up married to someone on your husband’s logging crew?”
“Not just his crew, but one of his military buddies,” she said. “And yeah, I kind of did.”
I frowned. “You knew I’d end up with Ryder?”
“There weren’t that many single guys on the crew at the time. But I immediately thought of you when I first met him. There was something about him that made it seem like you two would make the perfect couple.”
“And you didn’t tell me?” I rested my hand on my belly and set my coffee mug on the table next to me. “That’s a little underhanded.”
“I don’t think you mind.”
She was right. I didn’t mind.
Almost a decade of marriage and we were happier than ever. Our son Teddy was already in elementary school. My current pregnancy had come after a couple of years of going back and forth over whether we wanted to add another family member. In the end, we just couldn’t resist.
The only bad thing about it was we needed to move to a bigger cabin. And that’s why we had this four-bedroom, two-story log home built just down the road from Daisy and Axel. We were looking forward to our kids spending even more time hanging out. That would make our frequent get-togethers easier.
“I think they’re here,” Daisy said. Jumping to her feet, she walked over and peered out the blinds. “Yep. Brace for chaos.”
I couldn’t help but notice Daisy set her cup on the table next to where she’d been sitting. She knew a whirlwind was about to blow through those doors and her coffee mug could go flying as a result.
Sure enough, the door to the relatively quiet cabin burst open and in ran not one, not two, but three boys—two belonging to Daisy and Axel and one belonging to us.
I took a deep breath and held it as I waited for my body to adjust to the sudden shift. I loved having the chaos our kids brought, but quiet was nice too—especially as tired as moving while six months pregnant had made me.
“We’re home!” Ryder announced as he came through the door.
He was practically laughing, knowing he’d just made an unnecessary announcement. But I was smiling by then too. As always, the second I saw him, peace settled over me. Everything was going to be just fine.
“Did they win?” Daisy asked quietly.
The kids were in the kitchen by then. The two oldest boys were going through the fridge while Daisy’s youngest stood behind, watching.
“No,” Axel said, closing the door behind him.
He stepped around us to give his wife a hug and kiss, even though we’d all just seen each other a couple of hours ago. It was ridiculous. Both couples were staring at each other like we’d been separated for days.
“It’s all good, though,” Ryder said. “The boys are learning good sportsmanship.”
“We’re going to win the next one,” Daisy and Axel’s oldest, Sebastian, called out from the kitchen.
Oh, crap. They’d overheard.
“Of course you are,” Axel said. “We’re going to work on that swing.”
“Daisy brought in those boxes from my car.” I gestured toward the stack against the wall. “I know it looks like I’m not making progress. One box out, two boxes in.”
