The Legacy series: The Love series, the Wrapped series, and the Burning Souls series.

by Mj Fields

  ���Can you get there again like this Sweetness?���

  ���Yes, oh yes.��� Her head fell back and I moved a touch faster until she tensed and let out a very erotic moan.

  ���Oh ���Oh������

  I couldn���t hold back, I didn���t want to. We came together and I rolled to my side not wanting to squash her or the baby. I was still inside her and that���s where I intended to stay the entire night. She made no attempt to move. I rubbed her back and her sweet ass until she was asleep.

  I sat up in the darkness and cold. I held Harper against me and tried to turn on the lamp next to the bed.

  ���I have to pee.��� Harper kissed my chest where she had been laying. ���Turn on the light please?���

  ���It���s not working.���

  ���What?���

  I grabbed my phone so we could have a little light.

  ���Maddox it���s cold in here.���

  I wrapped the blanket around her. ���Stay I���ll get you some pajamas���

  I dug through her drawer and all I could find where those dammed footies.

  I hated those things but they would keep her warm until I figured out what the problem was.

  ���Can you get these on so I can check things out?���

  ���Yeah.��� Her teeth chattered.

  I walked out and heard the door open. I grabbed the broom and held it like a baseball bat.

  ���Maddox?���

  ���Who the fuck is it.���

  ���Tomas. The security system went off alerting me there was an electrical problem. You two okay?���

  ���Yeah fine. Come on in.���

  ���I can call someone to come fix it or the two of you can stay at the house until morning.���

  ���Hey Tomas.��� Harper walked out. ���Let���s not bother anyone tonight. Maddox you don���t mind do you?���

  ���Not at all. Let���s go.���

  Harper held her stomach and then went to the counter and grabbed those Swiss rolls. She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. Absolutely adorable.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  United

  Harper

  We walked into the house and I looked at the clock it was one in the morning.

  ���Living room?���

  ���Sure.���

  ���Will it bother you Harper?���

  ���Because of Harrison?��� He nodded. ���No Maddox it���s fine, really. I���m just gonna grab some blankets.���

  ���I���ll see if I can make it comfy for us in there.��� He kissed my head walked into the room.

  I walked towards the hall closet next to my father���s office and saw that the light was still on. I pushed the door open after hearing soft sobs. I saw Mom sitting in Dad���s chair with her knees pulled to her chest.

  ���Mom?���

  She looked up quickly and wiped her face. ���Harper is everything alright?���

  I nodded my head and walked to her. I hugged her and she laughed.

  ���Sorry Harper. I���m supposed to be strong.���

  ���Says who?���

  ���Your Daddy of course.���

  I let go of her and reached for the chair behind her desk pulling it up next to her.

  ���I don���t understand.���

  I saw her shoving something in the desk drawer.

  ���It���s nothing. I���m being ridiculous. A weak moment.���

  ���What did you just put in the drawer?���

  ���It���s nothing Harper.���

  ���Obviously it is. Talk to me Mom, don���t grieve alone. Why are you hiding something?���

  ���Not hiding it���s just personal.��� She tried so hard to smile and then shook her head back and forth. ���I found a journal a month ago. Something he wrote in for the first three years we were married. I get letters now.���

  ���Letters?���

  ���Your father wrote me a letter on our anniversary every year. One to himself and one that he gave me.���

  ���I don���t understand.���

  ���It was like he knew that I would be here after he was gone.���

  ���You���re tired Mom. You should go to sleep.���

  ���Yeah.���

  We both stood and I took her hand. We walked past Maddox and he looked at me and mouthed ���Stay with her���.

  We walked up the stairs and into Moms bedroom.

  ���I���m sorry Harper. I don���t want to let go of all of our memories either ������

  ���No I���m sorry. I didn���t mean too������

  ���Harper Ann. In his letters he instructed me to move forward. He had planned to be done with all the overseas work.���

  ���I understand. I was just������

  ���I���m not ready to do this either. I���m not ready to let go of all the people we love when he���s not even here. I���m angry at him for not being here to do this with me. He knows I can���t do this!���

  Watching my mother cry was heart breaking.

  ���You won���t do it alone Tessa. We���ll be there with you.���

  We looked up as Maddox walked in the bedroom.

  ���No. No! I won���t let this affect you two. I���m simply having a hard time tonight. I���m being ridiculous.���

  I smiled at Maddox and turned back to Mom. ���No, we���ll go. We just need a few days to figure it out.���

  ���I said no.���

  ���I don���t care.���

  Mom���s eyes widened. I never talked to her like that. Never.

  Maddox pulled the comforter down. ���Let���s go ladies. It���s late. You���re both emotional and tired, and understandably so.���

  ���Come on Mom.��� I sat up on the bed and scooted to Dad���s side and patted the spot beside me.

  ���Harper you go with Maddox. I���m fine.���

  ���I���m not leaving.���

  ���She���s not leaving.��� Maddox kissed me and my mom on the head before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

  Mom wiped my eyes and smiled sadly. ���Sorry.���

  ���Don���t ever be sorry.���

  We laid in bed holding hands until she and I both fell asleep.

  I woke up needing to use the bathroom. I slid out of bed quietly not wanting to wake her. After using the bathroom I crept out the door and tiptoed down the stairs. Thirsty, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before making my way back to the room I had found my mother in.

  It killed me to know my father had died to save my life but I could no longer grieve a loss that resulted in my being here today. As Maddox had pointed out, my father would have had it no other way. I was going to try even though it pained me to celebrate the life of the man who gave me mine. The man who saved mine. The greatest man I ever knew, my Daddy.

  I sat behind his large desk in his oversized chair. The same chair I use to sit in and spin myself around in circles until I became dizzy. In the same room I spent hours in watching my parents work tirelessly in to ready themselves for upcoming trips. Trips that were not just a job for them but a part of who they were. A part of who I was because of them.

  I pulled the chair up to the desk and opened the drawer. I pulled out the letter that Mom had obviously shoved into it. I
sat back ready to feel what she must have felt when she fell apart. It felt a little wrong but not completely.

  To my Beautiful Angel,

  I know things seem hard for you now. I know that as much as you wish I could hold you and tell you that everything was going to be alright, I wish it too. As I have said in the previous letter I am here with you always Tessa Ann Abraham. I am in your heart, and in the smiles of our children and the children they will bring into your life. Forever. That will never change.

  If I felt your love for a moment it would have been enough to know what love was. If you lips touched mine only once I would have known what a true love tasted of. If I had only lain in bed wrapped in your arms one time I would have been fully satisfied for an eternity. But that didn���t happen. I had a lifetime of your lips, gentle touch and your love. More than I could have ever imagined. My being gone doesn���t stop my love for you or yours for me. You know that as well as I.

  Things do have to change now Tessa. We battled ourselves for years wanting to continue our life���s work. We discussed when we would stop and pushed the years of service further and further. It���s time now Beautiful. It���s time to stop. We both knew what our deepest desire was and it was to always be a family that was together. It worked then. You may not be ready to do this and I am deeply sorry for being unable to take these final trips with you but they must be done. I know that even if I say let Tomas handle this you would not allow that. I don���t like it but I understand. Do not go alone or I will fight my way out of heaven to be there and end up in hell because of it. That can���t happen because when your time comes I want to be the first to greet you here in the sky with the rest of the angels.

  I love you forever.

  Yours, Collin

  He added to his letter years later.

  Only a few things have changed in my above writing. I have been given even more time to love and be loved by you. A blessing and something to be eternally grateful for.

  Since Harper graduated the plans have been drawn up for us to hand back the final five communities to very capable leaders. I ask that you follow them. Do it knowing that���s what I would want.

  Be strong Beautiful. I love you forever.

  Yours, Collin

  I sat back numb. I could hear him saying the words her wrote to her. I felt the tears begin to fall and then felt a hand on my shoulder.

  I looked up at Maddox and he bent down and hugged me as I cried. He took the letter from my hand and placed it back into the drawer and then picked me up.

  ���I���m so sorry Harper.���

  He carried me into the living room and sat in Dad���s brown leather recliner. Holding me on his lap he reclined. He pulled my head into his neck and rubbed my back as he kissed my head.

  ���Sleep Sweetness.���

  I got comfortable and wrapped my arms around his neck needing him to be closer to me until I couldn���t cry anymore and I fell to sleep in the arms of the man I know loved more than any man on earth.

  I woke alone on the air mattress that Maddox had set up the night before. I missed waking next to him asleep with his arms around me of his hand in various places on my body. And I missed waking next to him asleep with his lashes fanned across his face and his upper body exposed. He didn���t sleep covered completely unless it was me who covered him.

  There was a bottle of water and ginger snaps on a plate; Maddox obviously had left them here as he did every morning. Today was no exception. He was so very thoughtful and took such good care of me.

  I heard music coming from the dining room. The sound of an acoustic guitar and a low humming. I sat up and shoved a ginger snap in my mouth and took a drink of water before standing up. This seemed to be working for me lately; I only felt slightly queasy the past few mornings.

  I walked into the bathroom quietly so that he would continue playing. It was a treat to hear Maddox play. It seemed like ages since he had picked up his old guitar, the one his father gave him when he first found him. The one he wouldn���t replace regardless of how haggard it looked.

  I looked in the mirror as I brushed my teeth quickly so that when I kissed Maddox my breath wasn���t hideous. He wouldn���t care less but I did. After crying myself to sleep in his arms I���m sure it was awful smelling and would taste even worse. I nearly gagged when I brushed my tongue but somehow managed to contain it. I quickly brushed through my hair and then threw it on top of my head in a messy bun of sorts. I washed my face and then took one last look in the mirror.

  ���Good enough.���

  I walked towards the beautiful sound of my future husband and the soft strumming of the acoustic guitar. His back was to me as I quietly sneaked towards him. I put my hands in front of his eyes covering them so he couldn���t see who it was. He immediately stopped playing and set the guitar on the ground.

  ���I wonder who this is?���

  I smiled big trying my best to stay still and quiet. His hands covered mine and he pulled them down and rubbed his soft stubble against my hand.

  ���Feel lovely. Smells of heaven.��� He stopped and kissed my hand. ���Soft velvety skin.���

  He licked my hand sending chills throughout my body and then sucked my finger. ���Tastes sinfully sweet.��� I giggled unable to hold it completely back. ���Voice of an angel.��� He pulled my around in front of him and down onto his lap. ���You are undeniable the most amazing being on this planet.���

  His lips covered mine and he sucked lightly on them. His mouth gapped slightly and he licked the line where my lips touched each other. I opened for him and his tongue stroked mine softly.

  ���Good morning sweetness.���

  ���Good morning.���

  ���How are you feeling?��� He asked as his hand ran on top of my footies over my belly.

  ���I have to pee.��� I jumped up and ran back to the bathroom.

  When I came out Maddox was standing waiting. ���All better now?���

  ���Yep.���

  He was smiling as he looked me up and down.

  ���What?���

  ���Those damn pajamas keep popping up regardless of how many pairs I get rid of Harper.���

  I walked up and linked my hands behind his neck and smiled. ���Christmas cards this year you���ll be wearing a pair too.���

  ���I highly doubt that.���

  ���Oh you will. We have to match. All three of us will be in them.���

  He looked at me and I was unable to read what he was thinking. He finally smiled and then rolled his eyes.

  ���I suppose I could cave in and do that on one condition.���

  ���What���s that?���

  ���I get to choose what���s underneath them.���

  ���Oh yeah and what will you choose?���

  ���Not much.���

  I pushed myself up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. ���It���ll be a nursing bra and granny panties.���

  He looked curiously at me.

  ���I���ll be breast feeding.��� I stopped on purpose to take in the desire filling his eyes knowing full well I was about to crush him. ���And probably bleeding like a stuck pig.���

  He laughed out loud and hugged me. He kissed my head and whispered in my ear, ���We���ll figure out a way around it.��� And then he patted my butt.

  I laughed and then heard the door open and shut in the kitchen.

  ���Mom���s up.���

  I took off and slide across the wood floor stopping when I saw Grandpa John walk in and stomp his shoes off on the entry rug.

  ���Good morning Harper Ann.���

  ���Good morni
ng Grandpa.��� I walked over and gave him a big hug.

  ���Your Mom around kiddo?���

  ���I think she���s still sleeping.���

  ���No she left right before you woke up. Said she needed to go for a run. Tomas is with her.���

  Mom hadn���t run in years and it made me a bit nervous.

  ���Don���t worry Harper. She���s just working something out. That���s what she did when she was your age.���

  ���She���s going to hand over South America. I think I upset here. Maddox was she������

  ���She was fine Harper. We actually discussed what you wanted to do and she seemed alright with it. She said you would still finish school and that I should think of my career before chasing her around the country. I assured her we would figure it out.���

  ���You both planning on joining her?���

  ���Sure am Grandpa. Why you wanna come too?���

  ���No. It���ll be good for you both to do this. If Maddox and a couple of those guys are with you then I���m fine with it. You don���t want me slowing you down anyways.���

  I looked back at Maddox. ���You sure she wasn���t you know���like last night?���

  ���She was alright.��� He walked up and wrapped his hand around my waist.

  ���Bad night?��� Grandpa kicked his muck boots off and walked towards the coffee pot.

  ���Dad left her letters.��� I covered my mouth. ���Please don���t tell her I told you.���

  ���Not a shock to me little girl. He left us one as well. Thanking us for her and for being his family. He asked that we watched out for you four as long as we could and then said he knew he didn���t even have to ask but wanted to make sure we helped her move on when she was ready.���