by Vivian Wood
“You like it?” she had asked at the house, holding her wrist out to Sawyer to sniff.
He did. It smelled like cedar and jasmine and the irresistible scent of Remy’s own skin. So irresistible, in fact, that he’d picked Remy up in his arms and carried her, giggling, to their bedroom.
They were already late, he figured, so what was an extra fifteen minutes?
Sawyer slowed down to allow Remy and Shiloh to catch up with them, then grabbed his wife’s hand. She smiled at him and leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him quickly on the lips.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you back,” Sawyer replied.
“And I love what you did this morning, too,” she added mischievously.
“What did you do this morning, dad?” asked Shiloh, who apparently wasn’t as engrossed in playing with an insect crawling on his hand as he had seemed.
“I made those pancakes, remember?” Sawyer replied, winking at Remy.
“Yeah!” Shiloh yelled before launching off into the grass again.
“Good save,” Remy laughed.
They could see the family gathered around the park. Arlo was sitting under the shade of a massive oak tree with Emmy on his knee. Marilee was buzzing around a table laden with drinks and food, laughing loudly at something one of the kids had said to her.
Ashleigh was also sitting down, one hand rested on her enormous belly. She had her feet propped up on a stack of pillows resting on top of a cooler. Walker was making his way over to her with a plate full of food, and she was smiling at him happily.
Colt, Rose, and some others were buzzing around Shelby, who was holding her hand out into the bright sunlight so they could admire her new engagement ring. Even from this distance, they could see it sparkling in the light.
Wolfe had his arm around Shelby and was beaming proudly. Sawyer grinned to see his friend’s excited expression. He remembered what it had felt like when he’d proposed to Remy, like he was on top of the world. Come to think of it, he still felt like that.
As they walked up, people called out greetings and good-natured jokes.
“How y’all doing?” Sawyer said in their general direction.
“Oh man, I was worried you two had gotten lost. I was about to send out a search party,” Walker said, with a wink at Remy.
“I could use a search party to find my feet!” Ashleigh joked, rubbing her massive belly.
“They’re still down there,” Remy said with a smile. She bent down to kiss her sister-in-law fondly on the cheek.
“That is such a great dress, Remy!” Ashleigh said.
“That dress is part of the reason we’re late,” Sawyer said, with a lascivious wink at his wife.
Walker and Ashleigh laughed.
Sawyer could see Shiloh buzzing around Marilee, who was fixing him a plate.
“We had pancakes this morning, gramma!” he yelled.
“Is that ight? Well, you must be ready to eat again, since breakfast was so long ago,” Marilee replied.
“Yeah!” Shiloh shouted, then careened off in the direction of an oak tree where some other cousins were gathered.
Sawyer and Remy made their way over to Shelby and Wolfe.
“Nice ring, Shelbs, but do you have to marry this guy to get it?” Sawyer cracked.
“ ‘Fraid so,” Shelby laughed, moving over to hug Remy and Sawyer.
“Hey, I’m no fool. I told her it’s a package deal!” Wolfe said.
Everyone laughed.
“It’s so beautiful in person,” Remy commented, when Shelby held out her hand for closer examination.
Harper, staring intently at the shiny object on Shelby’s finger, cooed and reached out her hand to touch it. Shelby held her hand up close to the baby’s face so she could see it. Harper responded by adorning Shelby’s hand and ring with a long stream of drool. Everyone laughed again.
“The kid’s got great taste!” Wolfe said with a laugh as he reached out to take Harper in his arms.
“If you don’t mind holding her for a bit, Wolfe, I’m gonna go fix myself a plate,” Remy said.
“Sure thing, hon,” Wolfe responded.
“Yeah, you go on. I’ve been wanting to get some quality time with this little creature!” Shelby said.
Sawyer and Remy walked over to the table and greeted Arlo, who was still sitting quietly with Emmy on his knee. Marilee had gone off in Shiloh’s direction, probably to warn him about the hundred potential dangers of climbing a tree.
“Can I get you anything? Need me to take Emmy?” Sawyer offered his father.
“Thank you, no. We’re just hanging out over here,” Arlo replied.
Remy began to make up a plate for herself, but Sawyer wasn’t hungry just yet. He reached into the cooler and produced two beers, opened them, and handed one to his wife with a little gallant bow.
Remy giggled. “Thank you, honey. A beer seems like the perfect thing right about now,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Sawyer replied, clinking his bottle against his wife’s.
Just then Marilee yelled out “Who wants cake?”
A swarm of kids ran over to the picnic table with all the enthusiasm an offer of an unlimited supply of sugar brings to small children. Their parents followed, pouring milk and distributing slices of cake Marilee was cutting, gossiping familiarly and laughing at each other’s jokes.
Shiloh slammed into Sawyer’s leg and began talking about how far up the oak tree he’d gotten before Gramma had made him come down with a promise of cake.
Sawyer looked over at Arlo, worried he might be annoyed by all the chaos, and was surprised to see him smiling bounced Emmy on his knee and surveyed the Roman family. Marilee turned as if in response to a tug from some invisible string between her and Arlo, and smiled broadly at the sight of him and Emmy.
Maybe the heart attack really had changed him, Sawyer thought. He would not have thought it possible, but before, Arlo would have been peeved by the crowd milling around him. He sure as hell would not have been bouncing Emmy on his knee, smiling at her delighted cries.
For the first time he could remember, Sawyer thought, his dad looked at home among his own family. The idea made him smile briefly, before his attention was drawn back to Shiloh’s chatter and the promise of another beautiful day with his family.
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About Vivian Wood
Vivian likes to write about troubled, deeply flawed alpha males and the fiery, kick-ass women who bring them to their knees.
Vivian's lasting motto in romance is a quote from a favorite song: "Soulmates never die."
Be sure to follow Vivian through her Vivian's Vixens mailing list or Facebook group to keep up with all the awesome giveaways, author videos, ARC opportunities, and more!
Vivian’s Bad Boy Romances
Standalone novels
Protection
Bad Boy Prince
Punt
SEAL’s Bride
Hard Up
SEAL’s Kiss
Promise Me
Covet
Rock Me
SEAL’s Touch
Knocking Boots
Begging For Bad Boys
Vivian’s Paranormal Romances
Sainted Sinners Series
Dirty Angel
Rebel Angel
Alpha Guardians Series
Evil Abounds
See No Evil
Hear No Evil
Speak No Evil
Bear Risen
Bear razed
bear reign
Winter Pass Wolves Series
Howl
Growl
Prowl
Red Lodge Bears Series
Josiah’s Command
Luke’s Obsession
Noah’s Revelation
Gavin’s Salvation
Cameron’s
Redemption
Finn’s Conviction
Wyatt’s Resolution
Josiah’s Conclusion
Werewolf’s Harem Series
Owned By The Alpha
Taken By The Pack
Possessed By The Wolf
Saved By The Alpha
Forever With The Wolf
Fated For The Wolf
Louisiana Shifters Series
Shifters Vignettes: Maddie and Jasper
Shifters Vignettes: Rose and Mason
Shifters Vignettes: Ian and Jeanne
Shifters Vignettes: Emma and Connall
Shifter’s Ascent: The Novel
Shifter’s Legacy: The Novel
Louisiana Shifters Super Collection
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His Virgin, a first time romance from Vivian Wood!
