Her Kinsman-Redeemer

by Darlene Tallman

“Zeke, my SUV is paid for and has a good book value. I’m sure we can get a good trade-in on it and pay the rest with my check and still have money to help.”

  Thad, coming in during the conversation, piped up and said, “My buddy, Jonas, just got put in that place last week. He was living with his grandma and she died and he has nobody else.”

  “Jonas? Jonas Blackburn?”

  “Yeah, Dad.”

  “Cherub, do you trust me?”

  “With my life, Zeke, why?”

  “Jonas is a year younger than Thad, good kid with a shitty life. His grandparents were raising him when his folks both died of an overdose. Think we have room for another teenage boy?”

  She looked at the young man who was now her stepson. Then, she looked at the man who was her husband. Her giggles started out quiet and then ramped up until she was doubled over laughing.

  “Cherub? What’s so funny?”

  “You-you-you…you want to willingly feed another teenage boy,” she stammered out between her giggles. “It’s a good thing we have a huge refrigerator and walk-in freezer, as well as a giant pantry.”

  Seeing the humor in what she said, he began chuckling as well. “Thad? Let me make some calls and see if we can fix that for Jonas, yeah?”

  Thad grinned at his dad and Angel before saying, “Thanks, Dad. I won’t say anything until you know for sure, okay?”

  “That would be wise because sometimes, things don’t move very fast.”

  ***

  The kids now down for the night, the Brothers and their old ladies made their master lists from the wishlists they had written and then divided them up. With Zeke, Angelina, Dex, Renda, Preacher and Eva in three vehicles, and the others split up into their vehicles, they headed off to the main shopping area where most of the stores were located. The plan was for each group to get as much on their list as possible from their assigned stores, then they would go over to Zeke and Angelina’s new house and divvy it up. Anything that was left would be bought online.

  Hours later, with bags and boxes “everywhere”, they arrived at the house and began the arduous task of dividing up the purchases. Angelina made copies of the kids’ wishlists and the receipts, promising that she would let each couple know if they owed the buying couple any more money. She suspected, however, that Zeke and Dex were going to take care of the difference because that was how they tended to be.

  Once they had hidden what was bought for the girls and Thad, as well as Jonas, because she had a good feeling about it and had texted Thad while they were out asking what he liked, they all went to the diner for breakfast.

  “Thinking I like this tradition, Cherub,” Zeke said as the waitress poured coffee and juice for the group. “We had a lot of fun and managed to get everything the kids wanted.”

  Angelina looked at Eva and Marta and Sass and then said, “Now we just have to wrap it all, right girls?”

  Good-natured groans and laughter rang out. “We can send the girls out for paper and tape and stuff later,” Eva said. “I know that Tally and Amelia wanted to hit some of the sales themselves.”

  “Works for me,” Angelina replied. “We’ve got time.”

  ***

  Arriving back at the clubhouse, he could see how tired Angelina was, so he went and found Tally and asked her if she would babysit for the girls for a few hours before she went shopping. “Yes, sir. It’ll give me a little more money to shop with too!”

  He chuckled at the teen’s response. She loved the girls and was good with them and he didn’t mind paying her to keep them if it meant his bride could rest. Speaking of…he looked around and spotted her curled up in a chair. At first glance, she looked like she was just sitting there, but as he got closer, he saw she had fallen asleep. Brushing back the hair that had fallen in her face, he scooped her up and gently carried her to his room where he got her settled before he curled up with her. It had been a busy twenty-four hours and he needed a nap as well!

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Later that day, refreshed from her nap as well as a bit of lovemaking from her husband, she walked out of his room at the clubhouse and was amazed at the room’s transformation. The old ladies now had the main room decorated for the reception and baby shower, and even had two different cake and gift tables set up.

  “Y’all are absolutely amazing,” she said to Eva.

  “We love y’all and want to show you just how much,” she replied.

  “Okay so what are we doing first?”

  “We figured the baby shower first, then some dinner, then the reception. We catered in the dinner for the reception, of course,” Marta said, coming into the room.

  “Okay, and are the guys part of the baby shower?”

  “This one is, Cherub,” Zeke said as he walked up behind her and pulled her back into his chest.

  She let her girls lead her over to the place of honor, Zeke sitting next to her, and was moved to tears at the beautiful devotional that Renda did for the baby. As Marta, Sass, Debbie, Eva and Renda served up cake and punch, she sat and basked in the absolute joy she was feeling. The girls were miracles but this baby? Was a blessing from God.

  “So, did you guys choose names?”

  They looked at each other and smiled before Zeke answered saying, “Yeah, we did, but we’re not sharing. Angelina doesn’t believe in naming a child before they’re here because she says the name may not fit the personality.”

  She caught the looks from her friends and said, “What? Y’all know how I am, I had six names for the girls, remember?”

  Renda and Debbie burst out laughing. “Yeah, that’s right. Forgot about that, Angel!”

  “Eva, do you think the girls can come out and help unwrap?”

  “I think that’s a great idea, sweetie, let me go get them,” she responded. Standing, she made her way to the playroom and within minutes, Melora and Cailyn were sitting in front of their parents, waiting to help open the presents.

  ***

  An hour later, all the gifts opened and the list for thank you cards safely in Zeke’s pocket, he turned to her and said, “Cherub, got something for you as well. It’s outside, though, so let me get your jacket, yeah?”

  She gave him a quizzical look, after all, what could he have gotten her that would be outside? She waited patiently until he came back and helped her up and led her outside, where a Suburban sat there, gleaming in the late afternoon sun. “Zeke? What-what did you do?”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly before he said, “You’re going to need a bigger vehicle, Cherub, so I got us two of these, and will give Thad my truck. Didn’t know what you would want to do with yours so it’s at the house.”

  She just shook her head at him. He saw a problem and fixed it. “Thank you, handsome, it’s most generous of you.”

  “Cherub? Look at me,” he asked.

  She looked at him and he whispered, “They’re paid for, Cherub. We had more than enough to buy them.”

  What else could she say? “Love you, Zeke. Thank you for taking care of us, all of us, as well as you do.”

  “’Til my last breath, Cherub. ‘Til my last breath.”

  ***

  While they had been outside admiring her new vehicle, the prospects had cleared the floor and moved the gifts into Zeke’s truck to take them over to the new house. And once again, the clubhouse was transformed, this time it was for their wedding reception. They cut cake and fed each other, ignoring the catcalls to smoosh it into one another’s face. She had too much respect for him as a man and as the MC’s President to do something like that, and he cherished her too much. Besides, the secret thrill she got when he leaned down and captured her finger in his mouth to lick the frosting off was totally worth not smashing cake into his face. The slight blush on her face amused him and he pressed in closer and whispered, “Think we need more of that frosting for later, Cherub. It’s quite…delectable.”

  “Eva? Gonna dance with my bride now,” he said.

  As the DJ started th
e music, he held out his hand and simply said, “Dance with me, Cherub.”

  With the strains of Anne Murray’s “Could I Have This Dance?” playing, he led her out to the makeshift dance floor and pulled her into his arms. Her head on his shoulder, she let the words flow through her down to her soul. “Zeke? You couldn’t have picked a more perfect song.”

  “I agree, Cherub. I love you so very much,” he said, as he leaned down and began singing along. Lost in each other, they didn’t realize that most of the old ladies had tears streaming down their faces. As the song ended, another one came on, Alabama’s “There’s No Way” and other couples joined them on the floor. When the third song came on, Lonestar’s “You’re Like Coming Home,” she realized just how intertwined they had become. She couldn’t imagine life without him in it and pulled his head close to whisper that in his ear. “Feel the same way,” he told her as he captured her lips in a sweet, promise-filled kiss.

  The DJ broke in after the third song, simply saying, “Congratulations to the newlyweds. Now, from what I understand, dinner is waiting to be served so if y’all could head to the tables and eat, we’ll get back to dancing shortly.”

  Laughter broke out because Zeke had done things the way he wanted, not the way that the old ladies had set up. “It’s all good, handsome. I needed to feel your arms around me,” she told him as they went to the head table, where Eva and Renda already had the girls set up. Unbeknownst to her, they had decided to keep the girls and Thad so she and Zeke could have a few days together by themselves and would be staying at the new house with all the kids.

  As the night wore on, the dancing continued and she found herself dancing with Zeke frequently, but also doing a few line dances with “her girls” and then dancing with Dex and Preacher. During their dance, Dex looked down at her glowing face and said, “So happy for you, Angel. I knew God had a bigger plan for your life.”

  “I finally believe you, Dex,” she said. “My cup runneth over, as the saying goes.”

  Around ten that night, Zeke leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You ready to go, Cherub?”

  “But what about the kids?”

  “Dex and Renda are staying at the house with the three kids. And when we get back, we’ll go pick up Jonas.”

  “We’re going away? I wasn’t expecting that, Zeke. I’m…I’m not packed or anything! And we’re picking up Jonas? You heard back already?”

  “Your girls took care of it for you, but I don’t think you’ll need too much in the way of clothes. As for Jonas, we can talk about that later, Cherub. Got other things on my mind right now.”

  Damn, she was beautiful but with that blush stealing across her cheeks? Magnificent he thought.

  “Then yes, I’m ready, handsome. Been ready for quite some time now, actually.”

  He stood and took her hand and at a nod to Dex, the room quieted down. Zeke looked at his family and friends and simply said, “Thank you. We are blessed in so many ways by each and every one of you and I thank God for every one of you in this room. Y’all know the drill, Preacher has the reins but Dex and his VP and their old ladies are here as well while we’re gone, so behave yourselves, yeah?”

  “Zeke, need to say bye to the girls.”

  He walked over to where the two little girls were curled up on Dex’s lap and picked each of them up so that she could kiss and cuddle them for a few seconds. “Okay sweet girls, y’all listen to Uncle Dex and Aunt Renda, yeah? Behave yourselves and remember your manners. I love you both so very much.”

  “I love you, Momma,” Cailyn said, her little voice sleepy sounding.

  “Love you, Momma and Daddy,” Melora told them. “We’ll be good.”

  Zeke smiled down at the two little girls before he kissed them and told them he loved them and they would see them in a few days.

  ***

  He had found a smaller cabin further in the mountains for them, fully stocked so they could stay in if they chose, but close enough to a town if they wanted to go out. He suspected a lot of their time would be spent in bed and whether it was sleeping or making love, he didn’t care so long as she was in his arms. As he drove, they talked about the past three days, laughing over the “new” Black Friday tradition. Growing serious for a few minutes, they discussed the potential challenges bringing Jonas into their home and he felt his spirit calm when she laid her hand on his arm and softly said, “Whatever we face, as long as we’re together, we’ll get through, Zeke.”

  She dozed off about halfway into the trip, leaving him to his thoughts, which centered on her and their children. He knew their beginning hadn’t been conventional, but he didn’t regret one minute of it. Finally pulling up to the cabin, he saw that there had been a light snowfall, so he shut the Suburban down and went to get her out and carry her in. She woke as he was lifting her, asking, “Zeke? Are we here? I can walk, handsome.”

  He ignored her comments as he walked up the steps, carefully setting her upright while he unlocked the door. Once he had accomplished that, he picked her up bridal style and carried her across the threshold, saying, “Welcome to your home away from home for the next few days, Mrs. Morgan.”

  As he set her down, she pulled him close and standing on tiptoe, kissed him. A short, sweet kiss that heated quickly, causing him to pull back and say, “Hold that thought, Cherub, let me get our stuff inside, yeah?”

  She nodded and bent to take off her shoes, prompting him to shake his head at her. “That’s my pleasure to take care of, Cherub.”

  “Fine. Do you want something to drink?” she asked as she headed toward the kitchen.

  “How about some hot chocolate?”

  “Mmm, yeah, that sounds good, handsome. I’ll get it made for us, okay?”

  He nodded as he headed back out to the Suburban to grab their bags and lock it up. Looking around, he could see they were in for some more snow and when he got back inside, he went ahead and started a fire, grateful that the caretakers had brought firewood into the cabin already. Hearing footsteps, he glanced back to see her coming toward him, two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. “Here you go, handsome,” she said, handing him his mug. Taking a sip, he marveled at how she managed to make it the way he remembered as a kid. They sat in companionable silence, warming up their insides with the tasty drink and when they were finished, he gathered their glasses and returned them to the kitchen before he held his hand out to her.

  “C’mon, Cherub, let’s go get cleaned up and see what we can get ourselves into, yeah?”

  She smirked at him as she let him help her up and then let out a surprised yelp when he scooped her up and carried her into the bathroom. While he lit the candles, she got the water started in the tub and was standing back up when she felt his heat at her back. “You look beautiful, Angelina. Stunningly beautiful,” he said as he turned her around. “Let’s get you out of this, yeah?”

  Words escaped her at the look on his face and there was no way she could adequately describe what that look was doing to her insides. Love, lust, passion and desire were all there on blatant display, making his handsome face even more so. She reached up a hand and stroked it down his cheek and jaw before she said, “I love you, Zeke, and thank God every day for bringing you into my life.”

  He kissed her nose and then turned her around again to begin working on the buttons down the back of her dress. She knew the minute he saw what was underneath by his sharp intake of breath. She might be pregnant, but she had managed to find a maternity corset that displayed all her assets for her new husband. As the dress slid down her arms and pooled at her feet, he turned her again and placed his hands on her hips. “Ah, Cherub, beautiful.” He loosened and removed the corset and she soon found herself standing there, naked. Her lush figure was glowing with the new life growing within and he palmed her stomach as he drew her close for a kiss. She could feel how much he wanted her through his clothes and her hands began working to unbutton his shirt even as she returned his kisses which were growing more fevered. �
�Let me get it, Cherub,” he finally said, pulling back and making quick work of his own clothing. He turned her so they were facing the mirror, her back to his front, and he watched her as his hands roamed from her breasts to her swollen abdomen. Stepping back, he led her to the tub and helped her in, climbing in behind her and pulling her back to rest against his chest. Her giggles had him peering over her shoulder, unsure of why she would be laughing especially with his hard-on pressed against her back. “Cherub? What has you giggling?”

  “Look, Zeke! The way I’m laying has my belly looking like a whale and my bellybutton is the blow spout!”

  He started chuckling at her fanciful words. “Cherub, you’re gorgeous as the mother-to-be of this baby, yeah?”

  Tilting her head back, she looked at him before she placed a quick kiss on the underside of his jaw, watching his eyes darken in passion. He took the washcloth and began to thoroughly but quickly bathe her, dropping kisses and nips wherever he could reach. By the time he was done bathing them both, she felt as if she was going to combust. Once he had them out of the tub, he carefully dried her off and then dropped to his knees and after kissing her stomach, spread her legs. “Ah, Cherub, you’re so wet already,” he said.

  “Mmmhmm. Perpetual state of affairs whenever you’re around, Zeke,” she said, moaning as his tongue reached out to tease between her folds. Without warning, he stood and scooped her back up and carried her into the bedroom where he laid her gently in the center of the bed before he followed her down.

  “Now, where was I?” he asked after kissing her thoroughly. “Ah yes, I remember.”

  She lost herself to his talented touch and tongue. Seconds morphed into minutes and it wasn’t long before she was shattering beneath him, crying out his name as she rode out her orgasm, his fingers and tongue still stroking. Placing a final kiss on her abdomen, he made his way back up her body, stopping to suckle each breast which had her on the verge again before he claimed her mouth. “God, Zeke, I need you, please,” she moaned out.

  “As much as I need you, Cherub,” he replied as he slowly entered her. He knew he wouldn’t last long, she was still pulsing around him and he was determined she would shatter again before he did. He rolled them gently so she was astride him and he watched as she played with her nipples while she moved. Hands now on her hips, he set a rhythm that would draw it out as long as possible because he loved seeing her expressive face when they made love. When she leaned down to kiss him, he raised up and all thought fled until they were both moving in sync. He felt the fluttering begin and sped up, adding a circular thumb motion to her clit.