Wednesday, July 25, 2018

1,500 Acres Chapter 11

His fingertips trailing over my face woke me up. I felt whole again, fully at peace and rested for the first time since he left two months ago. Hooded eyes were gazing at me as I blinked to clear the lingering sleep and reassure myself he was here, naked, in my bed.

“Hey,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

“Hey, yourself.”

His index finger continued its path around my mouth, across my forehead, and down around my ear until he was cupping the back of my neck and pulling me toward him for a kiss. It was slow and languid, and it made my toes curl.

He rested his forehead against mine when he pulled away. “We have so much to talk about.”

“Not until I feed you, please.”

A smile lit up his eyes. “If you insist.”

“I do.”

Instead of getting out of bed, he put his arms around me and hugged me close. “And after we eat and talk, we’re coming back here.”

I hummed happily and kissed his throat. “If you insist,” I echoed.

He grinned and smacked my butt, making me yelp and jump off the bed.

We had to have a scavenger hunt for our clothes, and I noticed Edward couldn't stop touching me as we moved around my house. He would bump into me with his hip, brush my arm with his elbow, or help me into my clothing. I understood the need to be assured I wasn't going to disappear in a puff of smoke.

My kitchen was full of pies and jams, and I smiled as his eyes went huge. “Wow, you have been busy.”

“Yes, I have. The Newton’s are now selling my jams in their store, and the pies are starting on a trial basis. So far I’ve made apple and apple/pear; they’re pretty popular. I bring them everything I have ready to sell on Sundays. The pies were sold out by Tuesday last week, so I made more this week.”

His arms came around me from behind, his chin on top of my head. “They look beautiful, like you’ve made a work of art out of them.”

I flushed and found his hands with my own to hold him to me. “The jam is flying off the shelf, Edward. It’s amazing.”

He was silent for a minute, and I wondered what he was thinking. He squeezed me before letting go and turning me to face him. “I could help you make professional labels if you want.”

“That would be nice. It would make it a collaboration, just like everything else we’ll do here.”

He watched me silently, and I could tell there was a lot on his mind. I urged him to sit while I made us dinner, frying up some chicken I’d soaked overnight in buttermilk. I was planning to treat myself tonight and take the rest to the Newton’s tomorrow, but it seemed like a perfect way to welcome him home. I chatted about the farm, telling him about Lucy’s progress and how happy Rusty would be to have him back. I told him how Seth had come to be my hand, and about his wife and kids.

Canned corn and collards from my fields, biscuits, and fried chicken were weighing down my small table when we sat to eat. Edward had made a pitcher of sweet tea, and it brought back memories of teaching him how. It didn't take him long to eat most of what I served him, and then words just started flowing out of his mouth.

“I was miserable without you, you know. I tried to do my job, I was even promoted, but sitting in an office setting from nine to five was not me. It was lonely and boring and I hated it. I couldn't face my parents, knowing that the only reason I was staying in Seattle was to make them happy. I wasn't happy, but that didn't matter, right? As long as I lived up to their expectations, that was the only important thing in their minds. When I finally realized I had to come back or choke on the life I was living, I had a serious talk with them. I didn't tell them we had been together, just that I wanted a life being a rancher. I told my father that I didn't care how it came about, even if it meant starting as a hand for you. We had some ugly words, I’ll admit, but surprisingly my mom was on my side for a change. I guess she’d seen how bad it was for me after I came back, and she told my dad off for the first time in her marriage. Told him I should be allowed to choose my own life. Dad threatened to cut me off from the family, but Mom said it would be over her dead body.”

He gulped in air, then swallowed most of his tea. I refilled his glass and sat back down, watching the expressions on his face. He was relieved to have said it, wary of my reaction, but satisfied with his choice.

“I’m glad you have your mother’s support. I know you said they only wanted you to follow in their footsteps and didn't care about anything else, but maybe that's the only way they knew to raise you. I am sorry your father doesn't understand.” I looked out the small window over the sink, watching  treetops waving in orange and russet. “It chooses you, this life. If you had never tried it, you never would have known. Some of us have the land in our blood, in our bones, and there’s nothing we wouldn't do for it.” I looked back at him, happy to see the lightness return in his eyes.

“I knew you would understand. I couldn't explain it properly to a businessman who never wears anything less formal than a suit and tie. He didn't know what I meant when I said the prairie calls to you. The wind blows, and you smell your future in those fields. It's everything.” He got out of his chair and knelt by mine, so I swiveled in my seat to face him. “You’re everything. Promise me that you’ll always love me, even if it’s second to the land?”

I laughed a little, wiped away a tear, and leaned over to kiss him. “I promise.”

“Good, because one of the things I intend to do here is make you my wife.”

I choked, finding it hard to believe he meant that already. “Edward, maybe you should live here for a little while before you propose.”

He laughed. “I’ll give you five minutes, but then I'm asking again.”

Oh, hell, who was I kidding? He'd given up a cushy job, financial stability, and everything he could have wanted to be with me, where he’d have to work hard to make ends meet and rarely have what he needed without first saving up for it. He steadied his hands on my thighs as I threw my arms around his neck and rained kisses on his face. “You're crazy for wanting me, and probably foolish for what you’ve given up, but I need you by my side.”

“Then you have me,” he promised. “Wild horses couldn't drag me away.”

“Finish your dinner. We have things to do.” I winked so he would understand what I meant.

“Yes, we do, Miss Bella.” He tried for a twang, and I could only laugh. He was all city boy.

That thought sobered me right up and doubt came creeping in. “Soon, Edward, you’ll miss city life and everything it has to offer. There aren't any restaurants that deliver out here, there aren’t any stores five minutes down the road. Everything has to be grown, crafted, or created from scratch. Otherwise, you save your pennies and make a trip to town, which is farther away than you’d think. There’s times you won't see other people for days. The only company is cows and chickens.”

I’d worked myself up in my agitation, and tears were forming at the corners of my eyes. Edward cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly to shut me up. “There’s you. You’re all the company I need on a daily basis. And there’s Seth, and you've made friends again. They can be my friends. I like the chickens and the cows, and the horses, and the dog. I liked making things from scratch, coaxing life from the ground with nothing more than seeds and water and faith. I know what I chose, Bella. I chose you, and I chose this life that you love. So don't disparage it now, because you can't scare me off.”

“I don't want you to ever regret your choices.” My voice trembled and broke as I said the words. “You're the only person that has the power to break me. If you changed your mind, if you left again—”

“I won’t. I’ve come all this way to be here with you. Don't doubt yourself, or my love for you.” He brushed my hair away from my face and kissed me again.

He was right. I was emotional with his return, my imagination conjuring up the worst. I couldn't bear it if he left again. It would truly crush me.

“I love you,” I whispered. It throbbed in my chest, bigger than my body could contain.

“I know you do. I can see it on your face.”

He scooped me out of the chair, hoisting me awkwardly into his arms. I laughed so loudly when he stumbled into my room that he shushed me. “It’s not been that long since you’ve been gone. Where has all your strength gone?”

“Shut it, woman,” he grumbled, and I laughed some more.

He was slow to undress me this time, pressing his mouth on each newly revealed portion of flesh. My eyes rolled back in my head as he sucked on my neck, and I started grasping for his hips so I could touch him, too. When he’d peeled away every layer I’d managed to put back on, he turned me around so my back was to his chest. His hands worked over my breasts, touching and teasing.

“I want to…” he trailed off as he walked me closer to the bed. His breath was on my neck as he spoke again. “Is this okay?”

I’d give him just about anything in that moment. “Yes.”

Edward pushed on my shoulder, and I understood what he wanted without him saying it out loud. I leaned over and rested my arms on the quilt. “God, Bella,” he murmured.

His hands roamed over my backside and then I felt him there, hard and seeking. I cried out as he pushed into me. Despite being more experienced than he, this was new for me. His hands were on either side of my waist as he moved inside me. His length was rubbing me in just the right way, and I didn't know how I could withstand the pleasure. My moans and cries became entirely incoherent as he sped up until the front of his legs were hitting the backs of mine.

When he stopped moving, it was so sudden that I was surprised. Hands on my shoulders pulled me to stand with him, and he didn't pull out or back away. “No doubts, Bella,” he said into my ear.

He moved slowly, and I didn't know what to say. It was like he was made for me in every way. “Never,” I found myself promising him. I would never doubt that he loved me or that he’d chosen me.

His hands went back to my breasts and I found I was done for after a few tweaks to my nipples. My legs trembled and then went tight and rigid. “Oh God!”

Edward stilled against me, my name softly falling from his lips. I shuddered at the sensations and went lax in his arms. He kissed my shoulder, my neck, and my cheek. When he pulled out he turned me in his arms, holding me close and running his hands down my hair.

“I want to marry you. I want to give you everything you never had before. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

“Just you,” I said into his chest, then lifted my head to look up into his face. “Just you, every minute from now on.”

He hugged me tightly to him again. “As long as you don't follow me into the bathroom,” he said.

He made me laugh, and I knew that he would do as he said. He would give me anything I asked of him, but I merely wanted a happy home, full of love, friendships, and laughter. Forever.


3 comments: