Raising The Stakes (Heartwarming Romance) (20 page)

His breath rushed by her temple as he laughed. “Sounds good.”

“Not feeling trapped?”

He placed a finger on the soft underside of her chin and tipped it up to stare into her eyes. “Never. I love you, Vivie.”

Fireworks of joy lit up her heart. “I love you, too, Liam. I never want to be apart again.”

Air rushed from him, his eyes dancing. “We won’t.”

His mouth lowered and gently slid along hers. Instantly her body tightened, loving the feel of him against her as he crushed her close. Their chests rose and fell together and their breaths synchronized in the still forest. The familiar male scent of him wove around her and she burrowed her hands in his thick hair. With a groan, he deepened his kiss, pulling her nearer still until she stood on her tiptoes.

He invaded her senses, filling her with an awareness that obliterated everything but him...this incredible man she loved.

He stroked the sides of her face and rained kisses along her jaw. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured a few minutes later when he pulled back.

“I’ve been terrible,” she admitted, needing to remind him of the ugly side of her, too. Know that he loved her—damaged goods and all.

“No. Never that.” His eyes sparkled down at her. “Stubborn, maybe. Cautious. But the same could be said about me. So what does that make us?”

She smiled. “A pair.”

He nodded and lowered his mouth again. “Happy Alive Day,” he murmured before capturing her lips in another searing kiss.

EPILOGUE

T
WO
SUMMERS
LATER
,
Vivie snuggled beside
Liam on their back porch swing, her head resting on his broad shoulder. Jinx stretched across both their laps and Scooter, at their feet, snored louder than the goldfinches’ warbling. Wind moved through the oak branches, a slow, soothing hush. The sky glowed pink and orange, a frail full moon rising as the sinking sun hovered over the mountaintops. The vivid sunset stole her breath as always. No matter how many times she watched it, it would never stop dazzling her, like the man beside her.

“I’m glad the builders convinced us to make this wider.” She gestured to the freshly painted structure and looked up, her heart expanding at the loving expression on her husband’s face.

Liam rested his hand on the curve of her stomach. “We’re going to need the extra room.”

She returned his smile. “I still can’t believe it. Twins.”

“It’s a good start,” he answered, his eyes twinkling. The color matched the new trees and bushes that had sprung up since the fire. With a newly rebuilt house and nature doing its own remodeling, she’d hardly know flames once raged through here...if it wasn’t for the large, empty space that’d held Button’s enclosure. She stopped her sigh. Today was a happy day. Their first ultrasound. And what news it’d given.

“Only ‘good’?” She drew back and raised a brow.

Liam pulled her close again and she settled against his warm, solid chest. “We’ll go for triplets next time.”

A laugh escaped her. “Are you trying to kill me?”

He stroked her cheek, the feather touch of his fingers sending a shiver dancing through her. “Just making sure we have the big family we want.”

“You’ve given me so much.” She glanced down at their entwined hands and the matching gold bands that glinted in the weakening light. The warm, late-summer air smelled sweet, the flowering bushes sending up clouds of perfume to the treetops. In a few weeks, leaves would start to turn and weather would grow crisp. She’d spotted her first V-shaped flock of migrating geese just this morning. Animals were getting ready for winter. For a moment she pictured Button’s frantic face as the DEC had taken her away two years ago. Had her little girl found her way?

“Not as much as I have planned.” His mouth curled up again, happiness lighting his face. “I love you.” He brushed his lips over hers in a kiss that spoke his feelings louder than his words.

“I love you, too.” She touched her forehead to his, their eyelashes brushing. “I was broken and you were the only one who could fix me.”

“And you’re everything I needed, but didn’t know I could have. I’m thankful every day that we wake up together.” He cupped both sides of her face and his features sharpened, his eyes intent. “I’d made it out of the war alive, but you showed me that wasn’t enough. Building a life—with you—that’s what’s made me a survivor.”

“No more restlessness?” She turned and pressed a kiss into his palm.

“Only when we’re apart.”

“It’s the same for me. That old fear is gone. There’s too much love to give it any room.” She touched the dimple in his chin, her heart as full as it could be.

A rustling sounded at the edge of the woods. Something large skulked along the scrub brush. Liam angled his body so he shielded her, and Scooter’s nose quivered before he lifted his head and sniffed the air.

“Let’s get the animals and you inside,” Liam said in a low, serious voice that set off her alarm bells.

Before Liam could grab Scooter’s collar, the Labrador scrambled to his feet and bolted off the porch steps toward the swaying bushes.

“No! Liam, he’s after something. We’ve got to get him.”

“Stay put,” he commanded over his shoulder and ran after her wayward dog.

Heart pounding, she watched Scooter bark and turn in circles. Even Jinx slunk toward the woods, making her pulse hammer hard at her temples. Usually her pets knew better.

Liam managed to corral Scooter, but Jinx hunkered low, looking ready to pounce.

Orders or no, she had to get her cat.

She hustled off the porch, earning a frown from Liam and stopped cold when a large black bear emerged.

Liam turned back to the woods. Without moving, he said. “Vivie. Take Scooter and head into the house now. Jinx will stay out of its way. Do it quick.”

Yet there was something about that bear...the way it stared at her...and when it turned its face to look behind it, she knew. The sideways jaw...

“Button!” she screamed, racing toward her bear.

“Vivie! Don’t—” Liam yelled, but she didn’t slow. She needed to get closer to her sweet cub, all grown up and as beautiful as ever. Majestic, even. Her heart beat a wild rhythm, her eyes drinking in the sight.

“You came home,” she choked out. “I missed you so much, Button.”

Button bobbed her head and snorted. When she galloped at Vivie, Liam let go of Scooter and intercepted her.

He and the bear went down in a tangle of fur and limbs and when he got to his knees, Button butted his chest and licked his cheek.

Liam laughed, the rich sound ringing in the cleared property. “She hasn’t forgotten us, Vivie.”

Vivie brushed a hand across her stinging eyes and felt two paws descend on her shoulders. A familiar, furry cheek pressed against her own.

“Button!” She wrapped her arms around the bear and let the tears fall where they would. Button’s warm pelt covered her like a childhood blanket. “Where have you been? How did you find us?”

The bear wriggled, finding places to lick Vivie that made her giggle—her ear, her cheek, her hands. Then Button pressed her snout against Vivie’s stomach the way she had always done as a cub. She exhaled long and loud against Vivie’s shirt.

“I’m having a baby, Button. Twins. There’s going to be two more to our family so that makes...” Her eyes took in Scooter, Jinx and Liam. “That’ll be seven of us counting you. Can you believe it?”

Button butted her softly, then lurched to her feet and tromped back into the brush.

Dismay and loss filled Vivie. “Button! Come back!” She stood to follow, but Liam grabbed her hand, then stepped close.

“She’s wild now, Vivie. We’re lucky she stopped by at all. Must have heard us talking and decided to take a look.”

Vivie struggled to answer but her throat swelled and pinched off the words. She’d never stopped wanting Button in her life. She was a member of the family and it wouldn’t be complete without her. Pain dampened her happy day. Once again, she’d lost her bear.

“Let’s get inside. I promised you a pancake dinner, didn’t I?” Liam put an arm around Vivie and steered her to the house. Scooter raced to the side of the new woodshed and disappeared.

A noise stopped them before they reached the steps, louder than before. They whirled and to Vivie’s shock, Button appeared again, followed by one black bear cub, and then another. Twins!

Exaltation made her head swim. She pressed a hand against the lightness in her chest. It was everything she could have wanted for Button and more.

And then, blinking through a cedar sapling, a third small face appeared.

Button pawed the ground and snorted until the littlest of the brood tumbled out and landed in a clumsy heap by Jinx. The cat flipped back, then recovered fast enough to sniff the animal, head-to-tail puff.

“You’re a mom,” Vivie gasped. “Triplets. Congratulations, Button.”

Button stared down at her offspring until they gathered close. At last she looked back at Vivie, her head high, eyes gleaming.

Vivie fought the urge to whoop, not wanting to scare the quivering cubs. This was exactly what Liam, Dr. Vogel, the Reeds and even the DEC had wanted for Button. A chance to live in the wild. If Button hadn’t faced the risks, she would never have had the joy of raising her own family. Vivie’s hand rested on her stomach as she glanced at her beaming husband. And neither would she.

Scooter bounded up and Vivie held her breath, afraid of a protective mother bear reaction. But the dog held something in its mouth that made Button step forward. A nearly unrecognizable rubber toy dropped to the ground.

Turtle.

Button grunted and pawed the grass beside her old companion. She sniffed it, then caught it between her teeth. Like a cub, she rolled on her back and held the object in her claws, gnawing on what was left of it. It tugged at Vivie’s heart to see a glimpse of the baby bear she’d raised.

At last Button got back on all fours, nudged her progeny away from Jinx and bobbed her head at Vivie and Liam. After a long, final look, she turned and disappeared into the forest, Turtle in her mouth, her cubs scampering after her.

Vivie turned in Liam’s arms and rested her wet face against his chest. “I can’t believe it, Liam. This is more than I ever imagined for her. She’s happy. Really happy. It’s the life she was meant to have.”

“And now we’re having it, too, Vivie,” he said softly, his voice rough with emotion. He looked up at the color-streaked sky, his arms encircling her, his hands resting on her stomach. “We’re not riding away into the sunset. We’re staying here, where we can enjoy it together, always. I owe you my life and my heart. I love you so much and I’m going to tell you that every day.” He cupped her face, and gazed into her eyes. “I promise you that.”

Moved beyond words, she stared up at him and touched his face. His skin was warm. His expression tender. She’d never imagined her days could be so full of joy until a tiny bear cub had raided her kitchen. And now she and Button both had the lives they were meant to lead.

Bringing her lips to Liam’s, she felt her heart expand. This was exactly where she wanted to be, with Jinx, Scooter, Button, the babies who would soon join them and most of all with Liam, the man who’d shown her how to trust and love and live.

* * * * *

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