Emerald held her breath. Was he asking what she thought he was asking?
“Marry me.” He kissed her lips softly, gently. “Marry me and share my life. If you want to live in New York, I can sell the farm.”
Shock vibrated through her. That he’d even offer to do such a thing meant everything to her. “You’d do that for me?”
“Whatever it takes.” There was no doubting the sincerity and determination in his eyes.
“Yes.” All the weight that she’d been carrying the past few months slid away. “But I want to live here.” This felt right. There would be challenges as they melded their lives together, but they would face them together.
“You won’t be sorry.” He peppered her face with kisses.
“I know.” She reached for his lips, the passion that always seemed to be simmering between them rising again.
The rumble of a large truck drifted in through the window. “Ignore that. Whoever it is, they’ll go away,” Jackson murmured as he nibbled on her earlobe.
She groaned, wanting to sink against him. “No, they won’t.” As if to prove her point, a loud horn blew.
Jackson dropped his head back to the pillow and sighed as she scrambled off the bed and grabbed her jeans. She didn’t bother with underwear as she shimmied into her pants. “Come on.”
He rolled off the bed, yanked on his jeans and shirt and grabbed his boots as he followed her down the stairs. She finished buttoning her blouse as they walked through the kitchen.
Two burly men were waiting outside when they stepped out onto the porch. “Can I help you?” Jackson asked.
One of the men strode over. “Where do you want the stuff put?”
“What stuff?”
“Jackson.” She tugged on his arm until he faced her. “That’s my furniture. I’m moving in.”
His face went blank and she began to get worried. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. Snatching her into his arms, he twirled her around until she got dizzy. He finally stopped and let her feet touch the ground again, but he didn’t let her go.
“Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?” The creases at the corners of his eyes deepened as he smiled.
“Not sure, no. But I had lots of hope.”
He kissed her then. A short, hard kiss filled with promise.
“Don’t mean to interrupt.” She could see the laughter in the man’s face as he rubbed his jaw in an attempt to hide his smile. “But we got a schedule to keep.”
Jackson slung his arm around her shoulders and they walked to the back of the truck. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
It didn’t take them long to get it all sorted out. She didn’t have too much stuff, but enough. Most of it was put in her old room off the kitchen until they could figure out what to do with it. Within an hour, the boxes and furniture had been stored and the men had been given a cool drink and were on their way.
Jackson stared at the mound of belongings stuffed into the room and grinned. “That saves us the trouble of having to go to New York to get your things.”
She smacked him on the arm, but he only laughed. She’d never seen him this happy before and it made her heart sing.
“Are you sure about this?” All humor was gone and he was his serious self again. “You’re the one leaving your home.”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“What about your career?” He tucked a lock of her hair over her ear and then dropped his hand by his side.
“I can work from here. In fact, this room would make a great office for me. That is, once I get all the other stuff out of it.”
“Whatever you want to do or change is fine with me. This is your home now. We can get rid of any furniture we don’t need any longer. If Erin or Nathan don’t want it, we can donate it to the church for their yearly fundraising sale.”
“We’ll work it all out,” she assured him.
He grabbed her hand and tugged her close. “I know we will.” Bending down, he kissed her neck as his hands roamed over her ass. “Where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?”
Emerald laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m not sure. Maybe you could remind me.”
She was scooped off her feet and Jackson was charging back up the stairs before she had a chance to blink. “I plan to remind you again and again and again.” His voice was rough with desire as he captured her lips with his.
It was a good plan. A stupendous plan, she thought as he laid her on the bed and reached for the opening of her blouse.
Epilogue
Jackson leaned against the trunk of an old oak tree in the corner of the yard and watched his wife chatting with her sisters. Not far beyond, Erin was talking to his new mother-in-law. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. The woman had insisted that he call her Moon and not Mrs. Jewel. It was strange, but then again, there was nothing normal about the family he’d married into.
Like her daughters, Moon had black hair and brown eyes. The outfit she was wearing was flowing and colorful, but it looked really good on her. It reminded him of Emerald. Moon looked much too young to have three grown daughters between the ages of twenty-eight and thirty-two. As if she sensed his gaze on her, she looked over and gave him a wave before going back to the conversation with his sister.
Aloysius, on the other hand, wasn’t anyone’s idea of an aging hippie. His steel-gray hair fell to his shoulders and was tied back at the nape with a leather thong. His tailored suit fit his wide shoulders to perfection and his black eyes missed nothing as he kept an eye on his wife and daughters.
Jackson hadn’t been surprised to get a visit from Aloysius before the wedding took place. His wife and daughters might consider him laid-back, and he was, with them. The rest of the world had to contend with his shrewd mind and ruthless demeanor. Surprisingly enough, they’d gotten along from the moment they’d met. Aloysius knew that Jackson would do anything to protect Emerald and that was good enough for her father.
“How you doing?” Nathan handed him an ice-cold bottle of beer as he took a sip from his own.
Jackson took the cold brew and thought for a minute before replying. “I’m doing good.” Actually, he was doing better than good. He looked ahead and all he could see was years of life with Emerald. Contentment swelled within him as he sought her out again.
She hadn’t worn white, but he hadn’t expected her to. Instead, she’d chosen a long flowing gown in a deep emerald green. The sleeves were long, but the bodice was cut low and cupped her breasts to perfection. The dress was fitted along her torso and hips before it flared out slightly and fell to the floor. She’d piled her hair on top of her head, fastening it with a jeweled comb that he recognized as one of Sapphire’s designs. Other than that, the only jewelry she wore was the diamond solitaire that he’d given her as an engagement ring.
Her sisters wore identical dresses but in different colors. They were similar to Emerald’s gown but the hem only came to their knees instead of falling all the way to the floor. Topaz’s was a rich golden hue while Sapphire’s was a deep blue. They indeed glowed like jewels as they flitted around the garden.
Patio lights had been strung and a buffet had been set up in the new barn. Since they’d only had a few weeks to pull together the wedding, they’d decided to keep it small and have it here at the farm. The new barn had been left unused and now guests milled around, chatting, laughing and occasionally dancing to the music of the small three-piece band they’d hired.
The wedding was elegant—much like the woman he married—but simple enough to suit his taste. The ceremony had passed in a blur, but he’d never forget the moment he’d slipped the golden band on her finger, making her his. They’d eaten good food, drank a few toasts, cut their cake and danced.