“Will you lay down with me? I need some snuggles.”
“Well then, you’re lucky, aren’t you? Rabbit snuggles are my specialty.” I grinned as I guided her down the hall and helped her back into bed. I knew her incision from the C-section was still tender, and I carefully lay down beside her, letting her find a comfortable spot against me. I wrapped my arm around her gently and softly stroked her hair as she fell into a restful sleep. The days of nightmares and headaches were behind us and I loved seeing her relaxed and resting serenely.
The quiet of the afternoon was peaceful. There had been so many smiling faces here since Rabbit and the babies had come home that I swore the echoes of their joy were still permeating the rooms of our home, circling in the air.
So many good wishes and congratulations.
So many tiny outfits to look at, piles of stuffed toys to be hugged.
So much love.
All because of my Rabbit.
It all started with a snowstorm and a lost, frightened woman.
It ended here.
With my family —safe and peaceful.
Because she found me and calmed the storm.
Epilogue
Joshua
Eight months later …
I stood, looking down at my suitcase, a shirt hanging from my hands. All I had to do was put it in the suitcase and I was done. Packed. Ready to go.
Except I wasn’t.
I sat down on the bed, and lowered my head into my hands as I felt the undeniable stirrings of panic blooming in my chest.
I couldn’t do this.
I wasn’t ready.
I didn’t want to do this.
I stood up to go and find Rabbit and let her know this trip wasn’t happening, only to see her standing in the doorway regarding me silently.
“Hi.” Her smile was gentle, and her voice low. “You okay, sweetheart?”
At a loss for words, I shook my head and sat back down.
She pushed off the door frame and came over, tugging the shirt out of my hands and folding it. I watched without a word as she placed it in the suitcase.
“Did you pack your shaving stuff?”
I nodded. “And your trunks? I brought my swimsuit. I hear the hotel has an amazing hot spring spa attached to it. That should feel great on your leg,” she chatted at me.
“Rabbit …” my voice trailed off.
She stopped fussing with the zipper on the case and moved over, standing between my legs. “We have to go, Joshua.”
“I’m not ready.”
Tenderly, she cupped my face, her fingers stroking my cheeks. “Yes, sweetheart, you are. You’re just feeling tense at the thought. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.”
I looked at her, noticing her unusual pallor. “Are you ready to do this?”
She drew in a deep breath. “No. But I have to. For you. For us. For Jack and Elly. We promised Trina we’d do this.”
I shook my head. “We promised we’d try.”
She smiled sadly. “Deciding the night before not to go is not trying, Joshua.” She looked at me knowingly and sighed. “We have to try. We have to. This interview is the perfect time to do this. For both of us.”
I shook my head. “I hate it when you make sense, Rabbit.”
She laughed “No, you don’t.” Leaning down, she grazed her lips over mine. “You love me.”
Sighing in defeat, I pulled her against me and kissed her deeply. “Damn right I do.”
She chuckled quietly and held out her hand. “Let’s go and have supper with the munchkins and Cecilia. Trevor will be here any minute. You can spend the evening grilling him on the emergency protocols you have set up and familiarizing him with all the key points on your lists of how to care for your children properly.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Are you making fun of my lists, Mrs. Bennett?” I growled in mock indignation.
Rabbit laughed as she leaned down and kissed me warmly. “Not in the slightest, Mr. Bennett. Your organizational skills are to be congratulated. I’m sure everything Trevor and Cecilia could want or need to know is on one of your lists.” She turned and walked toward the door. “And, about a hundred things they have no desire or need to know, for that matter.”
“Hey! I’m just covering all the bases!” I insisted as I followed her down the hall. “I just wanted to make sure Trevor had all the information he needed.”
I heard Cecilia laughing from the front room. “Your lists are big enough to be your next book, Joshua. That’s an awful lot of words for one night’s instructions.”
I sat down across from her, scooping Jack up off his blanket and tossing him in the air, smiling as he laughed in delight, Bear watching me with protective eyes. “Shut it, Cecilia. These are important care packages you are looking after. And besides, its two days plus a night. That’s a long time.”