They had a while to go before they could afford a house of their own, however, so they were paying weekly rent to Duke and living in the two-bedroom guest house across his backyard. Just for now.
At first they’d been hesitant about imposing, but they’d been given no choice, coming downstairs one morning to find Duke and his sisters packing up the living room of River’s house. It had taken some shuffling of the sisters—two of them were now sharing a bedroom—but Marcy had already thrived in the boisterous, family-oriented environment. Even Duke had volunteered for babysitting duty, which had led to a quiet bond between Marcy and the giant mechanic. Just the other night, River and Vaughn had come home from a rare date night to find Marcy passed out beside Duke on the couch, a football highlight reel playing on the television.
Today was Vaughn’s first official day working at the factory. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, Marcy sitting on the vanity with her teddy bear, River fixing the deep blue tie she’d bought him. He would be addressing the factory floor today and going over the new safety procedures he and his partner Milo had put into place. Oddly enough, Vaughn wasn’t the least bit nervous. What did he have to be apprehensive about when he had the unwavering support of a family he’d never dared envision? God, they were…his everything. And when he looked into River’s eyes, he knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Four years apart might have been utter hell, but they were strong in the wake of his absence. They weren’t losing each other again.
River still worked her assembly line job, but after confiding in Vaughn she missed challenging her mind, she’d enrolled in night classes twice a week. Her goal was to earn her bachelor’s degree—no matter how long it took—and an eventual promotion to floor manager at the factory. And while Vaughn still held on to the staunch belief River had the potential for more, he felt her happiness, right in the center of his chest. When River said she wouldn’t be happy anywhere but with him and Marcy, he believed her, the way he should have done years earlier. They weren’t living in the past now, though. Only the present, while looking forward to the bright future they planned to give their daughter.
“We got pancakes on over here!” One of Duke’s sisters yelled from down in the backyard. “Chocolate chips. You know anyone who likes those?”
Marcy’s entire body began to wiggle on the sink. “Daddy, can I go?”
A beat passed while Vaughn figured out how to speak around the golf ball lodged in his throat. “Yeah, kiddo.” He lifted his daughter off the sink, following her to the door to make sure she got across the yard all right. Before she went down the steps, Marcy turned and hugged his right leg, then took off running.
River’s arms banded around his middle right on time, keeping him from bursting wide open with all of the contentment and pride and love. So many emotions he’d never expected to feel after leaving Hook. Leaving River.
He picked up River’s left hand and examined the simple gold wedding band he’d slid onto her finger at a civil ceremony in city hall. Neither one of them had been interested in waiting—not after they’d waited four long years to be together—so they’d recited their vows on a rainy afternoon while Marcy colored in the front row of the judge’s chamber, Duke serving as their witness. When Vaughn thought back to the ceremony, which had taken place mere days after they’d reunited in the motel, all he could remember was the blue of River’s eyes, how tears had swam in them, and gravity tugged him closer until they were forehead to forehead, sharing the same oxygen. Exactly where he wanted to remain for the rest of his life.
“We’re going to buy ourselves a house, Riv. For Marcy. For us.” He turned in her hold, sliding their mouths together. “It won’t be long.”
“I don’t care how long it takes, or how many hours we have to work.” The ends of her blonde hair tickled his shoulders. “We already have everything worth working for. The rest is extra.”
Needing more contact—always, always—Vaughn stooped down, wedging a forearm beneath River’s ass and lifting her against his body. He tilted his hips forward a little to remind her they would be meeting in the machine room on their mutual lunch break, and she nodded in unspoken agreement.
“We’re going to get caught someday.” Her laugh was shaky, even as her legs wrapped around his waist. “We can’t keep—”
“Can’t?” Vaughn lifted an eyebrow and emitted a low growl. “Don’t you know better by now than to tell me I can’t do something, doll?”
“Maybe I do.” River’s tongue slid across the fullness of her bottom lip, challenge lighting in the eyes he saw in his dreams, even with her sleeping right beside him. “Maybe telling my husband he can’t do something is how I guarantee the opposite.”