he pumped into her, losing himself all over again, as if the first time had never happened. “Tiffany… God…”
“Harder.”
Just when he thought she couldn’t get any hotter, that one word sent him into overdrive, and as he hammered into her, he lost all sense of place and time and anything that wasn’t her and them and the magic they created together. It was hot as hell, and with the windows closed to keep in the AC that was now off, it was absolutely stifling, but he didn’t stop even as sweat ran down his face and back and stung his eyes. His lips found hers in a greedy, deep kiss that made him feel even more powerfully connected to her.
Afterward, he felt like he could sleep for a week. Even though he was hotter than he could ever recall being, every part of him was relaxed in a way that didn’t often happen this time of year when work was nuts for both of them. He, who used to hate winter, now lived for the long, cold days when he could hunker down with his girls for days on end.
Soon, he thought, the season would be over, and there’d be more moments like this one. By August, he was ready. More so this year, for whatever reason. Maybe he was getting older and crankier, and the crap that used to roll off his shoulders seemed to get to him more than it used to. Or maybe he was just so besotted with his wife and daughters that any time away from them—especially time dealing with drunks and other fools—made him bitter.
“What’re you thinking?” she asked after a long period of contented silence.
“That I can’t wait for this season to be over so we can do more of this and less of everything else we have to do this time of year.”
“We’re almost there.”
“I’m counting the days until Labor Day.”
Chapter 9
Tiffany’s sister, Maddie McCarthy, was counting days, too. On Labor Day, which was only three short weeks from now, she and Mac would move to the mainland with Hailey and baby Mac until their twin girls arrived in mid-September. As she watched Thomas play on the floor with Hailey and their indispensable au pair, Kelsey, who had been a godsend to them since she arrived on the island earlier in the summer, Maddie couldn’t bear to think about being separated from Thomas for as long as a month if it came to that.
“She’s wonderful with them,” Maddie’s mom, Francine, said of Kelsey.
“I know. I’m jealous of my own nanny.” Not only was she terrific with the kids, she took care of everything around the house and had become a friend to Maddie, who was confined to bed or the sofa until the twins were born.
At twenty-two, Kelsey was a recent college grad, majoring in early childhood development. She had curly reddish-brown hair that she mostly wore up in a bun and hazel eyes that lit up with delight any time the kids did something cute, which was pretty much all the time. Maddie referred to her as their “Disney princess” because she was so sweet that Maddie almost wondered if she was for real until she’d understood that Kelsey was as real as it got. Her heart was pure gold, and she’d made such a difference for them as Maddie’s bed rest had fallen during Mac’s busiest season. They were both more relaxed since the angel named Kelsey had come into their lives.
“Why are you jealous?” Francine asked.
“The kids like her better than me.”
“They like her better than everyone,” Francine said, laughing. “She’s got the magic touch.”
“I should be taking care of my own kids.”
“You are.” Francine laid a hand over the massive baby bump that seemed to grow exponentially by the day. “You’re taking care of these two while you have the very qualified Kelsey taking care of the other three.”
“How will I stand to be away from Thomas for a whole month?” Tears sprang to Maddie’s eyes at the thought of it. They’d been inseparable since his birth, when she’d been a single mother struggling to get by.
“He’ll be just fine with Blaine and Tiffany, and you know we’ll help and so will Linda and Mac. He’ll be very well loved, and you can FaceTime with him every day.”
“I know.” Maddie swiped at a tear that made her feel silly for being so emotional. “I love living on this island. You know I do, but sometimes…”
“Trust me, honey. We