First, Finally, and Forever

Lucky Stars

Morley had his reading glasses perched on his nose and was reading market results from last year’s crops. His face was furrowed. He set the pen he had in his mouth on his bedside table and lowered the sheets to his lap, grumbling. He felt eyes on him and looked up. Vanessa watched him from the doorway to the bathroom in their bedroom, leaning on the doorframe, her arms crossed.

 She was wearing her silk nightgown, the one he had gotten her for Christmas last year from the ladies wear store downtown. It was a deep green, dipping low at the front. It set off her eyes, and made that red hair of hers like fire. She was always beautiful to him, but right then he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Six children had come out of that body. Six children she had given him.

 That was what made her the most beautiful to him. More than some piece of fabric.

 “Come to bed, my little emerald.” he said gruffly, patting the sheets beside him. “It’s time to sleep.”

 She smiled and crawled in, pulling the book from his hands, tugging the glasses off his face, setting both on the bedside table. He put his hands on either side of her waist and kissed her as she straddled his legs. She had no intention of sleeping, it seemed.

 Not that he minded.

 “Sleep? The children are all tucked in, it’s still early and it’s your day off tomorrow. And you want sleep?”

 He chuckled as she nipped at his earlobe, and he rolled her over onto her side of the bed, his fingers running through her hair, his foot reaching out to caress her leg.

 “Such a teaser, love.” He said and kissed the crook of her neck, pulling the silk of her gown up with his hand. She gasped and arched into him, her own hand going to pull at his boxer shorts as her lips found his.

The door creaked just as he had her nightgown bunched around her waist. Their eyes met and he grimaced, letting her pull the gown back down.

 “What?” He growled. Brianna, their third child, shuffled in the door.

 “Mummy... Daddy... The sky looks like its falling.”

 Morley swivelled his head and sat up on the bed. “What do you mean the sky is falling, Honey?” Vanessa said as she did the same.

 “I was watching the stars out the window and April was telling a story to Viviane about some chickens, and then I saw the sky fall.”

 Morley chuckled. “It’s just a story. It’s not real.”

 The little girl seemed frustrated. She stamped her foot, sending her flowered nightgown fluttering out in front of her, and scowled. Morley got up slowly, his knees creaking, and bent down in front of her. “But I SAW it!”

 “The sky can’t fall.” He said, lifting her chin up. She blinked, and nodded slowly, her curls bouncing.

 “But the stars was all flying away. I saw one go whoosh across the sky and then go away!” She waved her arms for effect, making Morley chuckle.

 She had seen a shooting star. That was all. He was going to have to hide that damned Chicken Little book. April had done the same thing when she was just a bit younger than Brianna. Viviane, their youngest, would no doubt too.

 Morley turned and caught Vanessa’s eyes as she padded over the carpet in their room to kneel down beside Morley.

 “Did you see a shooting star Brianna?” She asked. “Did you know that is very lucky?”

 The little girls eyes went wide and she shook her head. “No... What do I win?”

 “Oh, it’s not what you win.” Morley said, straightening and then hefting the little girl into his arms. He bounced her a bit. “It’s what you get t’ wish for.”

 Brianna clapped her hands. “I want my own Po...”

 “Wait!” Morley stopped her. “You can’t tell us whatcha wished for until it comes true.”

 “Oh.” Her little voice said, deflated. “Ok. I will have to wish really hard I guess.”

 “Yes Honey. Now let’s go back to bed. You have school tomorrow.” Vanessa stage-whispered, poking her nose with a finger.

 Morley gave Vanessa an “I’ll-be-right-back-and-don’t-you-dare-fall-asleep” look, and went back down the hall with the now droopy-lidded Brianna, her small head on his shoulder. He lowered her back into her bed, and pulled the covers back up over her. The other two girls were already asleep, and he turned and pulled the Chicken Little book out of April’s slack hands, setting it on the floor.

 “Night-night, Daddy. Do you get to make a wish too?”

 “My wish came true a long time ago.” he murmured to her, smoothing out her hair on her forehead as she burrowed into her pillow. “I met your mommy.”

 The little girl was instantly asleep.

 Morley tiptoed out of the room and went back down the hall, his hand brushing overtop his head tiredly. He was exhausted, and should be getting sleep, but the thought of his beautiful woman waiting for him to make love to her sustained the weariness. They had really had no time this past week to even think about that. He wondered how they had managed to find time to conceive the twins and Viviane, with Gilly, April and Brianna never giving them a moment alone these past years.

 They were a fertile pair. He grinned. Vanessa joked that all they had to do was use the same soap.

 She was snoring when he closed the door and turned around, lying on her back, one arm flung across her waist. He sat on the edge of the bed, and ran a finger down her face, smiling softly. She worked too damned hard, and looked after all these kids day in, day out. Arthur had told him that they needed to convince her to take more than just afternoons off, and he agreed.

 Once the soybeans were in and solid, he was going to take her to Calgary for a weekend, and they would maybe go up to Banff and go for a gondola ride up the mountain. Becky could stay with the kids. They were all out of diapers now. They hadn’t had a vacation in a long time.

 That and he was intending to do something he should have done a long, long time ago. He glanced at his gun cabinet in the corner of the room, his face pensive.

 Good thing Van never went in there, because there was an engagement ring sitting on the top shelf. It had been there for two years now.

 “What are you thinkin’?” A soft, drowsy voice brought him out of his thoughts.

 “How pretty you are when you’re fakin’ sleepin’.” He teased, and then lowered himself to her, sliding the gown back up her legs, nipping at her leg as he did.

 She giggled. “Oh Morley... flattery like that will get you everywhere.”

He pulled her snug to him then, and growled into her neck. She wriggled some more, and he finished pulling off her nightgown, letting it pool into a silken green heap beside her, her nipples pebbling. He looked into her eyes as she sighed and wrapped her arms around him, hit deep one more time with how much he loved her. Her hands roamed lower on his stomach, then into his boxers and he groaned, his ability to go slowly and savour her leaving him. He caressed up her inner thigh. She was flushed, her eyes half-lidded. Beautiful.

 “Van...” He murmured. “I love you-.”

 She touched his lips, stopping him, locking eyes with him, in the semi-darkness, their emotion shining through like beacons. Then she raised an eyebrow, and bit her lip suggestively.

“I love you too, you big brute, now ravish me before another child wakes up.”

 Morley didn’t need to make a wish on a random meteorite. Everything he could ever want for was right there with him, loving him. However, as he was depositing his boxers to the floor, he did take a quick moment and thank his lucky stars.