CHAPTER FIFTEEN

After digging through about half of the boxes, the team stopped for the day and decided to just give it a rest. They'd shower, have dinner, and start fresh in the morning. Walking back to their cottage, Elena and Major were happy to see Walker and Mags walking hand in hand toward the gardens.

"Maybe they'll be okay," she smiled.

"They're going to be just fine, honey. Things have a way of working out here at Belle Fleur."

"Major? When are you going to make love to me again? You didn't even make love to me on our wedding night."

"Baby, I want nothing more, but I don't want to hurt the baby," he said, turning her to face him. "I would never forgive myself."

"Major, the baby is fine. Gray said we're clear for anything and everything right now," she smiled. "I miss the hot lover I met in Egypt. I need that hot lover to help cool down my body."

"Fuck," he growled, taking her hand.

Major locked the door of their cottage, knowing full well that sometimes people just walked in. Elena was already naked by the time he got to the bedroom. She wasn't showing at all, but he was fairly certain her breasts looked bigger.

It took only seconds for him to kick off his clothes and crawl between her legs, staring down at her exotic features.

"I've been dreaming of this," she whispered. "Seeing your handsome face above me, feeling you inside of me, all of it, Major. You are everything I've ever wanted."

Major kissed her forehead, leaning his own against hers as he exhaled, pushing inside of her. He stilled, relishing in the moment of her warmth and wetness.

"Baby, I knew that first night that we made love I wouldn't be able to walk away from you. I thought I could. When I left you at the airport, I hated myself for letting you go. I wanted to scream out to you to come back."

"You should have," she smiled. "I would have. I was so scared when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to call you, to tell you, but I was worried that you would think I'd trapped you."

"Honey, in case you haven't noticed, you trapped me with or without a baby," he laughed. "I'm yours, Elena. Yours."

Slowly, Major began moving inside of his wife. His wife. He marveled at the thought of him being married and soon to be a father. He gently suckled her nipples, tasting her flesh against his lips.

Elena raised her legs along his sides, gliding them upward, higher and higher, as he went deeper and deeper. Her first orgasm came quickly, fiercely. She arched her back, gripping his arms as he continued to thrust in and out.

When the second came, she thought they were done, but she was wrong. She'd lit the fire inside of Major, and he was going to have his wife. By the fourth orgasm, he carried her into the shower, massaging away the tension of her muscles. But the more he massaged, the more she wanted him again.

He lifted her small body, impaling her on his thick hard cock as she gasped another orgasm.

"Baby, baby," he murmured in her ear. "Is this what pregnancy is going to be like for you?"

"I think so," she giggled.

"Fuck, yes. I think you need to stay pregnant," he grinned. He looked at his phone and frowned at the time. "I think we've missed dinner."

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "Dylan delivered some food earlier for us. I'm a woman with a plan." Major laughed at her.

"You had all this planned?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd follow along," she said. "I've been aching for you, Major. I've been wanting you since you walked into that hospital room."

"Same, baby. Same," he said, hugging her tightly. "Let's go see what Dylan left us."

Over the next few hours, Elena and Major took the time to truly get to know one another. He told her of his childhood and all his faithful friends. The stories of the ghosts, the stories of Mama Irene and Matthew, and even the story of how his parents met when she saved him.

"That's amazing," she smiled. "Your mother saved your father."

"Literally and figuratively," smirked Major. "My mom is truly a badass, for a weather girl anyway. The guy who'd taken them was really intent on getting to whatever was hidden, but Dad refused to tell him. My mom, she knew that the weather was going to create issues for them, seeing this massive sandstorm blow in. She's pretty cool. I'm probably biased because she's my mom."

"I think it's sweet that you think of her that way. I think I judged my mother harshly when I found out that she was seeing someone while married to my father. As an adult, knowing how much time it takes to take part in a dig, to dedicate to the season, I can understand how she got lonely. Even I wanted to spend time with my father, not her."

"Were you able to make amends?" he asked.

"I think so. My stepfather is a good man. He never pushed me to call him father or to try and take the place of my father. I would go back to England for school, then come home for brief breaks or holidays. When I was home, he always tried to find a way for me to participate in a dig with some of my father's old team. He did that for me. Not my mother."

"I'm sure she was worried for you," said Major, taking the last bite of the apple pie.

"How are all of you so fit when you eat like this?" she smiled. "I've eaten more since I've been here than I have in the last year."

Major could only laugh as he gathered the plates, rinsed them, and placed them in the dishwasher. He wasn't prepared yet to speak about the pond and the magic and all of it. In fact, he wasn't even sure how to begin that conversation.

"When I joined the Army, it seemed everyone knew who we were, me and the others."

"You all joined together?"

"Yep. Me, Walker, Brix, Alistair, Leif, Forrest, Sebastian, and Garr. The Belle Fleur boys walked in, knowing we would have to prove ourselves."

"But why? I mean, if you were all known because of your family, why would you need to prove yourselves?"

"Just because we're from here, from our famous parents, it doesn't mean we didn't need to show them that we were every bit as good. More importantly, we wanted our fellow Rangers to know how good we were. We wanted them to know that we would always be there for them." He could see that she was still confused, so he continued.

"If you think about all the great men or women who have done amazing things on this earth, you don't always hear of their children doing the same. Everyone from famous athletes, actors, and politicians. People think it's easy to follow in the footsteps of greatness, but it can often break a man or woman.

"We were lucky that we had one another. We never tried to compare ourselves to our parents but rather to one another. Competing with each other in a friendly way."

"I guess I can understand that. I didn't have siblings, but Daphne had a younger sister that died. I think she was always trying to be two daughters to her parents," said Elena.

"That must have been hard for her," frowned Major, filing that little nugget in the back of his mind.

"Her parents love her very much, but they nearly made a fatal mistake with her when she was very young. I hope she's well," said Elena.

"Call her," said Major. "Give her a call tomorrow and check on her. Maybe you can convince her to come here. I know Brix would love to see her." She smiled at her husband, standing to rub against his body.

"I'll do that. Tomorrow. Tonight, you're going to take me to bed and make sweet love to me once again." Major grinned at her.

"I can do that."