Chapter 18

18

H olden unlocked the door and rushed inside the cottage before Finley could even mention the weekender she had brought along for tonight. Immediately, he backed her against the door, his strong body pinning hers to it as he ravished her mouth. It was hot. It was wild.

It was love.

He threw off his suit jacket and tossed his glasses aside, as well, his mouth finding hers like a heat-seeking missile reaching its target. As they kissed, she unknotted his tie and manage to unbutton a few buttons of his white dress shirt, her hands slipping inside to glide along the sleek muscles of his chest.

Breaking the kiss, he buried his lips against her throat, his hands moving under her black cocktail dress, the heat in his fingers singeing her thighs. He pushed the dress up to her waist, his fingers going to the thin scrap of black lace, tearing it away. He began stroking her, stoking the inferno raging within her. His fingers pushed inside her, caressing her deeply, and she felt the orgasm erupt. It didn't even have time to build.

Finley clung to him, her body shuddering, wave after wave of pleasure dancing through her.

Dazed, she heard him murmur, "I can't wait. Need you. Now."

She heard his zipper and reached down, clasping the velvet rod. It throbbed in her hand.

"Condom," he got out, his mouth devouring hers again as she squeezed him.

Holden picked her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her the few steps to the bedroom, tossing her onto the bed. Opening the nightstand's drawer, he found a foil packet and tore it open, sheathing himself before coming down atop her, thrusting into her hard.

It felt so good. He felt so good.

"More," she demanded greedily.

He thrust again.

"Harder," Finley commanded.

He pumped into her, his breath coming in spurts, hers doing the same. They climaxed together, and she shattered in his arms.

He collapsed atop her, breathing harshly, lying there a moment. The he raised himself slightly on his elbows, giving her a lopsided grin.

"So, this is love," he teased.

Finley died laughing. "This is love," she declared.

He continued to kiss her for some minutes, still inside her. All she could think of was how they could always have this.

Forever…

Holden eased off her and sat on the bed, saying, "I should apologize for being such an animal, but you drive me wild, Finley Farrow."

She pushed up, enveloping him, draping herself over his back and slipping her arms around him. "You can be an animal with me any day, Holden Scott."

As he looked over his shoulder, she kissed him, long and deep.

"I hope I didn't ruin your dress," he said apologetically.

"You didn't. I do need to go get my bag from the car, though."

His fingers brushed against her cheek. "I'll do that. Why don't you meet me in the shower?"

His words sent a thrill up her spine. She dropped a kiss upon his nape. "Will do."

Finley slipped off her dress and bra and went to the small bathroom, lamenting the size of the cottage's tiny shower, wondering how this was going to work. Her fears were pushed aside because her very clever writer made it work. She had never made love in a shower, and it was an exciting experience.

He toweled himself off and then did the same for her. He wound a second one around her damp hair, chuckling. "Miss Jean is going to wonder why I'm using so many towels."

"Let her talk," she said flippantly, as if she were Marie Antoinette telling others to eat cake.

They climbed into bed together, Holden wrapping his arms around her as they spooned. A deep contentment filled her, unlike anything she had ever known.

"I hope you know I want this to be forever, Finley," he told her. "If you need a long engagement, I'm fine with that. Just know I plan to be in your bed the next sixty or seventy years."

"Maybe we'll set a Guinness World Record for the number of times octogenarians have sex in a day," she teased sleepily.

His lips brushed against her hair. "I love you, Finley. I'll marry you wherever and whenever you say."

"Good. Let's talk about it… tomorrow."

Her last conscious thought was how much she loved this man.

Holden awoke to warm lips gliding along his chest.

"You are insatiable," he said, pulling Finley to him and kissing her mouth.

They made slow, leisurely love. He would categorize it as weekend love, when a couple had time to thoroughly enjoy one another.

"Can I get you some breakfast? I could cook you an omelet. I think I'm confident enough to have a go at it."

She took his knuckles, rubbing them against her cheek. "That's okay, Chef Scott. Mom will have a feast prepared. I just need a little something to tide me over until lunch."

"Stay here. Toast and coffee coming up."

He left Finley in his bed, looking rumpled and sexy. It took all his willpower to walk out of the bedroom and go to the small kitchenette to turn on the coffeemaker. He couldn't believe his good fortune. Doing something he loved for a living— and now he had someone by his side. Someone he loved and could share each day with. Coming back to Texas had been the best decision he had ever made.

He returned with a cup of coffee and toast on a small plate. She pushed up, placing a pillow behind her back as she sat up. The covers were draped to her waist. Thankfully, those beautiful breasts were still on display.

"Sorry I don't have a tray," he said, handing both over. "I don't think Miss Jean thought about me serving a guest breakfast in bed. Be right back."

He went and claimed his own breakfast, placing it on the nightstand before climbing back into bed with her. As they ate, she told him a little about her family which he would meet in a few hours.

"Be prepared," she warned. "They're going to grill you unmercifully. I don't bring around dates often, so they will know you're special to me."

Her cheeks pinkened slightly, and he asked, "What's going on?"

"I had breakfast with Mom yesterday. I told her about you." She swallowed. "I told her that I loved you." She winced. "I know. I shouldn't have done that. You should've been the first one to hear it from me."

He dropped a sweet kiss on her brow. "I think it's great that you have such a terrific relationship with your mom. That you could share that with her. I guess I should be glad I didn't hear it through the Lost Creek grapevine."

"Oh, I told Mom not to tell anyone. Except Dad. They could never keep a secret from one another, especially one so happy. But she knows not to say another word, not even to Ches and Sally."

"Are you comfortable with us telling them today that we're going to get married?"

Finley gave him a wicked smile. "I'm ready to put it on the City of Lost Creek's website."

He laughed, kissing her again, knowing married life was going to be rich and full with this woman.

"Lunch is at twelve thirty. I always try to get there about noon to visit a bit and help Mom in the kitchen. I need to go home and get ready there. Do you want to pick me up about ten till noon?"

He kissed her soundly. "It's a date. What do I wear to Sunday lunch?"

"Not a suit a tie," she said, laughing. "Jeans are fine. Ches seems to live in shorts year-round. It's always casual."

She dressed in a shirt and leggings she had brought, and Holden threw on his robe, walking her to her car. It was hard to let Finley go, even if he knew he would see her soon.

Going back into the cottage, he showered and shaved, pulling out his notes for the next scene and then tucking them away again. He didn't want to get lost in another world as he wrote and lose track of time. Instead, he read the Sunday New York Times and browsed a few other sites on his laptop before leaving to pick up Finley.

They arrived at her parents' house, a one-story, brick ranch with a beautiful yard. Sam and Dianne Farrow couldn't have been more wonderful, welcoming him as if he were a Lost Creek native they'd known their entire lives. Ches Farrow was quite a bit older than his sister, probably ten- or twelve-years Finley's senior. He was the teasing, older brother, while Sally Farrow was warm and friendly. Ricky, their eight-year-old, and Tiffany, who was ten, were both adorable, Ricky favoring his father and Tiffany looking like Sally 2.0.

They asked him the typical questions about his writing, and Holden talked a little about his relationship with Wolf Ramirez and the new production company Wolf had started.

"Writing a screenplay must be difficult," Dianne Farrow said.

"It has been. At least at first. I'm not trained in screenwriting. It's been a little trial and error for me, but I'm getting the hang of it. So far, Wolf has been pleased with the pages I've turned in to him."

"You said you'd been living in New York for several years," Sam said. "Do you plan to return there once you finish the screenplay?"

"No. The beauty of being a writer is that I have a job that I can do anywhere. As long as I have my laptop and a good Internet connection for research and emailing, I'm golden."

Holden reached for Finley's hand. "I've decided to stay in Lost Creek permanently. Because I want to spend my life with your daughter."

Finley's mom and sister-in-law gasped in surprise. Ches gave his sister a knowing smile. Sam Farrow nodded approvingly.

"You're getting married," Dianne managed to say. She leaned over and kissed Finley's cheek.

"Will you get married at the winery?" Sally asked eagerly, looking from Finley to Holden.

"This is pretty new," Finley replied. "We haven't set a date. We haven't talked details." She looked up at him. "But I'm ready to be Finley Scott."

"Weddings take time to plan," Dianne reminded.

"Actually, all we need is a license, Mom," Finley said. "But I do think the winery would be the perfect setting. Harper would pull out all the stops for us."

"You should wait until school is out," Sam said. "Then you won't have lesson plans and grading to worry about."

Finley frowned. "The winery will be pretty booked then. I'm not sure any summer dates would be available."

"Maybe on weekends," Holden said. "But no one said we have to get married on a weekend. We could do it at six in the evening on a weekday if Harper agreed."

"Oh, that would be a good possibility," Sally said. "Most of the people you would invite would be right here in Lost Creek anyway." She looked at Holden. "Where is your family?"

He stilled. "I don't have any family left. I was an only child. Even the man who was like a second father to me passed away a number of years ago."

Finley squeezed his hand. Only she knew that his mom had cut all ties with him and that Holden had no idea where in Europe she now was. Or even if she was still in Copenhagen.

"I've never imagined a large wedding for myself," Finley said. "Something small and intimate would suit us better, I think." She paused. "Let me text Harper and see what she's up to now."

She did so, everyone at the table looking on eagerly.

"I told Harper that Holden and I wanted to stop by this afternoon. She said we could in an hour."

"Then that's plenty of time to have dessert," Ches interjected. "I saw that apple pie in the kitchen."

"And ice cream?" Ricky asked eagerly.

"I've got your favorite, Ricky. Blue Bell," Dianne said. "Let's get these dishes cleared away, and then we can have dessert."

They talked about the wedding over pie and ice cream. Finley said they would have to postpone any kind of honeymoon because she was booked solidly through the summer, photographing weddings and then taking senior pictures, along with being on Wolf's movie set some.

"I'll also be working on the movie this summer," Holden told them. "Wolf wants me on set in case any writing adjustments need to be made. Since it takes place in the Hill Country, he'll be shooting it here. So, we'll both be tied up."

"Honeymoons can be overrated," Ches said. "Sally and I flew to Greece. We were exhausted by the time we got there." He grinned at his wife. "And then we didn't see much of it after we got our second wind."

"I've told Ches we need to go back someday and take the kids," Sally said. "So we could see the sights."

"Yeah, nothing like taking kids on a trip so you can get all that sightseeing in," Ches agreed smugly, his wife punching him in the shoulder.

Dianne insisted they leave the dishes and head over to see Harper. Everyone hugged them goodbye, and he was touched when Dianne said, "We always wanted more children. I hope you don't mind if we claim you as a second son, Holden."

He swallowed, his throat thick with emotion. Holden felt he was being given the family he'd never had.

They drove to the Clarks, where they shared their good news with the couple. More hugs were exchanged, and then Harper said, "You've got to let me do the wedding for you. Everything will be comped. That can be our gift to you." She paused. "But we'll have to find someone who can photograph it!"

"When are you getting married?" Braden asked.

"That's why we're here," Finley explained. "To look at Harper's calendar and see what might be available."

She explained the idea of a small, weekday wedding, and Harper nodded enthusiastically.

"Those are actually starting to become more popular, especially for couples who don't want to wait a year or two and wait for a date to open up at their dream venue."

"I'd thought about once school is out." Finley consulted her phone. We get out the Friday before Memorial Day this year. We just want something small."

Harper flipped a page. "If you want to wait for school to end, we could do that Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday after Memorial Day. Anytime you'd like. Indoors or outdoors. The choice is yours."

Finley looked to him. "Do you have a preference?"

"I think outside would be nice," he said.

"Sunset is around eight-thirty that time of year," Harper said crisply, all business now. "I'd hold the ceremony no earlier than six-thirty. Beginning at seven would be ideal. The heat of the day would be dying down. Then you could move inside the center for your reception. I'm assuming Blackwood BBQ could do the catering."

"Yes," he and Finley replied in unison.

"It's up to you," Harper told them. "I'd pick the date now, so it'll be on the calendar. Even with a small wedding, you have a lot to consider. The meal. The wines and beers. Cakes. Music."

Holden took Finley's hand. "How about that Tuesday? That way, school obligations would be out of the way. I'm assuming you're already booked to photograph weddings that weekend. That would give us a couple of days together. Maybe a mini-honeymoon in San Antonio for a couple of days."

"I like that idea," she said, her aquamarine eyes sparkling at him.

"Got it," Harper said, inputting the info into her tablet. "I'll work on finding a photographer. You can talk with Emerson about cakes. I can set up an appointment for you with Shy Blackwood if you'd like. With a smaller crowd, how about Dax as the DJ?"

"Perfect," he said.

Holden couldn't believe how quickly things were coming together. He knew it would be smooth sailing from here on out.