adventures with his brothers, and she joined in when needed. She was also working for the local forest service on a part-time basis as their wildlife biologist liaison.
But the favorite part of her life was sleeping next to TJ every night. They’d not talked about the next step, but her heart was so full she knew it would all come.
“Here. Hold this.”
Harley blinked as Annie gently shoved a pink bundle in her arms.
Not-Abigail.
Who’d turned out to be Abigail after all. Eight pounds of pure, beautiful, tyrannical joy. She was a real Wilder- in-training, too. At two weeks old, she had every single person in her orbit wrapped around her cute little pinky finger.
Harley was terrified of her. “Annie, I-”
Annie was gone, on the dance floor with Nick.
Oh, God. Harley stared down in terror at the infant, who yawned and stared back, smacking her perfect little heart-shaped mouth before letting out a shuddery sigh of contentment.
Or gas.
And Harley’s heart, frozen in terror only a moment before, did the oddest thing. It completely softened, and she turned to look at TJ in marvel. She actually…wanted one. Not that she’d say that out loud, never, but-
“You want one,” he whispered.
“God. I think I do.”
TJ laughed softly and slipped an arm around Harley, reading her mind as easily as he always read her body. “Okay,” he murmured, letting his mouth brush her ear. “But first things first.”
Her breath caught. “Like?”
“A wedding.”
Her heart swelled until she could hardly breathe. “Really?”
“Really.” He pulled her in a little closer, and with his other hand, gently stroked a finger over Abigail’s soft cheek. “And then all the practicing required for one of these. Lots of practicing, Harley.”
She laughed, her heart so full it actually hurt. “We’ve been doing that, every night for months.”
“You can never practice enough.”
She actually glanced back at the lodge, thinking of the closet.
TJ grinned. “I love how you think, Future Mrs. Wilder.”
She grinned back, then squealed in shock as Annie took Abigail back and yelled in happy surprise, “Future Mrs. Wilder?”-repeating TJ’s words. “Did you just get engaged?”
In no time, the whole family moved close to hear more, and it was an entire case of champagne later before TJ got Harley in the closet to begin their practicing.
Jill Shalvis
