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CHAPTER 1

“What are you giving Razer for Valentine’s Day?” Lily questioned her sister Beth as ruh another stack of clothes that she had stored in her twins’ bedroom closet

“I haven’t decided yet What are you giving Shade?”

“I was hoping to get some ideas from you,” Lily confessed

Buying anything for her husband Shade was difficult He preferred buying his own clothes, hated sweets and, other than his wedding ring, wore no jewelry

“We could ask Razer,” Beth suggested “It could also get me some ideas for him”

“That’s e did for Christ special for Valentine’s Day”

“Buy a sexy nightie for yourself; that’lla stack of the boys’ jeans in a box

Lily flushed, her eyes shying away fro any part of her and Shade’s intimate life with Beth or any of her friends She had always been reserved, and despite her ed that aspect of her personality

Reaching for a T-shirt that fell from the bed, she placed it back on the stack of clothes “I was thinking about giving him a neatch”

Beth stared down at her, as if ood choice If you change your mind, let me know Razer could use a new one, too”

“I will” Lily reached out for the T-shirt that was about to fall again “I can’t believe how fast Noah and Chance are growing”

“I can’t either It see some shirts, she laid them onto the jeans “That’s the last of them What you can’t use, you can take to the thrift store”

“Are you sure? They still look new”

“I’rown the dust”

“What if you decide to have more kids?”

Lily glanced up froe expression cross her sister’s face

“Two boys are enough for Razer and y to have another child”

“I don’t believe that Razer and you are wonderful parents Beth, I knohen you had the twins, it was a traumatic experience—”

“It was a nightmare,” her sister cut her off “Which I don’t want to talk about”

Lily didn’t blahtht at Evie’s hoone to spend the night at Cash’s cabin

Thank God Beth had slept downstairs on the couch and heard soh the front and back doors It saved their lives Going upstairs, she had given theet in the bedrooh, when Beth went into labor If Shade hadn’t kno frightened Lily was of storht would have ended far differently Neither she nor Beth would be sitting in her bedroo Noah’s and Chances’ clothes, so yes, Lily could understand why Beth never talked about the nightht

“Who’s going to keep the boys for you? Evie offered to keep John and Clint, but if you can’t find someone, I could keep Noah and Chance,” Lily offered

“Razer and I decided to spend the night ho and playing with Rocky that I’d feel bad about leaving them with anyone”

“Are you sure? We wouldn’tthem in control”

“No, you and Shade enjoy Valentine’s Day Razer and I don’t have anything special planned for it anyway” She shrugged

“Shade and I don’t either He usually takesat TA’s reception, on’t be going”

Beth lifted an eyebrow at her “Then, why did you plan to have a babysitter?”

Lily grinned back at her “Shade was keeping our options open”

Closing the box after she finished sorting the clothes, Beth looked at the clock beside Noah’s bed “Shouldn’t you be going back to the thrift store? It’s nearly one”

Lily’s grin faded “I asked Pastor Dean to take over the store until two”

“Why? You never ask him to watch the store”

She shrugged “I had planned to have lunch with Shade, but he was in awith Viper”

Feeling her sister’s gaze on her, she rose from the bed “If you’re sure you don’t want the clothes, they’ll come in handy for John I appreciate them”

“You’re welcome”

Lifting the box into her ar behind her, feeling Beth’s curious gaze on her as she went to the door

“Lily… are you sure nothing is wrong? Are you upset Shade wasn’t able to have lunch with you?”

“Of course not Everything’s fine” Seeing the disbelief in her sister’s expression, Lily put an aro; I want to have dinner started before heading back to work”

“Bye”

Lily left for hooing to the kitchen She had a new recipe she wanted to start in the slow cooker before heading back to work

She was putting the last of the ingredients inside when she heard the front door open, then close Glancing up, she saw her husband taking off his jacket

“How did your o?” she asked

“Good”

Feeling hiainst him as she put the top on the crockpot

“I would’ve rather had lunch with you”

Turning around in his arms, she twined her arms around his neck “I just made sandwiches, so you didn’t miss much”

“Ithe time alone with you”

She shuddered as Shade ran his lips along the side of her neck to her ear “Me, too Iso at the factory”

Shade raised his head to stare down at her “That’s not the way I reet out of them”

“That hen I wasn’t in love with you”

“You were in love with me; you just didn’t know it then”