Emily and Byron went up to their suite in the farm house. The ceremony had been intense, and they needed a bit of time to recover and be alone for a half hour before the reception began. Meanwhile, the guests could wander around the farm or hang out in the barn, which was decorated for the reception with flowers and fairy lights.The suite they were in had a simple but lovely décor. There were paintings of horses on the walls, and the furniture was old-fashioned and functional. It felt like a restful country retreat."We pulled it off," Byron said, putting his hands around her waist like he couldn't wait for their first dance… or their wedding night. "I hope you were happy with how it all went, minus the Carter incident?"Emily placed her hands on his shoulders and returned his admiring look. Gazing up at him, she could hardly believe they were married. "I'm glad we managed without a martial arts demonstration. Some other time, sure, but not at our wedding. You don't think Carter ru
Finally they were alone together in their suite, where they would spend one night before leaving for their honeymoon. "You didn't want to stay longer at the reception, did you?" Byron asked, taking off his jacket."No, that's why I gave you that 'meaningful look'," Emily said, "I couldn't wait to be alone with you. And we'd already had the cake…""I see, once you've had the cake, it's time to go," he teased, taking her into his arms. "It's not at all about a joining of two families…""That cake was something else," Emily said. "Weddings are all about the cake." His lips felt sweet and gentle as he kissed her. "You are something else," he said. "Now to add a few extra vows…""More vows?" Emily said, though she knew he was probably joking."These vows are not to be said in public because they're more intimate in nature…" he said softly in his deep voice. "Oh…"He reached to the back of her dress and found the ribbons that held the bodice tightly fastened. Emily felt the fabri
This was Emily's first time ever visiting Fiji. It was evening when they got off the plane, and she couldn't see the landscape, but the air embraced her with its balmy warmth and brought the smell of fragrant flowers. Arriving at the five-star hotel, they were greeted by a friendly and polite young woman who offered them a free basket of fresh fruit."Wow! Thank you!" Emily said. She could smell the intriguing scents of the fruit, some of which she had never heard of before.Another hotel employee took them up to the room and showed them the state-of-the-art entertainment system. Here, there was another complimentary snack platter and an assortment of drinks. And on top of the bedspread they found a small platter filled with gourmet chocolates."It's pretty standard for a five-star hotel to provide gifts," Byron said, looking amused at her effusive thanks when they were left alone in the suite."That doesn't mean we shouldn't say thank you and be happy about it," Emily remarked.
Byron paused right in the middle of unbuttoning her floral-patterened dress. "Uh… yeah. I thought we'd agreed we would have a baby once we were married.""But not right away!" Emily exclaimed, sitting up on the bed."I know, that's why I didn't suggest it on our wedding night," Byron said smoothly."You were thinking about it on our wedding night?" "Hey, excuse me for wanting to start a family." Byron got up and went to the other side of the room, trying to remain casual as he snacked on some biscuits. "I didn't know it was such a crime.""I'm sorry if I seemed a bit abrupt," Emily said, "but it just came as a bit of a shock to me that you wanted to do it so soon." "I'm not getting any younger," he said sullenly. "You're only thirty. Lots of people start having kids at an older age nowadays." "Okay, so when were you planning to have kids?""I don't know." She shrugged. "At least not for another couple of years. I have so many things to do nowadays."Byron looked like he w
The next few days felt like the honeymoon period really began. They enjoyed everything the island offered, from swimming in the ocean to sipping cocktails on the beach. They finally did go on the birdwatching tour as well as snorkelling and hiking.Still, Emily felt something was nagging at her. She couldn't forget that poor flea-ridden dog she had seen that first day. "I was thinking," she said as they rested in hammocks in the pleasantly cool courtyard of the hotel, "Maybe we should see that dog again. I wonder how he's doing…""I thought you might say that," Byron replied."And we don't have any outings planned for tomorrow.""I thought we were going to relax and enjoy the beach," Byron said, "but if you want to see a smelly, mangy dog, that's even better.""Byron!" she cried reprovingly."I'm kidding," he said, "I kind of want to see the dog too. I hope he's feeling okay."They returned to the shelter to find a young woman named Anya in charge of the dogs. She seemed like
"Now, I still think getting a pack of dogs is too much," Byron began, "but after seeing Odin again and seeing how much you connected with him, I decided to call the shelter and ask if they could get him ready for a little trip to the northern hemisphere.""What!" Emily suddenly felt wide awake. "I thought you didn't want any more dogs!""Yeah, but I had a little time to debate it. And I do want to make you happy. One more dog in the house wouldn't be that much of a burden. As long as you can make sure he doesn't bite me—""I will! Thank you, thank you!" Emily embraced him, clinging tightly to his strong torso."I'm glad it's making you this excited," Byron said, chuckling. "So you're sure you want another dog?""Yes, I want this dog," she said confidently, "I felt like I had a connection with him. It seemed like you did too.""Okay, I admit it," Byron said, "Odin really got to me. There's something special about that pup.""You are the best husband ever!"Even if Byron didn't s
The next summer, Byron's half-brother Mateo came to Vancouver to take a summer course at one of the local prestigious cooking schools. Of course, Emily was pretty sure the real reason was to see Katie.The two had really hit it off last year, and Emily knew from Katie that they had kept in touch ever since. She also knew that Katie still thought of Mateo only as a friend, but secretly she hoped Katie would change her mind. Mateo was such a kind, talented and funny young man that Emily thought he would be good for Katie and would never break her heart.They hadn't grown up together, but Byron thought of him as a brother, and he was always proud of his accomplishments. Mateo had his own online cooking show that was getting a bit of traction.To celebrate the reunion, they decided to have dinner at Susie and Angie's animal shelter. Byron and Emily had been spending a lot of time there helping to fell trees and clearing some space for an orchard. It would be an extra way for Susie and A
Everybody jumped into action when Emily and Byron returned and told the others what happened.Emily was halfway into the house when she heard Angie saying, "I have just the thing in the old tool shed, an old drilling rod. Come on."After she called the ambulance, Emily came outside to see Byron and his cousin Rowland carrying the big rusty iron rod between them as they hurried back to the scene of the accident.Emily and the other guests arrived just in time to see Byron stick the long lever under the tractor. His whole body tensed as he strained to lift the machine, and everyone else rushed in to help push it up. Slowly, the tractor was moved upright again.But there was little cause for celebration as Mateo's leg looked badly broken. "I was told not to move him," Emily said, "the paramedics will secure the broken bones when they get here."It was an agonizing wait for the ambulance. When the paramedics arrived, they put temporary splints on the broken bones and carried Mateo t