A Marriage Deal

First Time Away from the Child

Jade's POV:

The next morning, I sat in bed as I watched Alonzo get dressed for the morning. He put on his pants then his belt which was followed by his white straw cowboy hat. He began putting on his button-down shirt when I stood up and walked over to him so I could delay him buttoning up his shirt. I placed my hands on his chest as I looked down at his abs then up to his tattoo. 

"What are you doing?" He chuckled. 

"Preventing you from buttoning up your shirt," I said as I bit my lip. 

He put his hand on my neck as he gently pulled me in close. His soft lips met mine as our tongues fought for dominance over one another. I pulled away to catch my breath while he continued kissing me up and down my neck. 

Suddenly, Arabella began to cry over the baby monitor. Alonzo stopped kissing me and wrapped his arms around my waist. 

"I better go get her," I said. 

"Alright, but we've got a lot to do this morning because we got to get back on the road for the roadeos," Alonzo explained. "My parents should be here so enough to take care of Arabella while Dylan stays behind to look after the ranch."

"I know, I know. I just don't know if I'm ready to leave her yet." I sighed. 

Alonzo kissed me on the cheek. 

"I know it's going to be hard for you, it's going to be hard for me but we won't be gone too long."

"Your right, I'll meet you outside in a few. Just let me get dressed real quick."

***

Once I got dressed and fed Arabella her breakfast, I carried her outside to the stables where Alonzo and Dylan were loading Whiskey and Diablo into the trailer. 

"Good morning boys!" I greeted. 

Dylan came out of the trailer after putting Diablo in the trailer. He came over to me and asked, "May I hold her?"

I gently passed off Arabella for Dylan to hold. Then, I went into the tack room and loaded my tack into the trailer. I made sure that we had everything necessary for the horses before shutting the trailer door. 

"Now all that's left is the bags inside the house," Alonzo informed.

Just then, a car came down the road as the horn went off a few times. They parked at the house and out stepped Alonzo's parents. They waived their hands at us for us to acknowledge them. 

"There they are!" I smiled. "I'll take Arabella over to them and give them the rundown of things while you get the rest of the bags."

Dylan handed Arabella back to me. I walked back to the house and greeted my in-laws. I told them everything they needed to do for Arabella while they were gone. Showed them everything they needed while we were gonna be gone and even wrote down a list with instructions. Not to mention another list for the dogs. 

They walked me out to the front porch, where I handed Arabella to her grandmother. Alonzo came over to say his to his parents before we left. 

"And if you have any questions, please feel free to call," I instructed. 

"Don't you worry about a thing, Jade. We have got everything covered." Barbra assured. "You two just have fun at the rodeo!"

I gave them both a hug before saying goodbye. Alonzo and I walked over to the truck where he opened the passenger door for me. I climbed up into the truck while Alonzo shut the door behind me. Then he walked around to the driver's seat and started the truck. I looked out at Arabella as we drove away. 

Alonzo reached over with his right hand and grabbed my hand. He squeezed my hand tight and said, "We'll be back before you know it."

I leaned over and rested my head on Alonzo's shoulder. He is absolutely right.