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It was a long plane ride to Martha's Vineyard from Chicago. Well, not all that long, but any plane ride is long when you have three kids. I know well and good that it isn't even noon yet, but I'm already in the mood for a nap.
Too bad the kids are ready to start vacation at a million miles per hour. Oh well. I hear they have great cafes here, and there are quite a few strong coffees in my future.
Before I can turn around and head back inside, Tobias appears behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders and kissing the top of my head. "Ready for our lunch reservations, Mrs. Terrazas?"
"I'm not sure. Are the kids ready?"
He chuckles. "Yes, and I'm not going to make you admit that I was right about bringing the nanny. She's already got them all unpacked and ready to go."
I snort, leaning back into his big warm body. We take two trips a year every year, and I can never get enough of the relaxed Tobias that only comes out fully on vacation. "Hey, it wasn't me that interviewed thirty-five freaking people before hiring a nanny, remember? That was you."
I feel him shrug. "What can I say? I'm protective of what I love. Possessive, even." He squeezes my ass, and I jump, giggling. "You don't seem to mind me being possessive, either."
He's right, I don't. In fact, I love it, even if it meant that we had to wait months for Tobias to pick a nanny. Theo is ten now, but his sisters, twins we named Tilly and Tara, are just five. So being protective isn't the worst thing that Tobias can be. He just takes it to another level.
Oh well. That's not a surprise to me. My Tobias has always had an iron grip on the world, and eleven years later, it's no different.
He leans down and nips the shell of my ear, making me shiver. "Let's go before I send the nanny and the kids alone, doll. I want to take you to bed right now, but I also want to see you in that hot little white bikini I saw you pack."
I smile, but it's guarded. Tobias notices my silence, and it doesn't take him but a minute to force an explanation out of me. "Okay," he starts. "What did I just say to make you stiffen up?"
"It's just..." I let my hands trail down my own body and the curves that have just grown wider over the years and pregnancies. "I worry that you'll laugh when you see me in it. I'm not exactly a size two anymore."
Tobias is immediately incredulous. "You're fucking kidding, right?" He turns me by the shoulders, grabbing my chin in his hand in that bossy way that makes my knees weak. "I love you and think you're the sexiest fucking woman alive. The curvier you get, the more wild I can be with you, knowing you won't break. And like I said…" Tobias pulls my face closer to his until he's speaking against my lips, almost kissing me when he finishes with, "I. Fucking. Love. It."
I swallow. "Yes, sir."
He groans and presses a quick, hard kiss to my lips. "Go, doll. Before I forget all about food and drag you back to bed."
I go, and soon, the whole family is piled into a rented SUV, driving to the restaurant. It's a fancy place, and the kids are well-behaved, and we have a wonderful time. It's a beautiful, sunny day, and the water is a gorgeous blue.
It reminds me of the first time I saw Lake Michigan outside of Tobias’s home, now our home, and the way I was already falling for him just from our interactions at the diner. My life changed so intensely that day, and nothing has ever been the same.
Tobias Terrazas was my fate, and he still is. With the way he looks at me during the drive, with a gaze full of heat and desire, I know we’ll spend the night with him proving to me how much he loves my new body. It makes me grin, and shiver just a little.
Who could have guessed that my ex’s dad could end up being the love of my life? Heck, even Ricky is better off now. He finally found a good girl to set him straight, and slowly, he and his father are mending fences. It’s still a little awkward for me, but I love Tobias enough to work through it.
My circumstances might have been strange, but I’ve come a long way from the diner, and it’s been amazing. Listening to my children in the back seat and feeling my husband’s hand land on my knee, I know in my heart that I must be the luckiest woman alive.
The End.
