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“Morning, buddy.” I plucked him out of Sage’s arms, kissing the top of her head as I did. We only had a couple years before she was off to college, so I made sure to get my affection in when I could. “Let’s get out of the hall so Mommy can sleep. All right?”
Our noses led us to the kitchen, where Marina was cooking breakfast like she did every morning. When Clara and I had gotten engaged six months after that night in her driveway, we’d planned where we’d live together, and whether Marina would come too had never been a question.
That meant buying a new house near my old one and adding an apartment over the garage. Sage could still walk back and forth between the new house and her mom’s, and I still had the view I’d loved most about my old place.
Here, we had room to spread out. A big garage for our bikes and the kids’ toys. And most importantly, there’d been room to grow.
Clara had once said she’d thought she was too old to have more children, but we’d both wanted to share that experience together. The moment we’d said, “I do,” we’d started trying. A few months later, she’d taken five pregnancy tests before finally believing it was happening.
I’d gotten to take care of her through her pregnancy and delivery the way she deserved. As long as I lived, I’d remember the feeling of holding her hand as we both saw our son for the first time. That squalling, angry pink thing of beauty who was part of us both.
Being a team with a newborn had been brand new, but we’d rocked that phase, just like every phase since. We were good together and balanced each other out.
Clara joined us in the family room a while later. Sage was on the couch reading, Nellie was dancing along to her favorite pop star’s music video, and Nico was using my stomach as his own personal trampoline.
A typical Saturday in this house.
I couldn’t think of anything better.
“Mommy, look!” Nellie twirled and kicked, then did some complicated hand motions. “Did you see that? I did it just like Sabrina.”
Clara’s eyes flared. “I saw, Nell-Belle. Your practice is paying off, don’t you think?”
“Yep.” Nellie beamed and spun back to the TV. “I’m going to do it again. Watch me all the way through, please.”
“You got it, honey.”
Clara perched on the couch by Sage, patting her knee while giving Nellie the attention she demanded. Nico instantly got tired of me and abandoned me for his mother. He pulled himself up onto the couch and climbed into her lap. She situated him there, her arms around his little round body, never taking her eyes off Nellie.
I sat on the floor, looking at my family, my wife at the center. Life was good.
Great.
Fuckin’ grand.
It wasn’t perfect, though. I’d opened my own garage a few months after leaving MZ, which had meant a lot of time and work. Almost three years in, my business was doing well. I was proud of what I’d made, and more importantly, I didn’t have to drag myself to work every day. But I was busy as hell, as was Clara, and time was at a premium.
We made the most of what we had. Lazy mornings like this were my favorite thing. All of us in one room, together, enjoying each other’s company. This was why I got up every day. These people, my whole world.
Later, when Nico was napping and the girls were keeping each other busy, I cornered Clara in the kitchen, pressing my front to her plush ass. Humming, she leaned her head against my shoulder and tipped her face so I could kiss her.
I took her offering, sipping from her lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
I closed my eyes and groaned. Her saying that would never not affect me.
She tried to step away from me, but I wasn’t ready to let go. I growled and held on tighter, making her laugh.
“You’re distracting me.”
I nibbled on her neck. “That’s the point, mama.”
“I’m trying to use nap time to get things ready for later.”
I licked a line from her shoulder to her ear and nipped her lobe. “That’s what I love about you. Always so organized.” I slipped a hand beneath her shirt to touch her silky-soft abdomen. “But truly, fuck ’em. They can fend for themselves.”
She snorted and shoved my hand out of her shirt. I let her turn around to face me, pleased to see her smiling.
