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“Yeah,” she said, voice sounding sleepy. “We spent about three hundred dollars. Lachlan ordered crab and steak. So, the other two had to order it, too.” She sighed. “They didn’t eat but half of it, so I took the rest of it home to your dad and mom.”
My heart pinched.
“Was it any good?” I asked, unsure of whether or not she was mad enough to not want me to touch her.
“The best,” she said.
I came up behind her and pressed her into the sink, putting both hands on the sink beside her.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I said, dropping my forehead to her shoulder. “I’m a dumbass.”
She snorted, then finished washing the pot that was still in her hands before turning the water off.
I backed away and grabbed a towel.
She took it, wiped her hands, then turned.
My eyes went to the front of the gray shirt she was wearing to see it stained with water.
Her hair was up in a messy bun, her face was devoid of makeup, and she had a pimple on her forehead.
She was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
I once again pressed her to the sink, causing her to squeak.
“Lock,” she cried. “It’s wet.”
I pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“My parents are on their way over here,” I said.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Lock…”
“They’re going to take the kids with them to the lake like you’d planned,” I said.
I’d called on the way home, and they’d said they would be right over.
“The kids are all in bed, Lock,” she denied. “Call them back and tell them never mind.”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “Not today.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Lock, the day is already over,” she tried. “I’m not in the mood.”
I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, then pressed a kiss to her nose.
“I know,” I said. “But I’m going to fix this.”
I pulled out about eight bags of takeout and showed them to her.
“I already ate,” she said.
“You did,” I agreed. “But…I doubt you ate much. You were mad at me, and when you’re mad, you don’t eat.”
Her eyes flickered.
I had her.
She was starving.
Her eyes flicked to the bag, then back to me.
But before I could say anything, my back door opened, and my mother walked in.
“Let’s get those kids loaded up,” she ordered. “Lock, help me.”
I did, and when I came back, Saylor was angrily sucking back a milkshake.
I didn’t smile like I wanted to.
I didn’t even grin.
Instead, I sat next to her and pulled out a ring that’d been in my pocket for a couple of weeks.
“I bought this for you,” I said.
Her eyes went to the small bag that’d been so much like the first one that had housed her engagement ring.
“What is it?”
“I bought it a month ago,” I promised. “I didn’t stop and get it today or anything…it’s a well thought out gift. I promise.”
She sighed and opened the bag, pouring the contents out on the counter.
Her eyes went to the ring, and her breath caught.
“That’s…”
“My birthstone, your birthstone, and each of the kids,” I said. “The inner circle is Alicia. The outer one is me.”
She picked it up with shaking hands.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, slipping it onto the ring finger on her right hand.
Her head fell toward my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her tight.
“I’m sorry I’m such a loser,” I told her. “I…I completely forgot about today. But I still remembered. Kind of.”
She pulled the bag of takeout closer to her, then started munching on a waffle fry.
“I thought Chick-Fil-A was closed?” she asked.
I grinned. “It was. Kind of. They were closing, and I had to beg the young kids to make me something. I had to explain what kind of moron I was for them to do it, though.”
She snickered.
“Thank you, Lock,” she whispered.
I played with the ring finger on her hand.
“I can’t believe it’s been ten years,” I said.
She snorted. “It’s definitely flown by.”
She wasn’t kidding.
Three kids, a house, and two dogs later.
My life wasn’t the least bit what I ever expected.
Nothing ever went as planned.
I was still on the motorcycle patrol unit, and still had yet to go to negotiator school, and likely never would.
I enjoyed my job. I loved spending time with my family.
We went hunting and fishing and camping.
There wasn’t a single day that we weren’t being active doing something.
Downtime was a hot commodity at this point.
Between gymnastics, golf lessons, football practice, soccer games, and Little League, there wasn’t ever a dull moment.
And I wouldn’t change it for the world.
