Page 141 of The Billionaire's Virgin

Jenna took Mica’s hand and led him off to his room. She was such a blessing. No one had been more excited than she was when the baby came. She had wanted to feed him and dress him, and she even sang him to sleep sometimes. We had albums devoted to pictures of the two of them together. It was the most wonderful thing, and anytime I needed a little pick me up, I just went through those albums.

The kids were still upstairs when Reed came home. I heard the door click shut and a second later he appeared, with his ready smile. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me gently on the lips.

“Hello, wife,” he greeted me.

“Hello, husband,” I replied. “How was your day?”

“Busy,” Reed replied. “I missed you three.”

“We missed you,” I said, kissing him on the cheek. “We’re having veggie pies today.”

“I smell cookies.”

I smiled and shook my head at him. “You’re as bad as the kids; cookies are for dessert.”

“I know something else I’d like to have for dessert.”

I laughed and turned to the cupboards to get the plates from the top shelf.

“Hey, sit down,” Reed said. “I’ll set the table.”

“You are my hero,” I sighed, taking a seat while Reed got the plates out.

I knew how lucky I was. Other husbands weren’t as ready to help around the house as Reed was. He was amazing with the children too. He had changed as many diapers as I had when Mica was a baby.

“How’s Jennifer?” I asked. “When is she going on maternity leave?”

“Next week,” Reed replied. “It’s a little earlier than normal, but she might have to be on bed rest for the last few months.”

“Well, it’s a high-risk pregnancy,” I said. “Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Right.” Reed nodded. “She’s going to work from home for the next month.”

“I’m excited for her.” I smiled. “It’s going to be nice to be around a baby again. I miss that stage; feels like so long ago now.”

Reed smiled. “Is that your way of telling me you want another baby?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I actually wasn’t thinking of that at all; are you?”

“No,” he replied, but I wasn’t convinced. “Have you given any thought about going back to work?”

“Oh… I thought about applying for a few jobs,” I admitted. “But then I thought… the kids still need me.”

“Jenna’s ten and Mica’s four,” Reed reminded me. “They’re both in school, and if you wanted to go back to work, then we can get help… or I can scale back my work.”

Reed sat down next to me, and I took his hand. “To be completely honest… I like being a stay-at-home mom,” I said. “I never expected to love it so much. I think for the moment, this is what I want to do.”

Reed smiled. “Well, if that’s what you want to do, then I’m glad. I just didn’t want you feeling like you had to sacrifice anything.”

“It’s not a sacrifice,” I said. “It’s the best and most important thing I’ve ever done with my life. I want to be there for them. And I’m sure I’ll reach a point when I want to do something apart from being a mother… but I just haven’t reached that point yet.”

Reed nodded, and a moment later we heard footsteps on the stairs, and the kids burst into the kitchen. “Daddy,” Mica yelled, running towards Reed.

I watched the three of them lock together in a three-way hug, and I took a mental picture. They were the magic in all my mundane days. They made everything amazing. We sat down to a nice family dinner, and we swapped stories and laughed, and Mica tried to bargain for more cookies. It was exactly the kind of upbringing I wished I’d had. But it was enough for me now that I was able to give this kind of childhood to my kids.

After dinner was over and the cookies had been devoured, we moved into the living room, and Reed put in the Lion King. Reed and I settled on the couch, while the kids lay down on their tummies on the fluffy carpet in front of us. Mica fell asleep halfway through the movie and Reed carried him up to his bedroom. The moment the boys left, Jenna hopped up to my side and settled in under my arm. I kissed the top of her head.

“How about you and I go out for a girls’ lunch this weekend?” I suggested. “We can let the boys fend for themselves for a couple of hours.”