Page 97 of Wreck My Plans

For the last two years, my heart has felt like someone’s taken a defibrillator to it and jump-startedlifeinto the muscle fibers.

Family. Friends. Community. Laughter. All the things I had been missing for years are now surrounding me every day.

And I have one person to thank for it.

The woman who made all of this happen by choosing me. By wanting to be by my side. By fighting to hold my hand through life.

She’s given me everything I ever hoped for but never actually thought I could have.

Lena steadies Julia’s shoulders and positions her toward the field. “Ninth tree. Pen, are you keeping count?”

Penelope nods, and Lena releases Julia as she stumbles toward the first tree. Giggles fill the air as Pen, Jack, and little Noah follow her, Auggie hot on his heels to catch him when he inevitably falls in the snow.

Lena reaches for her cup and tucks herself under my arm as we follow the group.

And like they always do when she’s near, my muscles loosen and my heart relaxes in my chest. Like she was the missing piece, and she’s finally back in her spot against my body.

The crackle of the fire fills the living room as I pick up the boxes from our evening of decorating the tree. There’s finally silence upstairs, which means my girls are done giggling, and Julia is settling down for bed.

Our massive windows overlook the woods behind our house, and tonight they reflect the glow from the fire and the colorful lights from our scraggly tree.

We wanted our house right in the middle of the forest, and while Auggie and Zara’s place is only a short walk away, ours isn’t visible through the woods at the back of the property.

The two-story cabin has an open floor plan, porches in every direction, and, of course, a hot tub on the back deck.

It's everything I dreamed of.

But in my dreams all those years ago, it wasn’t filled with the bright laughter and family that it is now.

Those are details I never could’ve imagined would be possible back then.

But Lena has made my life better than any dream.

Cub’s nails click on the hardwood floors as he follows my wife down the stairs. Our rescue pup has barely left her side since she got pregnant, and some evenings I have to force him off the couch to get to cuddle with her.

But tonight Lena bypasses the couch, walking right to where I’m standing beside the Christmas tree and sliding her hand into mine.

I turn her around and pull her closer until her back rests against my chest. “Dance with me, Mrs. Santos?” I whisper.

“Always, Mr. Santos.” She tilts her head, leaning into my body as I slide my hands over her belly.

I sweep her hair over one shoulder and bury my face in her neck. “Only a few more weeks,” I murmur. “Then we get to meet this little one.”

She hums as we sway our hips to the silent beat. “I can’t wait to see you holding a baby again. That’s part of what got me into this mess in the first place, but I’m still feral for it.”

I huff a laugh, skating my lips over her pulse. “Thank you for giving me all of this. Do you know how much I love you?”

She lifts a hand and grazes her nails over my scalp, sending chills racing up my spine. “Yeah, but tell me again.”

“I love you, little menace.”

And they’re the easiest words I’ve ever said.