"What did she say?" Samuel could scarcely breathe. "Did I hear her right? Did she-"
"Dada!" Sofia clapped her hands gleefully, fully realizing that she had an avid audience. "Dada! Dada! Dada!" she chortled.
Putting the camera down, Samuel lifted her in his arms and buried his face in the crease of her plump little neck, simply breathing in her scent.
"I am your dada," he whispered. "And I love you so much."
By the end of the evening, the three boys had started walking as well and mimicking their sister by calling dada.
She saw him sitting out on the balcony adjoining their bedroom. He had been very quiet during their meal. Even though he had participated in the usual bathing ritual, he had not said anything much, leaving Eliza a little concerned.
And he was smoking. Samuel rarely smoked unless he was stressed. Over the past months, things had been active. He had won several awards for his films and was taking a much-needed break. They had traveled to the cottage during the summer, just them, and stayed for two weeks. The children had loved it!
"I brought you a glass of scotch."
He had not heard her approaching and jolted slightly at the sound of her voice.
"Thank you. Did Jeremy finally hit the sack?" Crushing out the cigar, he took the glass from her and put it next to him on the table. The scent of juniper, freesias, and roses surrounded them. He had opened the door slightly to invite the warm breeze. Their children would be fully one year old in two weeks, and he knew his wife was planning something big.
"After I threatened to smother him."
Samuel smiled slightly. "How did that go over?"
"He just laughed and banged his toy on the headboard." She sat on the edge of his chair facing him. "I'm worried about my husband."
"Why?" Picking up the glass, he took a sip.
"Because he's smoking, and that only occurs when he's stressed. And he's out here by himself."
"I just needed some alone time."
"You've been quiet ever since the excitement of the children walking and talking all on the same day."
"It was a big event."
"The biggest," she agreed. She lifted a hand to brush back tendrils of hair that had fallen over his forehead. "Won't you tell me what's troubling you?"
He shrugged. "Sofia called me 'dada,' and then the boys followed. Sofia had a number of health issues, and we thought she would not make it. Now she's leading the charge. She's taking over. She called me 'dada,' and the boys mimicked her." He had to swallow the golf-ball-sized lump in his throat.
"They were preemies, and when I look at them, when anyone looks at them, they cannot tell the difference. I was overcome."
Taking the brandy from him, she took a sip and handed it back.
"Me too." She leaned into him.
"I did not want this at first. I thought it was a very bad idea, but you persisted." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, inhaling her scent.
"If it were left up to me, we wouldn't have these children. And even when they were born, I had my doubts. But you never did, and I don't know if I've fully thanked you enough." He turned her face towards his, and the look in his eyes had her melting.
"I doubt that I will ever be able to find the words to thank you for my family. You're the ultimate woman, darling." His eyes darkened.
"You're my ideal woman, and I love you so damn much that I cannot quite grasp the magnitude of it all. Thank you."
She could not speak, not for a few minutes. Tears were very close to the surface. She had mistakenly thought that he was feeling restricted and hemmed in.
"You got on board just in time." She pressed her lips to his. "If you had said no another time, I would have forcibly dragged you to the clinic."
He laughed softly, glad for the hint of humor that dissipated the emotions.
