Page 22 of Maldives & Mistletoe

“Night.” Tommaso rolled over in his bed. “Wuv you, Papa.”

He waited for an extra minute, until Tommaso’s shoulders lifted and lowered rhythmically with even breaths. If the kid wasn’t sleeping already, then he was damn close to it. Slipping out from behind the curtains without making a sound, Tommas was quick to find where his wife had set herself up.

In front of the small Christmas tree, Abriella sat cross-legged with a cup of green tea in her hands. She lifted the cup up to take a sip as Tommas came to sit beside his wife. Silently, he snaked an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to his side. When even that wasn’t enough for him, he pulled her into his lap altogether.

This was the best part of his day, usually. Quiet time with his wife when he could just enjoy her being close, and nothing more. Resting his lips on the back of her shoulder, he soaked in the silence and her. For a long while, the two of them said nothing, only watched the twinkle lights on the small tree blink and flicker with life.

Abriella broke the silence first. “He went to bed easily, then?”

“He’s tired,” Tommas murmured. “A lot like the rest of us, I think. Big day, baby.”

He felt her nod, and then her hand came around to find his clasped at her waist. Without saying a word, she unfurled his fingers, and snuck her palm in against his. Weaving their fingers tightly together, she held on tight to his hand. Tommas pressed another kiss to her shoulder just because he wanted to feel the softness of her skin on his lips.

“A big day is one way to put it,” his wife said softly.

If there was one thing about Abriella that a lot of people didn’t know, it was her strength and ability to appear fine even when it felt like her whole world was burning down around her. Not that their world was coming down around them, but it wasn’t like his wife had been in the dark about this vacation, either. She knew there had been business going on behind the scenes even if she didn’t ask too much about it. No doubt, she had been silently stewing in her mind over this whole thing.

Would it be okay?

Would this go bad?

And yet, she had never breathed a word to him either way about it. Maybe that was partly her raising, but he also liked to believe it was because of him, too. Not because he didn’t allow his wife an opinion on his business or choices, but rather, he had proven time and time again that he would always walk back in through those doors to greet her at the end of every day.

So, she kept her worries quiet.

She let him go.

And she waited for him to come back.

Like all the times before.

“Ella,” Tommas said, trailing kisses up the back of her neck.

“Hmm?”

He decided he didn’t like talking to her like this. Not with her back to him, even if she was sitting in his lap. Snatching the cup of green tea from her hands, he set it aside, and turned her on his hip so that she was facing him. Her legs straddled his waist, he cupped her face, and brought her in for a slow kiss that had her grinning against his mouth.

“You know I’m always coming back,” he told her.

She nodded. “I know … but it was Christmas, and we weren’t in Chicago. I just got stuck in my head, I think.”

“Ella.”

She sighed. “I know, it’s silly.”

Not silly.

Understandable, really.

“I’m always going to be home for Christmas, too, Ella.”

Abriella smiled. “I know, Tommy.”

Good.

That’s all he asked for, really.