Page 99 of Catching Sparkles

With the cake finished, I was done with all my last minute little tasks and could finally just relax and enjoy the party. I let out a content sigh, sliding my hands up Rhys’ firm chest and raising to my toes so he could kiss me. He leaned in, slipping his hands around my waist. My chest fluttered as he pulled me in closer, my lips tingling in anticipation.

We’d been married for nearly eight years, but sometimes I still felt like I was living in a dream. A dream I’d conjured up as a lonely, lovesick teenager obsessed with the straight jock prom king quarterback. But he’d proven over and over again that what we had was real. He adored me as much as I adored him, as unbelievable as that seemed.

The moment his lips brushed mine, such light, teasing contact that I was ready to slip my fingers into his hair and pull his face closer, the patio door slid open again, letting in a blast of cool autumn air along with the sound of conversations and kids playing.

“Coach K! Run some drills with me! Rollouts and wrist flicks.”

Rhys let out a breath, slowly turning to face the teenage quarterback he was currently mentoring. We were friendly with his parents, and Astrid went to school with his little sister. Only in Cherryvale.

“Dolan, it’s Saturday. It’s my child’s birthday. Can you give it a rest?”

“No, Coach,” he said, with a level of intensity I’d started to realize was reserved for budding athletes. “You always tell us how important it is not to get complacent, and to make sure we’re getting in drills and workouts when we can.”

Wincing slightly, Rhys squeezed his eyes closed, slowly nodding. “Alright. Give me five minutes, at least.”

“Five minutes!” He repeated, clapping his hands together once. His eyes finally flicked over to me, dipping down to where Rhys’ hands were cupped around my waist. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, Mr. K. We only have two months until State Championships.”

“That’s okay, Dolan,” I said, trying not to show my amusement at his youthful passion. “Go Cardinals.”

He let out a rallying whoop before heading back outside.

Because I didn’t think I could stand another interruption before getting to lock lips with my unbearably handsome husband, I grabbed a handful of the front of his shirt, dragging him to the large walk-in pantry he’d built for me.

I clicked the door shut, closing us into a dark, quiet bubble of privacy among the chaos. Rhys cocked up a dark eyebrow, looking me up and down as I leaned into him.

“Feeling neglected, Sparkles?” He wondered, and I grinned up at him.

“Never. I just thought it might be easier to talk for a minute if we’re out of everyone’s direct line of sight.”

He chuckled, tilting his head in acknowledgment. “Probably.”

“And this,” I added, raising up to my toes again so I could snake my arms around his neck for a kiss. I purred, my lips parting just enough that he could slip the tip of his tongue in and tease me.

“Does this door lock?” He wondered, and I scoffed.

“You installed it! You should know it doesn’t.”

“Ah, yeah,” he remembered, wrinkling his nose in disdain for his past decision making. “I guess I wouldn’t have had a reason to put a lock on a pantry door.”

“Guess not.”

“That’s alright,” he mused, before hitching me up against his chest, tightly gripping my ass as he backed me into the door so no one could push it open. “Close enough.”

I chuckled, sliding my hands up over his broad shoulders to cup his jaw as I tightened my thighs around his waist. “My sexy problem solver.”

He kissed me harder this time, rolling his tongue against mine as his hips nudged me harder against the door. Not that I would have ever complained about any of it, but the more demanding jobs and the kids definitely made spontaneous makeout sessions quite a bit harder to come by than they had been in the early days of our relationship. Not to mention spontaneous sex. Or even non-spontaneous sex.

When we finally parted to breathe, I carded my fingers through his thick waves of messy hair, peppering quick kisses over his brow and temples, which were just barely starting to show signs of lightening with a bit of gray. He wasn’t crazy about it, but I didn’t mind. He was totally handsome and distinguished.

“You don’t really think I ruined the surprise for Ryder by showing her the cake, right?” He wondered, looking genuinely concerned.

I laughed, my abdominal muscles jerking against his as I shook my head. “No, baby. She’s one. She has no idea what’s going on.”

He let out a sigh of relief, pressing his face into my neck. “Thank god. I worried I was being a shitty dad for a second there.”

“You are an amazing dad. A wonderful husband. A kick-ass coach. You take care of all of us so perfectly. You’re like my real-life Superman.”

He let out a pleased little groan at my praise, nuzzling my throat. “How much time do we have again?”