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She closes the distance between us, her eyes sparkling as she stands on tiptoe to kiss me. I curl my hands around her hips and breathe her in.
“Missed you,” I murmur. “How was the skincare place?”
“Wonderful.” She holds up the bag. “We bought a bunch of creams and lotions, and Simone, the owner, will ship me a few boxes of samples. What have you gentlemen been up to? Besides eating more crepes.”
“Eating croissants,” Sophie remarks.
“We also went back to the Invalides to see the arms and armor,” I said. “Then we walked back here. And yes, we checked out a few patisseries on the way.”
“The swords in the museum are so cool.” Joel dumps his empty plate into a recycling bin. “Dad says there’s a zoo over by that other park. Can we go before dinner?”
“Sure thing.”
After Nolan devours the rest of his crepe, we take the Métro to the Jardin des Plantes. We spend another couple of hours wandering around the gardens and admiring the animals, then return to our rented apartment to get ready for dinner.
We eat at the bistro on a little street in the Latin Quarter. The owner greets us like old friends and brings out fresh salads, wild salmon, foie gras, and a number of other family-style dishes. Sophie tries her first aperitif, Nolan indulges in both profiteroles and a chocolate lava cake, and Joel wins the heart of the owner’s wife by attempting to speak in French.
Though we’ve traveled a lot as a family, this trip is special because it’s our last one before Sophie leaves for college. A few days after we get home, Selina and Kevin are coming to stay with the boys while Hannah and I drive Sophie to Los Angeles, where she’ll start the next chapter of her life at UCLA as a biology major. Though our daughter won’t be terribly far from us, it’s a bittersweet milestone.
And a good one. Agreatone. I couldn’t be more grateful for all that my wife and I have, all that we’ve worked for, and all that we’ve been given.
I don’t know what I did to deserve the privilege of walking through life with Hannah, but every day I try to prove myself worthy of both her and our children.
By the time we return to the apartment, we’re fully satiated, exhilarated, and worn out from the day. Sophie disappears into her room to text her friends while Hannah gets Nolan settled into bed. Joel and I engage in another Word Jumble challenge—he wins—before I tell the boys good night and head to Hannah’s and my bedroom.
She’s taking off her necklace at the dressing table, and she meets my gaze in the mirror with a smile. My heart kicks against my chest. I lock the door and approach her.
It’s so easy. Everything with her—love, dreams, hope—is so damn easy. Like everything in the universe slid right into place so we could create this life together.
And when she’s in my arms, everything else falls away. I press my mouth to hers, run my hands over all the beautiful, familiar curves of her body that ignite my lust in less than a second, and slowly strip off her dress.
She winds her arms around my neck and opens her mouth under mine. I ease her onto the bed as our need and urgency spike higher and higher. I know all the nuances of her body and can read every twitch of her hips and arch of her back. Her sighs and moans of pleasure set my blood on fire.
As always, easing into my wife is like entering paradise. My head fills with the feel, taste, and smell of her, and every instinct pushes me toclaim her, take her, make her mine—over and over again. Until the fucking end of time.
I thrust into her repeatedly, urging her toward the moment when she clenches around me and gasps out my name. She sinks her teeth into my shoulder, her choked cry heating my skin as she comes so hard her vibrations echo to my bones.
With a growl, I grab her hips and plunge as far as I can. The edges of my vision almost black out as I shoot inside her, so heavy and deep that her body shudders around mine again.
“Oh, Dane.” She folds her arms around me and buries her face against my neck. “That was incredible.”
“It always is with you.” I roll to the side and pull her against me. “I love you.”
She runs her hand over my chest. “I love you. How did we get so lucky?”
“No idea, but I’ve learned not to question miracles.” I kiss her temple. “And you’re my greatest one of all.”
She smiles against my shoulder. I tighten my arms around her and absorb all her goodness and warmth.
I used to think there was no such thing as miracles. That a world didn’t exist where fates intervene, stars align, and magic happens.
But to my everlasting great fortune, it turns out I was wrong. With my wife and children, I live in that world every day—now and forever.
♥
