AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t take it too hard, darling.” Damon moved to his wife, tilted her chin up and kissed her. “Not everyone can be a child prodigy.”
She smiled against his mouth. His body stirred.
“When does Charlie go down for his nap?”
Evolet glanced at the clock and groaned. “Not until eleven.”
“And where will Rashael be at eleven a.m.?”
“With Samuel, Sarah and Constanza at the park.”
Damon’s wedding gift to Evolet had been converting part of his penthouse into a small apartment for Constanza. Having Constanza join them in the mornings for breakfast, relaxing on the terrace or, most importantly, spending time with her grandchildren had not only made Evolet and Constanza happy, it had also given Damon another taste of having a maternal figure in his life. Getting to know Constanza’s son, Samuel, and, as of five years ago, his new wife, Sarah, had added more faces around the table for Sunday dinners and holidays.
It wasn’t always easy. He and Evolet had both noticed Constanza struggling a little more with losing track of time or fumbling with names. The disease had progressed and would continue to do so. But he also knew that he and Evolet would be there for Constanza to help her navigate the changes in her life.
Just as they would be there for each other, for the good times and the bad.
Damon rubbed his hands up and down Evolet’s arms. “So, what I’m hearing is we have an empty penthouse, a sunny day and a beautiful pool.”
“Why Mr. Bradford, are you proposing playing hooky from work?”
“I think I’m overdue for some time off.”
The Royal Air contract had been the beginning of a massive expansion of Bradford Global. When they had delivered the planes not only on time but under budget, business had skyrocketed with requests coming in from around the world. New plants were going up every year. Offices had expanded.
And Damon had hired more administrators to share duties with. Bradford Global still held an important place in his life and always would.
But, he thought as Evolet’s arms twined around his neck,not the most important.
He was leaning down to kiss his wife again when another blast of music echoed down the stairs.
“Any chance we could get her to switch over to the drums?”
“I’m not sure which would be worse. She still insists she’s ready to play in the concert at her preschool tomorrow.” Her nose scrunched as Rashael’s cello let out another indignant squawk from above. “What do I do?”
“Let her. She’ll have fun. Next week she’ll be on to something else.”
She smiled, then reached up and framed his face with her hands. “Have I told you lately that I love you very much?”
“I believe you said something about it this morning when you woke me up.”
“Uh, I believe it was you who woke me up when you slipped my nightgown off,” Evolet replied as her hands slipped down over his neck, her fingertips grazing his skin. “Not that I minded—”
“Mommy!”
Rashael hopped down the stairs, her round face framed by dark waves of hair, her golden-brown eyes round with excitement. “I’m ready for the concert!”
Evolet grazed Damon’s lips with her own once more before moving over to the stairs to sweep their daughter into her arms. “I can’t wait to see you play, baby.”
“And we get to go to the carousel afterward, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Damon leaned against the kitchen counter, his eyes flickering between his wife, his daughter and his son. Evolet looked up at him, love shining in her eyes.
“What are you thinking?” she asked softly.
“That I was right.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” He pulled her into his arms against the backdrop of Rashael’s delighted squeal. “We have a wonderful life.”
