AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s a soun-ee-veer?”
I laughed. “It’s a special present from a different place. Something you get to remember a trip you took. Or something you get for a friend since they couldn’t come on a trip with you.”
“I like presents,” Noah said.
“Me too,” I said, slightly conspiratorially. “So, what kind of souvenir would you like? Something you can eat? Something you can wear? Something you can play with?”
“I want something...something I can eat and play with.”
“Well, that’s a tall order,” I teased. “But I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay! Marley, when do you and Daddy come home?”
“Two more sleeps! Do you know what that means?”
“Yeah. I got to sleep tonight, and then I go to sleep tomorrow, and after I wake from that sleep, you and Daddy are back.”
“Precisely right. And we can’t wait to be home with you.”
Noah fell quiet, and I could almost picture his sheepish sweetness on the other side of the line. His little tucked-in chin and cheeky smile after something that excited him had happened.
“Could I talk to Daddy again?” he asked.
“Of course you can,” I said. “I’ll talk to you in a couple of days, okay? Two more sleeps.”
“Okay.” He paused, and his next words stuttered out of him. “Love you, M-mama.”
My heart stopped, and I gasped. For a moment, my brain completely ceased functioning. Noah had asked me before about calling me Mama, but he hadn’t done it yet. I’d assumed he no longer wanted to after what had happened with Wyatt. I’d told myself that I would earn his trust again.
But maybe he’d just been shy this whole time.
“I love you, too, baby,” I said softly, my throat tightening as I looked at Cole. “Here’s your dad.”
I handed the phone back to him, and Cole brushed a hand over my leg before hooking it under my knees and pulling my legs to drape sideways over his lap. He didn’t really pull me onto his lap, just increased our points of contact. I leaned into him, letting him cuddle me close while he finished talking to Noah and wished him a good night.
He tossed the phone off to the side. “You heard it?” I asked.
He beamed, cupping my face and kissing me before brushing his nose against mine. “He called you Mama,” he said.
“I know,” I said, my heart almost aching.
He backed up from me just a few inches, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “You’re okay with that? Being his mama?”
“Yeah, if you are,” I said. “I mean, I know things are still kind of new, but—”
“I’ve never been more okay with something. And I’ve never been so certain that I want to be with someone for the long haul as I’ve felt with you, Marley. I’m downright ecstatic.”
“That’s good news,” I said, giving a loving giggle and wrapping my arms around his neck, “because I’m afraid you’re going to have a very hard time getting rid of me now.”
“I’m sure I’ll figure out how to acclimate,” he said.
“Yes, you can be remarkably flexible,” I said.
“Speaking of flexible...” he said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leaning over me. “I’ve got an idea for how to stretch some of those sore muscles of yours.”
“Oh? Hmm, lemme see...yoga?”
“There is a pose having to do with a dog that we could do,” he said coyly. “A little more cardio than your typical yoga practice, though.”
