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Axur lifted his head and sniffed the air. “It smells good in here.”
Katie turned to Ayla. “Do you want to see how much time is left on the timer?”
She nodded, wiggled out of Axur’s arms, and went into the kitchen. Axur laughed and put his arm around her waist as they moved at a much more leisurely pace toward the kitchen.
“How was work today?” she asked.
“Very productive. The new hires are adjusting to their roles well, and we should be installing the new security system soon.”
After Axur had resigned from his post as general, he applied to become head of security for a fast-growing tech company. They took one look at his resume and hired him on the spot.
He had a few difficulties settling in. The staff hadn’t been quite up to his standards, and he had to completely reshape the way they did everything. His new bosses had been so impressed with the way Axur had set things up that they put him in charge of organizing security in all their locations.
Needless to say, Axur was doing quite well. When he had to leave town on occasion, it was to oversee a new build, not go out in the field. A fact that Katie was immensely grateful for, especially now.
Her lips twitched in a secretive smile, and she could barely contain the secret. But she had a plan, and she was going to stick to it.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad.”
Something, though, that had been bugging her ever since he took this job made her a little apprehensive.
“Are you happy with what you’re doing now?”
He blinked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I know this job pays well, and you’re doing great things, but are you happy there? You didn’t just take the job because you needed to?”
She had gotten everything she wanted. She didn’t want any less for the man she loved.
Axur smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. “At first, it was a little jarring going from battle brief rooms to board meetings. But I’ve found that I love getting to help in this way. And I especially love that I get to be home so much with my girls.”
Katie sighed in relief. She would hate it if he was somewhere he was miserable just for their sake. But it seemed he genuinely did enjoy what he was doing now.
The timer went off just as they entered the kitchen, and Katie went to pull the dish out of the oven.
“What can I do to help?” Axur asked.
“Could you set the table? Ayla and I can dish everything out.”
As Katie and Ayla began filling plates, she took in the sight before her and smiled. Her daughter and her husband helped with the evening meal so naturally. It was all so domestic and sweet, and she paused to soak in the moment. She had a feeling they would have many moments just like this.
Katie and Ayla took the food to the table, and Axur lifted a brow. “Are we expecting company? I think I’ve only seen this much food at a gala event.”
A smile twitched on Katie’s lips. “Oh, I just thought it would be nice if we had a fancy three-course meal. Something I’ve been wanting to try.”
Axur gave a questioning look to Ayla, who merely shrugged. The girl had no more idea of Katie’s intentions than he did. Perfect.
They all began to eat, and Ayla chatted on and on about all the things she did all day. Axur would add the occasional anecdote, but he kept stealing suspicious glances at his wife. Katie just gave him a mischievous smile.
He knew something was up, but she highly doubted he’d guessed it. They finished two out of the three courses, and Katie got up.
“Axur, would you grab the plates I set out for dessert while I get the cake?”
Axur nodded, and Katie had to fight the grin on her face. Nervous anticipation coursed through her. Not that she thought they’d be upset. No, she just could barely keep the secret any longer.
“Katie, you put out an extra plate,” Axur said. “Unless we have someone coming over for dessert?”
She shook her head, and she couldn’t fight the smile any longer. “Nope. I set out a plate for everyone in the family.”
