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“She said the same thing. That we need a break, to get away just the two of us. She suggested two weeks — and that James could come stay with the kids.”
“You don’t want to?”
“I don’t know. Can we? First of all, can we afford it? Second of all, what about the kids?”
“It’s in between seasons, so things are a little less expensive, so yeah, we can afford it. We can use it as our Christmas gift to one another, if that helps. And James is going to come watch the kids. Cole is around. So are Lauren and Josh.”
“You’ve thought about this, huh?”
“To be honest, I’ve been wanting time alone with you for months, but we never get it. But it wasn’t until Cole mentioned actually getting away that I really started thinking of it. After we talked, I made a few phone calls before I got home.”
“I want that too, but…”
“Nope. No buts. We’re doing this. We leave on Saturday morning. We can still see Grady’s game on Friday night — even though he won’t be playing — and Maggie’s volleyball game on Thursday night. Harper might even learn how to sleep in her own bed when we’re not around.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? Really?” he asks with hopefulness.
“Yes. Let’s do it.”
“Yes!” he says as he does a goofy fist punch. “I kind of expected you to put up more of a fight,” he admits.
“No way. I want this. I’ll talk to my clients this week and let them know I’ll be away. And if we wait, then we’ll be getting too close to the holidays.”
He spins me around as he whoops loudly, making me laugh. He bends down and kisses me sweetly before dipping and kissing me on his spot then pulls his face away and slowly lowers my feet to the ground.
“Oh, speaking of holidays…” he says with a huge smile on his face.
“Yeah?”
“Cole’s bringing Mia for Thanksgiving.”
“I thought you said he was bringing his new girlfriend?”
He looks at me expectantly with his eyebrows raised before it clicks.
“Mia!?” I hit his shoulder lightly and he laughs at me, clearly pleased with his news to share.
“I know. He just told me tonight. Cool, huh?” he says then slaps me on the butt and walks down the hallway to our bedroom.
Chapter Fourteen
Barrett
“Bye guys, have fun!” Maggie says as she bounces on her toes. She’s so excited to have Tess’s brother, James, staying with them that she practically packed our bags for us. Obviously, Grady is old enough to not have a babysitter, but we need someone here for Maggie and Harper, Harper especially.
I look over at James who is leaning against the side of the house, giving us the time we need to say goodbye. His left arm is a sleeve of tattoos, his hair shaved close to his head, and his beard scruffy; his bright blue eyes are sparkling. He looks far more reckless than what he really is, but those eyes are what give him away. He’s really just a big softy.
I lean down and take Maggie into my arms and hug her tightly, followed by Grady then Harper, who climbs up my legs and links her tiny little arms around my neck. I let go of her after a while, but she doesn’t. Her arms are still hooked around my neck, but her little legs are dangling. I swing her a couple times lightly and she giggles. I grab her around the waist, and eventually she loosens her hold on me before jumping down and directly into Tess’s arms.
Tess is sniffling, hopefully at the thought of missing the kids and not at being alone with me for a week. She’s a sentimental sap and cries easily. Last Christmas there was a commercial where a young woman decorated an elderly man’s house with twinkle lights for the holidays. Every single time it came on, she turned into a weeping mess. Unlike my pretty girl, I’m not emotional in the least about saying goodbye to the kids for a week. I’m friggin’ ecstatic. An entire week alone with Tess has me giddy. We may not be at our best right now, but I’m about to make damn sure that we’re at perfection again before we leave that cabin.
After making the rounds, going over everything with James and double checking with Cole that he will be back for the weekend, we’re ready to leave. I load all our bags into the back of the SUV and drag her by the arm to the car.
We’ve only been driving for thirty minutes of our five-hour drive when we stop at a gas station to fill up and grab a drink. I feel bad for already having to stop, but I didn’t have time to make sure the gas tank was full before we left. She’s been sitting quietly in the passenger seat of the car, her shoes shrugged off, one of her denim-clad legs bent so her foot is resting on the seat and her knee against the door. Her dark grey sweatshirt that saysMama Bearon the front is slipping slightly off one shoulder. Her curls are down, and her face is almost bare, only a bit of mascara on her eyelashes because she“feels naked without it,”and a shimmer of lip gloss that I know will taste like raspberries.
She’s the picture of relaxation, but I know she’s anything but. She’s already eaten probably half-a-dozen peppermint taffies. Definitely one of her comfort foods.
