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“Well, I’ve had blue balls for, like, two hours now, so I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist you any longer.”
Her eyes flare. “Oh…”
“How’s Leia doing?”
She looks at the bottle. “Nearly done.”
I wait until all the milk has gone, then take Leia from her and hold her against my shoulder, and we go through to Leia’s room. We’re going to paint it over the next few days, because Aroha wanted to do it herself, so we’ve already made a few marks on the walls where we’re going to put stickers, and the pots of paint sit in the corner, ready for us to start.
After a few minutes and a final cuddle from us both, I put Leia down in her bassinet. Aroha closes the curtains and sets her mobile playing, and then we go out, taking her monitor with us.
We go into the living room, laughing as Leia talks to herself for a bit. “I wonder if she’ll say Mama or Dada first,” I tease.
Aroha flushes and slides her arms around me. “You really want her to call me Mummy? I don’t mind if you’d prefer Aroha.”
I shake my head. “We’re married. If I’m her Daddy, you’re her Mummy.”
She smiles and nods. “Okay.”
I look away, out of the window at the garden. It’s been a gorgeous summer, hot and sunny most days. In the evenings, the late sun turns the lawn to gold and floods the living room with treacle-colored light. The sliding doors are open, and I can smell the lavender and jasmine growing around the base of the deck.
I feel unbelievably happy, full of hope and anticipation. I haven’t felt like this for a long, long time, maybe ever.
I look back at the beautiful woman standing before me. Her hair is down today, and it shines like chocolate silk. Her mouth with its full bottom lip looks soft as rose petals. Her big eyes stare up into mine, a little worried, I think, that I’m going to change my mind.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I bring up Spotify, choose Khalid’s Outta My Head, turn it up to max, and start it playing. It’s slow and sultry, with a mesmerizing beat, and Aroha’s eyes light up.
Without saying anything, I slide my hands around her, and she lifts her arms up around my neck.
We begin to move to the beat, and I tighten my arms, keeping her hips close to mine. It takes me back to the night before Damon’s wedding, when we danced to Paua of One and Nine Inch Nails. We’ve come a long way since then—we’ve gotten to know one another better, and we’ve grown so much closer. She’s helped me through those terrible first few days of grief, and she’s been there for me continually, a raft I could cling to when I felt as if everything was going to sweep me away.
As Khalid tells us there’s romance in the atmosphere, we move together, and the hazy air seems to sparkle with promise.
She slides her hands into my hair and pulls my head down, and I kiss her obediently. “I can’t get you outta my head,” I murmur. “I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you’re all I’ve been able to think about for weeks.”
“I’m in love with you,” she whispers. “I think I have been for a long time. I’ve tried to ignore it, but you’re all I want.”
“My wife.”
“My husband.”
We both chuckle. She’s still wearing the silky teddy, and my hands slide over her body to hold her hips as they wind close to mine.
She kisses me, pressing up against me, and I brush my hands lightly over her bruised side and up to her breasts, cupping them for the first time. She murmurs her approval, arching her back to push them into my hands, making my heart race. Her nipples are soft, but as I tease them with the pads of my thumbs, they harden into tight buds, and she sighs against my mouth.
God, this song is sexy, and the girl in my arms is driving me crazy. I know she must be aware of my erection; our hips are pressed so close together.
It’s been less than three minutes, and I want this girl so badly I feel as if I’m going to explode.
Pocketing my phone and giving her the baby monitor, I then bend and pick her up in my arms.
“Sofa?” she asks hopefully.
I shake my head. I haven’t forgotten that as much as she wants me, any memory of past trauma might make it uncomfortable for her, and I don’t want to hurt her.
“Bed,” I tell her huskily. “I want you to feel comfortable and safe.”
“I always do with you.”
