AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Jake, come here.”
“No!”
The voice of that two-year-old seeped through our front door, greeting me as I approached. Jake was going through his “no” phase, but Hannah had the patience of a saint.
I pushed open the door, fully prepared to help out where I could. We were trying for a little brother or sister for Jake, but this “no” phase had us both wondering if we should wait a little longer.
“Daddy!” Jake shrieked.
He was sitting on his booster chair at the table, but instead of having dinner all over his face as usual, he was completely clean and fully dressed in pants and a T-shirt. As he turned in his seat to face me, I saw the shirt readHappy Birthday.
“What do we say?” Hannah asked our son.
Together, they yelled out, “Happy Birthday!” Well, Jake sounded like he was saluting “Bird Day,” but that made it even cuter.
My heart filled with joy. Hannah had said we would celebrate my birthday on the weekend since weeknights were so hectic. Because of that, I hadn’t expected this at all.
“Thank you, guys,” I said. “What a surprise.”
“Come see!” Jake yelled out.
And that was exactly what I did. On the table in front of Hannah, just out of Jake’s reach, was a round cake with white icing and the wordsHappy Birthdayin fancy writing across the top.
The best part of the cake, though, was the tropical theme. I didn’t get it, though. We lived in the mountains, not near the beach.
“I’m going to stay with Aunt Tinley!” Jake announced. “For seven nights. Right, Mommy?”
Hannah nodded at our son, then shifted her smile back to me. “We’re taking that honeymoon we never got. You can’t say no, either. I’ve already talked to your boss, and he’s more than happy to give you a long overdue paid vacation.”
Vacation. My entire body relaxed at the thought. But mostly, the idea of having Hannah to myself for seven days and nights filled me with excitement. We did pretty well sneaking in a quickie here and there, but sometimes having a toddler in the house was like being a teenager again. It was almost impossible to have sex in your own home without the fear of being caught.
“Candles, Mommy!” Jake said, pointing at the cake.
“Oh, right.” Hannah turned and rushed to the kitchen, returning seconds later with a wand lighter. “Let’s get this cake lit.”
I dropped down onto the seat next to Jake and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He smiled up at me, but as soon as hismom started lighting candles, I was last week’s news. Jake was amazed by the way his mom could turn a wick into a flame by just touching the fire on the lighter to it.
“I hope we don’t have a little pyromaniac on our hands,” I joked.
Hannah straightened and glanced over at our son. “He’ll be fascinated by something else in a minute or two. He’s easily entertained these days. Okay, make a wish.”
How did a man make a wish when everything he ever wanted was right in front of him? I closed my eyes and wished for the health and safety of the people I loved most in the world. Then I opened my eyes and blew out the candle.
“Let’s eat cake,” I announced.
