“Of course. What more could a girl ask for than Whiskey and roses?”
His deep throaty chuckle meets my ears. “I love you madly.” He breathes the words against my lips.
“I love you more.”
A moment later, he lifts me off him, and we head to the bathroom to shower. Afterward, we climb into bed, naked, and he wraps his body around mine. This is how we fall asleep every night, and it’s perfect.
There was a time I never thought I’d have this. This deep-rooted love that I know will stand the tests of time. I never thought I’d have a family of my own, but Rhett, he changed all of that. He made my dreams come true.
The next morning, I wake up alone. The bed beside me is cold, so I know he’s been up for a while. Laughter drifts from downstairs, and I smile. He’s such a good dad. Once out of bed, I brush my teeth, and get dressed in pajamas, then head downstairs.
“Finally,” Lilah says, exasperated. “We’re starving.”
“It smells yummy. Did you make this?” I ask her.
“I helped,” she says proudly.
“You’re up early,” I tell my husband, standing on tiptoes to kiss him good morning.
“Let us take care of you for a change,” he says, pressing his lips to mine. “Speaking of that, you need to eat, and then get ready to go.”
“Go? Where am I going?”
“Spa day.”
“What?”
He shrugs. “Jake and I got you and Molly a spa day. The works.”
“But it’s our anniversary,” I remind him.
“Exactly. This is my gift to you. You bust your ass taking care of us, and you deserve a day of pampering. I mean, you’ve put up with me for sixteen years.”
“I’ve loved every second of those sixteen years.”
His eyes soften. “Me too, baby.” Snaking an arm around my waist, he kisses me, slow and deep.
“Eww,” Lilah moans. “Bubby, Gracie, Nora, save me,” she whines, making us pull away from the kiss and laugh.
“Eww is right,” Rhett tells her. “Boys have cooties.”
“Then why you kissing him, Momma?” she asks.
“He’s my husband. You can kiss your husband.”
“No way. I’m never getting married.”
“Good girl,” Rhett praises. He winks at me, and I shake my head.
As soon as my plate is cleared, Rhett ushers me upstairs to get ready. Apparently, there is a car coming in an hour to pick us up. I hesitate, not wanting to be away from him today. “Go, baby. You deserve this. It’s a few hours. The kids and I are going to hang out today. Tonight, we’ll be together.”
“Oh, I bought the stuff to make individual homemade pizzas. I thought that would be fun.”
He grins. “Sounds great, Short Stack. Now go get ready.” With another quick kiss and a hug from each of the kids, I head upstairs to shower.
5
Rhett