* * *
“Hey, kiddos. Did you miss Mom and Dad?” Vienna hasn’t even stepped out of the car when Tassels and Mystery start bouncing on their feet, ready to greet her.
Tassels’ whines and Mystery’s low growls fill the space, along with Vienna’s lively laughter.
She looks at me with a huge grin before walking toward the porch with her fur babies surrounding her.
Do I blame them?
No fucking way. They know Vienna is special, and they want all of her brightness, just like me.
We stay on the porch, watching the sunset and teaching the boys tricks. Mystery successfully learns to cover Vienna’s lap with a blanket, but Tassels’ every instruction ends with him lying flat on the ground, playing dead as a possum.
“He’s useless.” Vienna giggles. The porch feels warmer today, and I know it has nothing to do with the fire burning in the fireplace. It’s the warmth of happiness, and maybe all four of us feel it.
What are you thinking, Zane? This is fucking fake.
Before reality can knock more sense into me, Vienna gets up. “I’ll go clean up.”
Once she leaves, the boys remember I’m also here.
“S-so, now you w-want me?” I rub their heads a few times before going inside. My steps halt at the landing between the two bedrooms. The guest bedroom door is shut, but my mind has no trouble remembering every moment of the previous night.
Vienna’s words, her groans, her touch, the feel of her, is something I’ll never forget. I don’t even know if this was a one-time thing we did on our wedding night or if there will be a repeat of it.
And wouldn’t I love to hold her in my arms one more night?
When I hear the sounds of a dresser opening and closing from inside, I quickly walk into my bedroom.
I freshen up in record time and find Vienna putting our dinner into the microwave. I join her, and she smiles at me, and I don’t know why but it trips my heart. I clear my throat a few times to get myself under control, but nothing seems to be working.
“I can’t believe you have a home-cooked dinner delivered for you every day.” She pulls out two plates and starts working on some art with cherry tomatoes and chives.
“I d-don’t know how t-to cook. So, it w-was either th-this or have someone pr-repare me food here. But I d-don’t like s-strangers in my per-rsonal place.”
Vienna’s making black streaks on the plates with a bottle of balsamic cream sauce, and she halts and looks up at me with wide eyes.
“W-wives don’t fall under th-this category,” I rush. Only when the wide smile returns on her face does my heartbeat settle back to normal.
She takes our plates to the porch while I clean and refill the water and food bowls for Tassels and Mystery.
When I look down at my food, a laugh escapes me. Next to the chicken gravy, she’s shaped the rice into a bear with eyes, a nose, and even buttons on the chest. “So, how d-did you start on your dr-ream of becoming a food s-stylist?”
“I haven’t.” She shrugs. “This waitressing job was supposed to be temporary. I wanted to make some money, get better camera equipment, start building my portfolio, and do some food blogging. But life threw all my plans in disarray.” She pokes at her food, and her downturned mood doesn’t sit well with me.
I’m about to tell her that she can still do all that but stop at the last minute. I know my words aren’t enough, so I keep her focused on what brings her happiness.
“B-but if you could, how’d-d you go about it?”
Her gaze stays buried on her food.
“T-tell me.” When I lean forward and hold her hand, she glances up at me. After placing her dinner on the table, Vienna grabs her phone from her pocket and swipes her screen a few times before turning it toward me.
There are tons and tons of photos of her food craft, ranging from something as simple and cute as a rice bear to a complicated design of a Disney character. She has a huge social media following with comments from moms requesting her to include specific ingredients and create their kids’ favorite recipes.
“W-wow. Th-this is amazing.” I had no idea she was this serious about her art. I thought it was just a hobby.
“I had just started to monetize it when everything went downhill.”