“Food, Mommy,” she says. “Food, Daddy.”
I look at Penny, a massive smile on my face, taking a moment to savor every little thing about her. She’s sitting on the couch with Jessica in her arms, our newborn sleeping peacefully. Penny rocks her from side to side, with that familiar – but no less special – look on her face.
Penny always looks so captivated, so obsessed whenever we have a new child. She stares down at Jessica like nothing else exists, her maternal instinct overriding every else.
She’s become even more beautiful as the years have passed.
Her figure is fuller and more alluring. Her smile is one of absolute devotion, and love, making me think of all the countless moments she’s proven what an incredible mother she is.
She looks up, catching my eye, her lips spreading even wider. I try not to think about last night when our lust reached a breaking point. There’s always a wait between giving birth and being intimate, and last night was our first when we unleashed all the pent-up desire.
But this evening is about love, love and pride, and the knowledge that we made the right choice.
Walking over to the couch, I sit down next to her, gently so I don’t wake Jessica. Wrapping my arm around my wife, I cradle her close, turning to the TV.
“I’m nervous,” she says quietly.
“Mommy, you’re great,” Jamie says, beaming at her. “You were great on the internet and you’re going to be even more great on the TV. Isn’t she, Liam?”
“Mommy is great.” Liam grins over at us, filling my heart with so much love. “Mommy is the—the greatest.”
I give my wife a squeeze.
After ten years of building a massive following online – going from a few hundred, to a few thousand, to finally seven million followers – my woman has earned a spot as a late-night talk show host.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
She looks up at me, her cheeks flushed, her eyes full of love and passion and life. I melt when I look at her, every time.
The passion has never gone. The devotion has never left.
It’s love, always, a never-ending maelstrom of it.
She nods, her lips twitching. “With you, I’m ready for anything.”
I smile and lean down, kissing her on the forehead.
Jessica makes a murmuring sound in her sleep.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too.”
“Daddy,” Jamie says, beaming. “Can I press play now?”
I smile over at our oldest. “Yes, son. Do it.”
He grins as he picks up the remote from the table, aiming it at the TV.