Giggling, I pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. “Yes, you do. But I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
He gave me a heated look, but instead of saying anything he lowered his head, beckoning a kiss. Obliging, I rose on my tiptoes to meet his lips.
“Go sit,” he jutted his head to the table, “the men are serving the ladies today. Right, Kyle?” He yelled the last part.
I heard little, sneakered feet running down the hall before Kyle appeared at the entranceway of the kitchen. “Right!” he answered.
I was sure he hadn’t even fully heard what his father just said, but Aaron could’ve said they were taking a trip to the moon and Kyle would’ve agreed. He was that hung up on Aaron’s every word.
“If you say so,” I replied, smacking Aaron across his sweatpants-covered ass. I giggled when he growled in my direction, his eyes making promises his mouth wouldn’t utter in front of the little ones. I warded off a shiver by turning to Kennedy. “The men are serving us ladies today, Ken. We deserve it, right, baby girl?” I asked, holding out my hand.
“Right,” she agreed, high-fiving me.
Minutes later we were all sitting around the kitchen table, eating breakfast. The children were excited for their early release and Kyle was already talking about one of the books he’d asked Santa to bring him. My son was excited for books! I blinked rapidly, turning to the head of the table to the man who’d made that turnaround possible. Aaron’s eyes moved from Kyle’s to mine, pride shining in them. I hadn’t known I could feel anymore love for this man, but it grew exponentially every day. Since returning from our trip to San Francisco, two weeks prior, I’d told him every day that I loved him. The fear of those words was wearing off and despite how this marriage began, I knew this was where I belonged.
I came back to the present moment, Aaron’s eyes on me again. I was certain he’d read everything that’d just passed through my mind. His hand squeezed around mine. I hadn’t even realized he’d clasped it.
“Huh, Daddy?”
Kennedy’s inquiry drew our attention back to her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. What was your question?”
God, my heart squeezed from how tender he was with her. It was the side most people would never get to see of Aaron, but we were blessed enough to.
“I said,” Kennedy began, sounding exasperated, “will you come with us to buy Christmas decorations? We’re decorating tonight, right, Mommy?” She looked to me.
I smiled. “Yes, sweetie.”
“Yeah, Dad. Come, please!” Kyle interjected.
Aaron looked over the two contemplatively. “I will do my best to join you, but if not, I will definitely be here tonight to decorate.”
The children cheered. They understood their daddy had an important job and that sometimes he had to work long hours. But Aaron was diligent about keeping his promises to them whenever he made them. He hadn’t missed one parent-teacher conference or meeting. He read to the children whenever he was home to tuck them in bed, and aside from his birthday, he never missed a morning with Kyle to workout and work on his reading. I still couldn’t believe how far my son had come in such a short period of time. When I said as much to Aaron, he just gave me a cocky grin and retorted with, “Why not? He’s a Townsend.”
Thirty minutes later, we were all making our way out of the door. Aaron gave the children each a kiss before pulling me into his arms. “Are you all right?”
I frowned, a V dipping between my brows. “Yes, why?”
“You’ve been sleeping in lately. Are you coming down with something?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I may have come down with something all right, but I wanted to wait until I had it confirmed before I said anything to him. Lifting on my toes, I pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m fine. I’m picking the children up around one. I’ll give you a call then to see if you can come shopping with us.”
He nodded and stepped back, holding the car door open for me. I climbed in with the children, who waved to their father as we pulled off.
I would’ve loved for all four of us to have driven together, but Townsend Industries was on the other side of town as the children’s school. It would’ve doubled our trip and either the children or Aaron would’ve been late. But that morning I would’ve been okay with it. For some odd reason a sense of foreboding came over me as soon as we passed the sign at the edge of our gated Cedarwoods community.
I shook it off, and instead focused on dropping the children off, who were giddy with excitement due to the holiday season. Christmas had always been a big deal for us. I made sure of it. Now, with their father and extended family it was even more of a big deal. The entire family was coming over to our home to help decorate and prepare for the next few days. Christmas Day would be spent at Townsend Manor.
Once the children were at school, I had Daniel take me to a local convenience store to pick up the one thing I’d been waiting to get my hands on since I woke up that morning. I moved to the feminine aisle to where the pregnancy tests were. There were more tests available than the last time I done this over six years ago. I decided to purchase two different tests just to be on the safe side.
After making my purchase, I made my way out of the store. As soon as my foot hit the concrete of the sidewalk a sensation of fear blanketed my entire body. Immediately, my head swung from left to right, taking in my surroundings. And as per usual, there was nothing out of the ordinary that I could identify. There were plenty of people out and about. I turned and saw Daniel waiting by the town car at the sidewalk, holding it open for me. Instantly feeling safer, I smiled. Aaron had finally broken down and told me that Daniel wasn’t just a driver but part of his specialized security team, which was why he’d been so insistent in my taking a driver everywhere.
“Where to, Mrs. Townsend?” Daniel asked as I got in the vehicle.
“Home.” I smiled. I had tests to take.
****
