She deserved all of it, every bit of praise.
And Jillian walked back next to me as Ramshackle Bay began to celebrate, Tuppy breaking out the ale as Jeremy started dancing a hornpipe with Athena.
“Things in town have never been better,” Bonnie said, and Ronnie had to agree.
“Indeed,” Augustus put in, snapping his fingers for Earnest to get him another glass of champagne.
Augustus was now the only lawyer in town, while Earnest was the harried assistant trying to work his way back into everyone’s good graces.
“Why, thanks to all the recent work by some visiting offenders on a work release program, every speck of trash in town has all been picked up!”
“I would hardly have recognized Christabelle without her makeup,” Mari put in, and everyone agreed Christabelle seemed hardly to enjoy the trip into town.
Unfortunately, my parents didn’t find trespassing on a private yacht to be very amusing, but in time Christabelle would be out for good behavior. And I didn’t think we’d see her around again.
“Why don’t you two go for a walk on the beach?” Mari suggested after a few dances.
Blue was napping already, and we laid her down carefully in her portable Pack ’n’ Play beside Mari. She was such a good sleeper she’d snooze right there all through the chess game Mari was about to play against Ronnie.
This late in the season, there were no tourists around whatsoever.
The beach was dark and deserted, and Jillian and I sat down behind a big clump of driftwood while I lit a late season fire.
I soon had it crackling away, and I took my wife’s hand as we watched the hypnotic pop and crackle of the flames.
When she laid her head on my shoulder, I couldn’t help a low, animalistic moan of joy, just at even this simple touch.
Because it had been such a long time.
Winning back my wife’s love had been a slow, careful process, and I had never let up once, never pushed, never rushedher, just showed her every day that I was here for her and put my family first.
My pulse was pounding as she snuggled in tighter, and I threaded my fingers through hers, delighting in each affectionate touch.
I craved so much, yearned for everything to go back the way it was, but I took my time. Jillian was worth waiting for.
Even though every cell on my body was pulsing with desire for her, half-mad with the need to touch her, feel her body under mine.
We sat there together for several long, glorious moments.
“I think,” Jillian said into the stillness of the beach. “It’s time for you to move back home.”
“Really?” I cried.
“Really,” she said. “Just for the body warmth, you know. It’s getting cold.”
But there was an adorable little smile on her face, and I could not resist kissing her deeply, passionately, loving the taste and smell of my wife, grateful for every single second with her.
And her fingers curled under my shirt, brushing by my skin, and as I gasped in shock, hardly daring to hope.
“Are you?—”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m ready.”
I was mad for her, wild for her, my hands crazed and awkward as I yanked her long skirt up, my shaking fingers reaching for her panties.
“Oh, baby, I missed this so much. Missed you so much!”
She tipped her hips up to me and every little breath, every movement of her body was like a dream.
