I looked back down at Ginny, chest tight, like I couldn’t breathe.
“You weren’t an accident. You weren’t a mistake,” I told her, her eyes unfocused and cloudy but looking up at me, nonetheless. “You were always the plan, from the very beginning.”
She made a small, sleepy sound like she approved, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I looked back at her mother, still managing to look heavenly despite everything she’d been through in the last sixteen hours.
I adjusted Ginny in my arms and leaned back in the chair, letting my emotions settle into me.
“Hey…” Avery’s sleepy voice broke through the silence.
Her brown eyes were exhausted but shining. She smiled, slow and lazy, like the world was perfect.
Mine sure was.
She looked at our daughter then back at me.
“I love you so much…husband,” she breathed, a tear rolling down her cheek.
I got up, put the baby back in her arms, and kissed her softly.
“I love you too, my beautifulwife,” I whispered back. “More than you fucking know.”
And I meant it, with every twisted, fucked-up inch of my soul.
The sound of pots and pans clanging met my ears before I even stepped out of my office, and I found myself wondering what chaos I was going to find in the kitchen. I knew—we both knew—no matter how many times she read that recipe or watched someone explain how to do it, she’d present something god-awful on the plate. I’d tried many times to teach her, but I was convinced my wife would burn water at this point.
It didn’t stop her from trying, though, and with Ginny coming home, it gave Avery even more reason to make something special.
Ginny was every bit like her mother—stubborn and passionate. She’d inherited my looks but was blessed with her mother’s deep brown eyes. I never thought I could love something so much, but ever since they placed her in my hands, I’d vowed to protect her with my life, just as I had her mother’s.
When she’d gone off to college, nearly four hours from the cabin, from her mother and me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I’d tried to move with her, but Avery didn’t want to give up the home we’d made, so I settled for buying a small apartment near Ginny’s school. We visited often, staying some weekends, even though Ginny assured us she was fine and didn’t need our constant check-ins.
A loud bang from the kitchen brought me out of my thoughts, and I moved carefully, avoiding the creaks on the floor, making my way to my wife.
Avery moved gracefully around the kitchen, though she looked lost, cursing under her breath. I bit my lip to avoid chuckling, not wanting to signal my presence just yet.
She stared at a recipe from a cookbook cracked open on the counter, then went to the fridge, only to come back muttering as she scanned the pages again.
Even the mundane sight of her attempting to run the kitchen had my heart thumping. Avery was more breathtaking than theday we met, and every day, I found myself falling more in love with her.
She jumped when she turned, spilling a little of the flour from the measuring cup in her hand, and saw me leaning against the wall. “Fuck! Rowen! How long have you been standing there?” She frowned and swiped at the white powder on her flowery apron.
I smiled at her, and her expression softened as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I was admiring the view, kitten.”
One of her eyebrows hitched up. “The view?” She gestured to herself, pointing at the hair sticking out of her bun, the sweat on her brow, the flour covering her front, and the bunny slippers on her feet. “Not much to look at here, but I still appreciate the compliment.”
I closed the distance between us quickly, before she could turn and run. I grabbed the measuring cup from her hand and set it on the counter before dipping her to the floor, making her giggle.
“Mrs. Thompson,” I said in a serious voice once I had her upright again. “You must understand something about me.” I pushed some loose hair behind her ear, savoring the way her cheeks turned pink even after all these years. “I don’t care if you wear a trash bag dress and sandwich bag shoes. I willalwaysfind the sight of you absolutely delicious.”
I nuzzled her neck, breathing in her sweet smell before nipping, licking, and biting at her throat until she was moaning quietly, limp in my arms. Only then did I trail a path over her jaw until our lips met and kiss her with everything I had. I groaned when her tongue pressed past my lips, seeking mine. I was hungry for her.
Fuck dinner. I’ll eat you instead, little kitty.
She was breathing hard when I finally pulled away, cheeks redder than a tomato.
“You’ve never looked more beautiful than today, baby,” I promised her, keeping my arms around her waist, wanting her close to me.
