“I needed to hear that.”
“I know.”
“Something occurred to me this morning,” she says, straddling my thighs.
“That we can have wild monkey sex, anytime and anywhere, now all the kids have flown the nest?” I quip, grabbing her toned arse in my hands. My woman is all kinds of flexible, thanks to regular yoga, and I’m always keen to bend her into lots of different positions.
She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Pretty sure we’ve had plenty of wild monkey sex with the kids in the house.”
“We could build a sex room.” My eyes widen at the prospect.
“You have sex on the brain,” she teases, grinding on top of me.
“Seems like I’m not the only one.”
“I thought for sure you’d want a lake with swans.”
“That too.” Grabbing her hips, I slide her back and forth on top of me, ensuring she feels my hardening length. I’m still so horny for my woman.
Heat flares in her eyes as she stares at me, and I get lost in her. She’s still so fucking beautiful, growing old gracefully like my mum and mother-in-law. With the exception of a few laughter lines around her eyes, some gray in her dark hair, and slightly softer curves, Vivien hasn’t changed much in all the years I’ve known her. She’s still the most gorgeous on the planet. She cups my face. “You know I’ll give you whatever you want because I love you and I like making you happy.”
“I love you so much.” Circling my arms around her, I hug her tight. “I love our life. You’ve made me so incredibly happy, Vivien.”
We kiss slowly and passionately for a few minutes without any agenda despite my teasing. Sometimes, I just love hugging and kissing my wife, reveling in the intimacy we share. An intimacy that has lasted the test of time when plenty of other marriages have long since fallen by the wayside. “Love you, rock star,” she says when we finally break our lip-lock. Emotion swims in her eyes as she cups my face. “What I was going to say earlier was I was thinking this morning about how I had Reeve in my life for twenty-six years and now you’ve been in my life that long too.”
“I know, beautiful.” I smooth a soothing hand up and down her back. “I’m always acutely aware of the years, months, days,minutes, and seconds we’ve spent together because I spent far too many of them without you.”
“Still such a romantic,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes.
“Do you still miss him?”
“I’ll always miss him, Dillon, but it doesn’t make me sad anymore. How could it when I have you and the kids and the most amazing life? I’m sad his life was cut so short, but I’m exactly where I was always meant to be.” She kisses the tip of my nose. “Never doubt that you are the love of my life.”
I haven’t doubted it in a very long time. “I’m secure in our love.” I brush my fingers across her cheek. “But I’ll always regret I never got to know him. I’ll always regret believing Simon instead of asking Reeve if it was true.”
A pregnant pause ensues, and I guess we’re both thinking how we might not be here now if that had happened. It’s hard to admit you wouldn’t change a thing about your life despite all the heartache and suffering—yours and others—because it seems like the most selfish admission even if it’s also the most selfless. It’s like saying we’d be okay if we’d never reunited. If Fleur and Melody didn’t exist.
Things happen in life for a reason.
I fully believe that now.
“Reeve is at peace, Dillon. You should be too. Let go of your regrets, my love. I’m pretty confident he’s looking down at the amazing husband and father you are, and it tells him everything he needs to know.”
“Have you felt him at all lately?”
She shakes her head. “Not in years. Not since that awful night with Bodhi.”
A shudder works its way through her as icy tentacles wrap around my spine. None of us like remembering that time. “He’s in a great place,” I remind her. “He’s happy.”
“I’m so proud of him. I’m proud of all our kids.”
“Same. I don’t think we can even take much credit. We lucked out. They’re all such good, kind, compassionate kids.”
“I miss them,” she whispers, resting her head on my shoulder. “What’ll we do with ourselves now they’re gone?”
A deep chuckle rumbles from my chest. “Oh, Hollywood, I can think of plenty of ways to keep you busy.” I nibble on her earlobe. “I’ll give you a clue. Most all of them involve you on your back.”
“That’s a given, babe.” She rocks on top of me, and my dick stirs to life again. “But I’m thinking we should do it. What you suggested.”
