“You think she’ll last for our grocery-store run?” I wonder.
Rosie lifts her shoulders. “We’ll try. I hear there is a sale in the rum section.” She winks at me.
My wife’s wit has only gotten stronger since she became a mom. Humor and parenthood go hand in hand.
“If we get her down for a nap later, can I pour the rum on you?” My voice is determined, and I hear the undertone of swelter.
She pretends to blush and leans into the table. “Mayor Carter, we’re in public. Watch that mouth of yours.”
“I would rather have my mouth on you,” I volley back.
Her face falls. “Okay, now you need to take it down a notch. There are little ears present, and I’m sure you’ll go feral if I tell you that I’m wearing a new matching bra-and-panty set.”
Sternly, I give her a warning glare. “We need to get out of here. Get those errands down fast then make it home,” I suggest.
She abruptly stands up and gives an over-the-top smile. “I’m in agreement.”
An hour later, we have groceries, managed to get through the aisles without anyone stopping us, and instead of getting our daughter down for a nap so her parents can get naked, we find ourselves pushing Cassie’s stroller down the sidewalk with the sun still out.
Rosie interlaces her arm with mine as we meander along, and she waves with her other hand at a neighbor watering their plants.
“Are we walking by your brother’s?”
“Nah, the dog gets a little too excited around Cassie. Besides, Oliver will suggest we have a BBQ later, and then I’ll find myself back at the grocery store.”
She gently smacks my arm. “Not everyone gets to have their sibling live close enough that you can borrow milk.”
I grin. “I know.” It’s peaceful, an easy-going afternoon. “Maybe we should check on Esme and Keats.”
“Nah, they are in their nesting phase and were going to try and build a diaper table or something today, since the baby is almost here.”
We both wince at that thought. “A leisurely afternoon for us then.”
Rosie hums, and it sounds blissful. “Perfect.”
Leaning over, I get a glimpse of Cassie whose eyes are growing heavy, and in any moment, our mission will be complete, and she’ll be asleep. In the corner of my eyes, I can’t help but notice how Rosie looks off into the distance.
“Today you seem a little off,” I note.
She sighs and brings her head to rest against my arm. “I’m happy. In a good place.”
“Is that what your horoscope said today?” I tease her.
“Har-har.”
It grows quiet between us again. Only the sound of a sprinkler in someone’s yard and birds chirping reminds us that we are outside.
“Sometimes life makes sense.”
My brow lifts. “Oh yeah?” I’m intrigued.
“Yeah.” Her voice thins. “You and I weren’t always simple, but everything I needed to be happy is being with you, living on this road, having our family. I feel complete and right where I’m meant to be.”
Those are the words that anybody would want to hear. It’s a thousand times better when it’s your wife.
I stop us and force her to face me with that usual whimsical mist in her eyes. “Rosie, maybe that’s for you. But for me, everything I needed has always been you. The rest is a bonus.”
She licks her lips and swallows, visibly struggling to bury a tear. “You’re going to make me cry in public, aren’t you?”
