Maybe Dante is right.
What matters is the present, not the past. Worrying about the blondes he took to galas doesn’t serve any purpose other than poisoning my thoughts. I’m the woman Dante chose to spend his life with, and that’s enough. I’m not going to allow history to put a damper on my joy. Being married to Dante and having his babies is what I always wanted. Why spoil perfectly happy moments by being jealous? Our marriage deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt.
Noah laughs from his belly as Dante tickles him. “Stop!”
Dante imitates the monster voice of one of Noah’s favorite storybook characters. “Do you give up?”
“Yes!” Noah laughs some more. “You win. But I’m still hungry.”
Dante chuckles. “In that case, I better feed you.” He shoots me a meaningful look. “Just let me get dressed first.”
Noah hops off the bed. “Yay, pancakes!” Making a beeline for the door, he calls back, “I’ll tell Emily.”
“It’s good of you to spend time with him,” I say when he’s gone.
My mom and I did a lot of fun activities together. Saturday morning baking was always special. My heart contracts painfully at the sweet memory.
“I love spending time with him. He’s a great kid.” Dante’s grin is boyish. “Although, that was close. It’s a good thing I was too eager to get inside you to strip you naked.”
My cheeks heat when I think about what Noah almost walked into. “Next time, lock the door.”
“Lesson learned.” Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he gets up and offers me a hand. “Shower?”
He stands there in all his naked glory, dressed in nothing but a condom, looking too perfect to be human.
I scoot over the bed and take his hand, letting him help me up. Unable to resist, I draw closer and wrap my arms around him. “You smelled like you’d already showered when you woke me up with… you know what.”
“I had one at the condo.”
“Oh.”
He twists my hair around his fist and tugs gently until I lift my face to meet his gaze.
“I always get cleaned up there after a job.”
His meaning sinks in.
Of course.
I know what some of his jobs entail. He can’t come home covered in blood.
“I won’t ask.” I bite my lip, willing my happy bubble not to burst. Not yet. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Always.”
Bending down, he seals the promise with a soft kiss on my lips.
I’m not going to complain. I knew what I was getting myself into when I chose to be with Dante. He’s not going to change, and I don’t want him to. I only want him to be happy. And safe.
We shower together. Dante lathers my body with soap and massages shampoo into my hair. While he cleans himself, I apply conditioner. Once we’re rinsed, he wraps me up in a fluffy towel before taking one for himself that he secures around his waist.
As I grab another towel to squeeze the water from my hair, I can’t help but steal glances at his muscular chest in the mirror. I can never get used to his physical perfection.
He squirts toothpaste on our toothbrushes and hands me mine. We stand side by side, brushing our teeth. It’s such a domestic, unromantic act, yet it’s one of the things I’ve dreamt about when I could only see Dante if I sneaked out of the condo to meet him in secret. It’s a privilege I won’t take for granted.
I spit out the toothpaste and turn to him. “Are you having dinner at home tonight?”
He takes his time to rinse his mouth and to put his toothbrush away. When he’s done, he faces me. “What’s Noah’s favorite food?”
