“If you want to go back to the condo, that’s fine. I just don’t want you to do it for the wrong reasons. You’re always welcome here.”
She nods and moves away quickly, making it clear she doesn’t want to talk about the matter anymore.
Letting it go for now, I give Noah my attention. “Emily and I have finished talking. Now it’s your turn.”
“Can I have cereal?” he asks again. “Please?”
I’m not a big fan of feeding him something that’s so high in refined sugar and full of artificial colors and flavors. Jazz, meaning well, got him hooked on the cereal while I’d been missing.
I open the pantry. “You can have peanuts and raisins.”
Noah doesn’t contest because peanuts and raisins are always a firm favorite with him.
Once again, I have no idea how I know that.
I just do.
The dinner is fun. Noah is in his element. The three of us bond over deliciously cheesy pepperoni pizzas followed by ice cream sundaes for dessert. Noah makes full use of the carte blanche he’s been given by ordering a fizzy orange drink. I have a glass of white wine while Dante only has water because he’s driving.
For once, we didn’t take a driver. It’s nice—just us like any other family in the car. Of course, two cars with guards followed, and Dante’s men did a safety check in the restaurant before he allowed us to enter. But the evening feels exceptionally normal. And that’s special. I didn’t realize how much I needed this.
The sex afterward is tender. Dante takes his time with me. He worships my body in a hundred different ways, spreading me out on the floor because we didn’t make it to the bed, then on the bed, and again in the shower. No wonder I’m sore. But I’m not complaining. I snuggle against him, exhausted but content, drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep to be woken just after six in the morning by a knock on the door.
Dante is fully awake in a flash, looking vigilant and alert as he sits up.
“Mommy?” Noah calls from the other side of the door. “Daddy? Can I come in?”
Oh, my heart. Pushing up onto my elbows, I smile through my sleepiness. “He’s learning.”
Dante grins and lifts the covers, showing me his pajama bottoms. “This time, I’m better prepared.” He kisses my forehead. “Stay, darling. I’ll make him breakfast.” Swinging his legs over the bed, he calls, “I’ll be right there, Noah.”
“Oh.” I sit up too, brushing my hair from my face. “I can do that. You have to go into the office early.”
“Go back to sleep.” Dante stands, bends down, and kisses me on the lips. “I kept you up way too late last night.”
A shiver of pleasure runs through me at the memory.
Another knock sounds. “Daddy?”
Dante grabs a T-shirt from the chair where he’s left it last night, no doubt in preparation for getting up for our son. “I’m coming, Noah.”
My heart swells as I watch my husband pull the T-shirt over his muscular chest. He planned on letting me sleep in all along, knowing that I was close to collapsing by the time his sexual appetite was finally sated, and I find the gesture impossibly sweet.
I’m tempted to get up anyway. Dante will be tired too. He works long hours and often continues to work in his office when we’ve put Noah to bed, but I also grant them the time together. I have plenty of hours to bond with Noah during the day. Dante has a lot less of those special moments.
When I finally go downstairs an hour later, showered and dressed in a comfy sweatshirt and lounge pants, Emily is humming to herself while dusting in the lounge.
“Morning, Tiana,” she says with a smile as I pass.
“Good morning.” I stop in the doorway. “You’re up early.”
“It’s age.” She sighs. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Have you thought more about what we spoke about yesterday? I don’t want you to be unhappy. It’s important to me that you feel at home here.”
“I do.”
“That’s good to hear. Please tell me if that changes.”
