I stroll into Om This and hear that peaceful music I always give my wife so much shit for every time I come here. Other than that the place feels empty. “Beautiful! Where are you?”

She calls from the restrooms, “Lock the door for me! I’ll be right out!”

Digging my keys from my pocket I shuffle through them to find the one that belongs to this store and not the other two we expanded with last year. “You changing clothes for dinner?”

“Yep! Be right out!”

Shelby clued us in on the fact that the business was up for sale when Jordanna finally told herself she didn’t even like yoga. Paige insists on working even though we don’t need the money.

Human beings need to feel useful.

If we don’t we go insane.

As usual I couldn’t argue with her logic.

Especially after Bobby went back to school to study engineering. It kept his mind occupied and his teacher is the inspiring kind who makes his students respect him because he engages them in new ways. Bobby wanted to impress him, so he worked harder. Then he stopped falling off the wagon and got a sponsor. But my dad still won’t let him come to the Family BBQs.

I’m not a huge fan of Paige running three stores, since I’m a narcissist and want her to myself all the time. But what I could do was hire a large staff so she can skip town whenever I need her to travel with me, and of course she’s always game.

Shelby stopped teaching yoga classes long ago. She does the books for us, but other than that she stays up north working the organic farm with her husband Ben. Weirdest thing to watch her and my cousin get married. But whatever.

I turn the sign over in the window as I’ve done countless times, and wait by the register checking my phone and eyeing the speakers. “Fuck it,” I mutter, walking to scroll through her playlist and put something else on.

To make her laugh I almost choose my own music and act like it’s the only thing I listen to, when she knows that’s bullshit. It’d be fun to fuck with her, though. But on second thought I hit the R&B list for Otis Redding’s song, These Arms of Mine.

Paige calls out from the back studio room. “I love this song!”

“How’d you get back there?” I call back, confused as to how I missed her.

“I snuck.”

“You snuck?” Growing curious my steps pick up speed and I turn the corner with my hand on the doorframe, pausing as I see candles spread out around a spread of fluffy blankets. “Those are from home.”

“Very good detective work, Sherlock,” she smiles, walking out from the storage room in a black negligee that makes my cock start filling up right away.

“Oh wow, Happy Birthday to me.”

She’s got heels on even though there’s a no-shoes allowed rule in this room. “Figured I’d give you your present before we go eat.” Biting her lip in the sexiest way, she slips a spaghetti strap down her shoulder, letting it hang there where my teeth want to get at it. She bends over and gracefully lands on her hands in Downward-Facing Dog position.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me,” I groan, unzipping my pants.

“The door is locked for a reason. Take it all off.”

Hissing through my teeth I undress as she cranes her ass higher in the air to tease me.

“I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to fuck you in that position when you’re half-enlightened.”

Stifling a laugh, Paige says, “Look back there.”

I stand behind her and see the crotch has a snap release. “Oh, man, best birthday gift ever.”

“Thought you’d like that,” she whispers with sex in her voice. I pop the thing open with two fingers and slide one up her pussy.

“You’re so wet, Beautiful. Guess knowing you were going to surprise me got you all excited, huh?” I bend down and lick her. She pushes into my mouth and gives this breathy moan that makes me even harder. “You know what’s going to happen, don’t you? Every time you do this position in class from now on you’re going to imagine my cock pressing up in you like this. Filling you. Stretching you. Making your whole torso catch fire as I take you from behind and massage your ass like this. Trace my fingers over your lower back and thighs just like this. Thrust real slowly until you beg me to go faster. That’s right. Moan a little louder, wife. Nobody can hear you.” As I angle my hips and start pounding her I rasp, “Go ahead and make those sexy little noises when you lose control.”

She starts rubbing into me and moans, “Gabriel! Keep talking!”

“You like it when I talk dirty? You like me to describe how that sweet heat builds inside you. How it threatens to turn you inside out it feels so good. You’re pulsing on my cock. Mmm, so fucking tight. So wet.” I grab her hips and go to town.

She moans and her voice just does me in. I need to kiss her.

Bending over I wrap my arms around her and lift up, kissing her right shoulder blade as I fuck her standing. She grabs my head, twisting her torso to be able to kiss me. Our tongues dance as we move. Panting she breaks free, locks eyes with me and whispers, “I’m pregnant. Happy Birthday, Handsome.”

I freeze.

“What? Really?”

Laughing with happiness she nods. I pull out in an instant to lay her down on the blankets, underneath me, diving in from here where I can see her eyes and every facial expression she makes.

She starts crying as I hold inside her body. My tears mingle with hers and I kiss her.

Touching my face she whispers, “We’re going to have a baby, Gabriel. Are you ready for this?”

She made me wait four years.

Because she knew.

I wasn’t ready when I met her.

Not even when I proposed.

Or when we walked down the aisle.

But now we own these three businesses together, have toured the world with my music and for fun, have fallen more in love as the years have passed, and we’ve grown up.

No, that isn’t right.

When I met her she was already a grown-up, so wise beyond her years.

It’s me who became a man finally. And I did it with her patience holding me up every single day until I stood as tall as she saw me to be.

I smile into my wife’s beautiful eyes. “With all of my heart, body and soul, Paige…I’m ready.”