OLIVIA DOWNS
Ten Years Later
Small hands are splayed across my face when I wake up.
Peeking one eye open, I notice my oldest child staring at me anxiously from the side of the bed.
How she got in here is anybody’s guess. That is until I notice that Sebastian’s side of the bed is empty and cool.
Unbelievably exhausted from last night’s extracurricular activities with Sebastian, I grab my daughter and pull her onto the bed with me. Squealing from the unexpected action, she rewards me with one of my favorite sounds in the world: her laughter.
“What are you doing awake at this hour, Ava?”
Her blue eyes are the perfect replica of her father’s when she looks at me with a jovial smile.
“I couldn’t wait to surprise you, Mommy!”
“Oh yeah?”
My five-year-old daughter nods furiously, sending her strawberry blonde locks all over the place.
“What’s the surprise?” I play along, reaching up to restore some normalcy to her headful of hair.
“I can’t tell you! Daddy says it’s a secret!” she says, squirming from the contained excitement and I can’t help but laugh.
She reminds me so much of myself in that regard.
“And where’s Daddy?” I ask with wide eyes, feeding her excitement.
“Downstairs,” she whispers conspiratorially.
“What’s he doing downstairs?”
Ava looks at me, contemplating whether I’m worth spoiling the secret.
I can tell the exact moment she decides that I’m not.
She’s such a daddy’s girl.
Her loyalty will probably never waver. Not that I blame the poor girl. Sebastian can be pretty convincing.
“He’s busy,” she says evasively, making me laugh.
“And your brother? Where’s he?”
“Downstairs with Daddy. We’re waiting on you!” she exclaims.
Feigning surprise, I cover my chest with one hand. “Me?”
“Yes, Mommy!”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” I ask teasingly before tickling her.
Her squirming only intensifies and I’m rewarded with the joyful ripples of her laughter.
“I love you, baby girl,” I tell her as I cradle her in my arms.
She may not be an infant anymore but she’ll always be my baby.
“Love you too, Mommy,” comes her distracted but automatic response. “Can we go downstairs now?”
Snickering, I release her and let her down from the bed. “Tell them I’m coming, I just need to use the little girls’ room first.”
“‘Kay!” she shouts before dashing out of the door like a bolt of lightning.
What I wouldn’t give just to have an ounce of her boundless energy right now. Tired doesn’t begin to cover it, but thankfully I have the next three days off to recover from the brutal hours I’d been putting in at the nursing home.
As the director of nursing, there is never a dull day that passes. Add that to the fact that my house is practically a circus with two kids and my husband roaming around. Needless to say, I stay pretty busy.
Getting out of bed, I walk to the bathroom slowly, amazed that my body still gets sore from the various positions my husband twists and turns me in during our lovemaking.
Every time I think I’ve discovered every possible muscle, I wake up the next morning sore in places that I didn’t know existed.
A good problem to have if you ask me.
After nearly a decade of marriage, Sebastian and I still can’t get enough of one another. Through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, one thing remains the same — we are crazy for each other and nothing will ever change it.
Not long hours at work or screaming kids at home. Nothing can get in the way of our passion for one another.
As I wash my face, I reminisce over the circumstances leading up to this very moment.
We had a short engagement before getting married on Christmas Eve only five months after Sebastian popped the question.
Upon graduating nursing school, Sebastian gifted me a trip to France and I can almost guarantee that Ava was conceived in the air on our way there. We’d been all over each other in the private jet and thankfully the flight attendant had stayed put near the front of the plane.
As soon as we found out I was pregnant, Sebastian bought a house that could easily double as a museum. It’s huge and over the top but our family is fitting in well.
Ava’s birth was the highlight of my life. I’d always secretly feared motherhood but she made it feel like the most natural thing on earth. A year and a half later, our small family grew when we welcomed baby Lucas to the fold.
I’d never felt more content in my life. I had the man of my dreams, the job of my dreams and now the family I never knew I craved so deeply.
Sebastian and I figured out the whole parenting thing one day at a time. And I swear to God, there was nothing sexier than watching that man transform into the best father he could be for our children.
He gave our kids everything they needed and more.
I fell in love with him more every chance I got to witness his love for our babies.
Once I brush my teeth, I run my hands through my sleep-matted hair and head downstairs.
The downstairs area is eerily quiet as I approach the kitchen and then I hear Ava whispering.
“She’s coming. She’s coming!”
“On the count of three,” Sebastian coaches them, his patient tone warming my heart.
“Surprise!” they erupt as soon as I enter the state-of-the-art kitchen.
There, right before my eyes, sits my whole world.
Ava is clinging to her daddy’s leg, while Lucas stands on the countertop with Sebastian’s firm hand in place to ensure he doesn’t fall.
My husband is smiling at me with that gaze that always makes my panties evaporate but I have to remind myself that now isn’t the time.
Especially since there are presents scattered along the countertop as well as breakfast.
Happy Mother’s Day! is printed in bold letters across some of the balloons while others read, Happy Birthday!
This year my birthday happened to fall on Mother’s Day and leave it to these three not to exclude anything.
“Happy Mother’s Day, baby,” Sebastian’s deep voice reaches me and I want to purr.
God, this man is so sexy. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the fact that he’s my husband and I get to have him for the rest of our lives.
“Happy birthday, Mommy!” Ava is beaming while Lucas’ sole focus is trying to unwrap one of the gifts.
I scoop him up in my arms and blow a raspberry against his chubby cheek.
“Hi, handsome boy,” I say walking around the center island with him on my hip.
Lucas’ eyes light up and I smile because he inherited my green orbs.
Finally, I reach my husband and grin from ear to ear. “You’re incredible. Thank you, honey,” I whisper earnestly.
Not only am I thanking him for today’s sweet surprise, but also for the happiness that is never too far out of reach when he’s near. I wouldn’t have any of this without him and sometimes it overwhelms me when I consider just how lucky I am.
“You haven’t even opened your gifts yet,” he smiles at me.
“Open mine first, Mommy! It’s a necklace,” Ava reveals, not caring that she ruined her own surprise.
Laughing, I tear into the gifts while my little team anxiously awaits my reaction.