Chapter 7
Year 7…
The house was an odd and eerie quiet. So much that I could actually hear the ticking of the clock above the mantle.
Lila was out with Anna and Jackson in an effort to wear them down some for my parents and nephew. They were going to babysit for the night while we went out to celebrate our anniversary.
Seven years.
Seven years ago, I pledged my love and life to my Lila.
Laying on the couch, my leg ached, stiff from being stuck in the same position for so long. I stretched it while trying not to disturb the bundle on my chest. My little Kayla was curled on me, her soft, sweet breath blowing across my skin. I leaned down and kissed the soft spot on her head and marveled at the miracle that she was. Only three months old, and she already had us all wrapped around her tiny fingers.
My eyes flickered around the room, and I took stock of how much my life had changed over the prior nine years. In that period of time, I had moved from a large, quite literally empty condo in downtown Indianapolis to a four-bedroom home in the suburbs. I was remarried, and we had three beautiful children, Kayla being the most recent, and the house was full of people and toys.
Oh, the toys.
For the longest time, I thought some higher power didn’t want me to procreate. But at age forty-four, I had three blessings.
Life turned out much different than I ever thought it would in the twenty years since graduating law school. I’d been in heaven then, but later crashed and burned in hell before rising from the ashes with the help of a broken angel. It took me a long time to understand why. I became a believer in fate, as much as that conflicted my heart about my first marriage.
It became undeniable—I was destined to be with Lila. I had to wage through hell, my life razed, to get there. But now I knew why. My purpose—save Lila.
She was my life, my everything, and she had given me love, life, and warmth. She saved me in every way possible.
“Baby, we’re home!” Lila called from the garage entrance near the kitchen.
“In here!” I called back, trying not to disturb the sleeping angel on my chest.
My two little hellions—or rather one little hellion and her sidekick—came running in and were trying to tell me all about what they had done. I put my fingers to my lips to shush them as the baby stirred and snuggled deeper into my chest, her face scrunched and her tiny fists clenched onto my shirt. She did not like the disturbance.
Anna was already a handful at age five—and a half, as she would say. She took after her daddy, while Jackson was more like Lila.
They settled down quickly and, in their inside voices, told me all about their afternoon adventures before they were off to play some more.
Lila’s lips pressed against my forehead, and one of my hands released Kayla to pull her mouth down to mine. When we released, I saw the wicked gleam in her eye, and I knew she was as excited about the evening as I was. She reached out and ran her fingers lightly across Kayla’s head.
“How long has she been asleep?”
I craned my neck to look over at the clock. “Almost two hours.”
“Well, she should be up and ready to entertain Grandma and Grandpa soon,” she said with a sweet smile. My hand involuntarily reached for hers and brought it to my lips, lightly kissing her fingers. Her lips twitched up into a smile, and she let out a small giggle.
I fucking loved it when she giggled. It was a rare occurrence.
“Just warming my lips up for tonight.” I grinned and watched her cheeks flush, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. It was then that I knew I had her, by her telltale signs.
Over the following hours, we took showers in turn, watching out for the troublemakers and entertaining Kayla.
I took the first turn, bouncing Kayla in my arms in the bedroom, Anna and Jackson in the playroom. When Lila came out of the shower, I took my first good look at her in what felt like weeks, maybe months.
Yes, she’d aged some—three kids helped with that—but she was still as beautiful as the day we met. She would always be beautiful in my eyes.
What some considered imperfections, weren’t to me. They were battle scars. Not just stretchmarks from our babies and whatever else she would find wrong—all of it.
Scars from life.
We were almost mirror images of banged up. Proof of our fight to live. To be able to stand in the same room together and know we made it—we were alive.
My life wasn’t over ten years ago like I’d thought it was. Lila taught me that. Baby steps together, all leading to a clearing I never thought possible.
It was hectic and difficult at times, but filled with our family.
I loved my life.
Our anniversary gifts to each other was a night away from it all. Always-needed one-on-one time. No talk of kids. Adult talk. Remembering who we were outside of Mommy and Daddy.
The hotel was what we were both the most interested in. Dinner could wait.
Check-in had my leg bouncing, agitation and anticipation growing with each second that ticked by. Each second my cock got harder.
I’d been half hard by the time we pulled out of the driveway.
Keys and bag in one hand, Lila in the other, we walked a fast pace to the elevators, both grinning ear to ear.
The elevator was empty when it arrived. The moment we stepped in, we reenacted scenes from years ago at our old downtown condos. I pressed her against the wall, mouth on hers, taking from her.
I needed her. All of her.
Desperate to have all of her attention and give all of my attention.
She reached down and cupped her hand around my cock, making me moan into her.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Luckily, our room wasn’t far from the elevators. As soon as we crossed the threshold to the room, our bag was on the ground and I had her pinned against the wall. Her legs were up around my hips and I had her panties pushed aside before the door had even clicked closed. By the time the sound was done, I was buried inside her.
“Fuck!” I cried out. The feeling of her wrapped around my cock was heaven.
Even after eight years together, we never lost that spark. Never lost that incessant need for touch.
I began thrusting hard, unable to control myself. It had been far too long since we’d been alone, and I was blissed out hearing her cry out, full voice, with each thrust of my hips.
Stepping back, I walked her over to the bed and laid her down.
As much as I wanted to come, I also wanted the moment to last.
“You’re so beautiful,” I said, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair from her face.
She smiled at me, her hand cupping my face. My hips slowed down from their initial pounding to longer rotations, reveling in the feel of her around me.
“I love you.” Tears filled her eyes, some spilling over onto the bed below.
My thumb brushed the next ones away. “I love you.”
Beautiful grey-green eyes flitted between mine. “Forever.”
I leaned down and pressed my forehead against hers.
“This life and the next, and it will still never be enough.”
Over the years we’d been through so much. There we were, busy with work and children and life.
There was no more pain, no more fear, only love and happiness.
Forever.