Chapter 36

Alexander

Three months later.

Madeleine’s whine pierced through the baby monitor, waking me from a light sleep. Casey let out a groan. I knew what that meant. “Don’t worry, Case,” I said. “I’ve got it.” I grabbed the fleece robe from the back of my closet door and wrapped it around me as I headed across the hall. Madeleine was fussing about in her crib, her tiny fingers holding onto her blanket.

“What’s the matter, sweet girl?” I whispered, pulling her up and cradling her on my chest. She continued crying for another few minutes as I paced back and forth in her bedroom with her. I settled for the chair in the corner of her room. I held her in my arms and realized that I was one of my buddies now. I was one of the guys who went out for drinks to take a break from cries and complaints and dirty diapers. I was the guy who got up in the middle of the night to take care of a fussing child. But, as surprising as it was, I couldn’t be happier.

I hadn’t known before meeting Casey if I would be any good at being a husband or father, but they both seemed to come so naturally to me. I supposed it had just been about finding the right girls. I rocked Madeleine for another few minutes and hoped that was enough to calm her down. When her eyes finally shut, I gently kissed her soft forehead and laid her back in the crib. Just as her mother did, she laid on her back and let out a quiet, adorable snore. She was just precious.

Back in the master bedroom, I took off my robe and slid back under the covers beside Casey. The clock told me I had another three hours before I had to get up and get ready for work. Casey would follow an hour later and get Madeleine ready for the sitter before joining me at the office. This was my new normal.

It was Friday afternoon, one hour from office closing time, with everyone impatiently waiting for the weekend to arrive. This was how every Friday went. I, along with the upper management, knew to never schedule anything extraordinarily important after three o’clock on Friday afternoons, because everyone was already mentally off work for the weekend. This rang especially true for the gorgeous early summer weather we’d been experiencing. I made my usual rounds around the office, meeting with my executive team and chatting with the interns. I enjoyed my Friday office sweep, as I referred to it, each week, as it helped keep me in touch with employees of all positions and levels. I had one more stop to make before heading back to my office to finish up for the week.

I made my way to the front of the floor, where the administrative desk was. “Mrs. Preston,” I said. Casey looked up at me with a grin. “May I please speak with you for a moment?”

Casey had adjusted seamlessly to Preston Solutions, just as I knew she would. She had already become friendly with some of the girls on the operations team and gone out for drinks with them a few times. There was something fun—and surprisingly sexy—about working at the same place as my significant other. Even though everyone knew we were married, it was still like we had some sort of secret relationship or language that only we understood.

“Of course, Mr. Preston,” Casey said, mockery ever-so-slightly filling her voice. I could tell by the way she curled her lips that she was trying not to laugh at my CEO tone. She followed me over to an empty hallway where I pulled her in with a twirl and greeted her with a passionate kiss. “I hope you don’t do that with all of your employees!”

I chuckled. “Just one!”

“So, what’s up?” Casey asked. It wasn’t that it was unusual for us to talk during the work day. It was more so that I usually didn’t call her away from her desk, with the exception of the occasional marketing meeting. “Is Madeleine ok? Is something wrong?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said, resting my hand on her shoulder. “I just have a bit of a surprise for you.” I went on to tell Casey about a getaway I’d been planning for several weeks. Instead of heading home after work, we’d be going to a five-star resort about an hour away. I’d booked a room for the night and made dinner reservations, as we were coming up on our one-year anniversary and hadn’t exactly made it to our honeymoon.

“But…” Casey said.

“Before you say anything, I packed an overnight bag for us, everything is already booked, and Katie is going to stay overnight with Madeleine.” I had known it wouldn’t be quite so easy to get Casey to leave Madeleine for a night. After all, we’d never spent a night apart from her before. Her babysitter, Katie, was a friend of mine from college, and one of the only people, besides our family and Liana, that I knew Casey would trust with Madeleine. I hoped this was enough to get Casey to agree to go, but I had a few more convincing blurbs up my sleeve, just in case I needed them.

Casey surprised me with a smile. “Sounds perfect!”

The next hour seemed to drag on until finally we were in the car on our way to the resort. It had been a long, exhausting, exciting, and draining one hundred eighty-seven days since Madeleine had entered our lives. Though I adored her more than anything in the world, I was grateful to have a break for a night. I looked in the rearview mirror at a red light and noted how different my backseat was from how it used to be. Instead of the neat, empty leather seats I was used to, the extra car seat we had took up one of the seats. Beside it was a messy pile of burp cloths, baby blankets, and spare diapers. This was life as a father.

“Babe, you’re an amazing mother,” I said, turning to Casey just a few miles from the hotel.

“Well, thanks, sweetheart,” she said. “Where did that come from?”

I shrugged. “It’s just been so chaotic since Madeleine was born that I don’t know if I’ve ever stopped and taken the chance to tell you that you’re doing great.”

“So are you,” Casey said.

“But, tonight,” I started. “You’re not a mother. You’re just a wife, and a woman who could use a little break.”

Casey chuckled. “Can I still call Katie to check on the baby?” she asked. “You know how I am.”

“Of course you can.” I paused as I decided how to phrase the joke that had immediately popped into my mind. “Just limit it to once an hour.”

As we pulled into the parking lot up to the valet stand, Casey didn’t hold back her excitement. She went on about how gorgeous the building was and how beautiful of a job the landscaper had done.

The room was waiting for us with rose petals dispersed on the bed and a bottle of chilled wine on a table beside it, just as I’d requested. “This is incredible,” Casey said. She smiled at me tenderly. “You’re the best, babe. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said, leaning in for a kiss.

“This hotel is magnificent,” Casey said, reiterating everything she’d already said half a dozen times.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You say that every time we go to a hotel. Better get used to it!”

“You don’t get it,” Casey said, her tone shifting to one more solemn. She sat down on the king-sized bed and patted the spot beside her, signaling for me to join her. “I stayed at decent hotels three or four times with my mom when she was alive. Even then, they were nothing compared to the places you’ve taken me. No foster parent ever wanted to waste their money taking me on vacation.”

“Case, I didn’t mean—”

Casey shook her head. “No, it’s alright,” she continued. “I just wanted to explain so you understand. I didn’t step foot in a hotel from the time I was nine years old until I was a sophomore in college. I went on a few overnight trips with friends, but we were broke college kids, so they were all shitty motels where we had double the recommended occupancy.”

I knelt down on the floor to have my face just inches away from Casey’s. “Casey, I don’t want you to ever forget where you came from,” I said. “But I also don’t want you to have to worry anymore. This is our life now, and I want to take care of you. You deserve all of this and more. I’m just sorry your foster parents didn’t see that.”

Casey fell into me for a hug and said what I’d been thinking for days. “I’ve missed our alone time together.”

“Me too,” I said. “We have a dinner reservation downstairs in twenty minutes, so let’s get ready for that.” I raised my eyebrows. “Maybe, when we come back, I can show you just how much I missed you.”

“Uh, babe?” Casey gulped, completely ignoring my attempt at setting the mood.

“What’s up?”

Casey picked up the duffle bag I had packed for her. “Did you pack me something appropriate for dinner? I know if it was up to you, you’d just have me go naked, but I don’t really think that’s appropriate here.” She gave me a cheeky grin.

“I packed you two dresses, so you have options,” I said, impressed with myself. “I’ve never seen you in the purple one, but I saw it in your closet and thought it would look great on you.”

I was right. The dress was a dark shade of purple, and the halter top came in around Casey’s chest to give a little glimpse of the girls. The bottom of the dress was form-fitting, perfectly hugging each of her curves. This was Casey’s first time dressing up since our wedding. Even though it had been three months since the baby was born, Casey had been openly self-conscious about her post-baby body, and she’d been living mostly in oversized shirts and leggings. I hoped seeing how smoking hot she looked in this dress would give her the confidence she needed. I wanted her to see what I saw—absolute perfection.

It was still a bit weird, after all this time, seeing Casey without the bump. It had become a fixture I was so accustomed to, but I was thankful to be able to get right up against her without her stomach stopping me. It took me back to the early days of our relationship. As if she was reading my mind, Casey slipped on the heels she’d worn on our first real date, one of the three pairs of shoes I’d packed her.

“Wow,” I said. “You look breathtaking.”

Casey blushed. “Stop it. I look like a frumpy woman who just had a baby.”

“Case,” I started. I pulled her over to the full-length mirror and stood her in front of me. “How can you not see what I see? You look gorgeous, and I promise that not a soul besides those who know you would guess that you’ve ever been pregnant with that sexy body of yours.”

“Why are you always so perfect and charming?” she said with a grin. “Let’s get going. I worked through lunch today, so I’m famished!”

This dinner was the first time I got to know Casey’s wine preferences. After all, she’d been pregnant with my baby before our first date. I decided that, no matter how much time passed, that story would always sound funny. As with everything else, we were complete opposites. Casey preferred sweet white wines, while I preferred my wine red and dry as can be. At Casey’s suggestion, we ordered the restaurant’s wine sampler, which let us try ten different wines in miniature wine glasses. The closest we came to agreeing was with a Portuguese red wine that was on the sweeter side. It was still a bit too sweet for me, and a bit too dry for Casey, but we agreed it was a good compromise if we ever wanted to share a bottle of wine.

By the time we each took our last bite of the chocolate chip cheesecake we’d decided on for dessert, Casey was at least a little bit tipsy. Tipsy Casey reminded me of frisky Casey from our wedding day, and that was one of my favorite sides of Casey. She barely waited until we were in the room before she started kissing my neck.

Casey pounced on me with clear eagerness as she pushed me onto the bed. “I’ve been waiting to do this all day,” she said. She slipped her tongue between my parted lips and we kissed deeply and passionately. Piece by piece, Casey stripped me naked, then she took off her own clothes like she was doing a striptease.

I could’ve fondled Casey’s breasts all night long. Instead, I kneaded her delicious breasts and rubbed my fingertips against her tight nipples in a circular motion. I kept going and going until she moaned with pleasure and pulled my hair, looking for an outlet for her desire. I wanted to surprise her, to try something new, but it was clear to me that she was taking the lead tonight.

Casey reclaimed my mouth with hers and bit my lip in that sexy way of hers. She pulled away, leaving me wanting more, and moved her head slowly until her breath was fresh on my ear. “Show me what you can do with that tongue,” she whispered. Her seductive voice was enough to send me into a frenzy of bliss.

I kissed my way down Casey’s warm, naked skin, stopping at her plump mounds to give them extra attention. I pressed my lips against her abdomen and slowly made my way between her legs. When I reached the lips of her pussy, I began to lick them as if I was tenderly licking her mouth. She moaned and her juices began to flow. I ran my tongue over her clit and sucked on it, rubbing my soft lips all over it to stimulate her pleasure. When she arched her back and wrapped her legs around my head, I penetrated her with my tongue.

She let out a long, satisfied moan. I played with her most sensitive area with my tongue, and she pushed my head in further, further until I tasted deep within her. I teased her with my tongue, moving it slowly up and down. Her soft, slow moans kept me revved up until I decided it was time for the main event.

Casey got down on all fours at the foot of the bed, and I thrust inside her from behind. I arched into her as I exerted all my energy into moving back and forth, faster and faster. Placing my hands in the small of Casey’s back, I moved deeper into her. “Oh, oh, oh,” Casey cried. It was music to my ears. I eased myself further into her until her pleasure point was reached.

She shuddered as orgasm after orgasm began to rush through her body. Her climax thrilled me and I thrust in, one final, powerful time. With that, my cock exploded in pleasure, sending strong surges of cum into her pussy. She felt me pouring into her and the feeling sent a fresh wave of orgasms through her.

We collapsed into one another, trying desperately to reclaim our breaths. It had been a long time since we’d been able to enact such pleasure without the interruption of the baby crying. I’d missed it immensely.