25. Henry
25
HENRY
I would’ve thought I’d be too tired to wake up early after the shower sex Mia and I had. Then her middle-of-the-night wakeup with her mouth on me to give me head. We thoroughly celebrated all night long, but I woke up at my usual time.
A run would have to wait. Lying here and staring at her sleeping was far too fun to pass up on.
When would this surreal feeling pass?
When will it really sink in?
I’d done it. I’d pulled it off. I got the girl. My son got the mommy he wanted. And my dad would no doubt be hearing a baby announcement any time.
If Mia and I kept up with this enthusiastic of a sex life, I’d be knocking her up without pause.
It was new, yet. We were in a newlywed phase before tying the knot. But we had years to make up for. We had lots of time to catch up, after so long of resisting each other and tiptoeing around a chance to make this work.
Eventually, I got up and grabbed my laptop. The keyboard wasn’t the quietest. Jason always made a funny face when I tried to do a little work in the living room when he was watching something on TV. I was used to the clacking, but it woke up Mia too soon.
“Why are you working already?” she moaned good-naturedly.
“I’m not.” I furrowed my brow and looked over at her. “Are you going to want your job back?”
“Are you suggesting that you could find someone to do it better than me?”
I smiled, loving her confidence and ability to be snarky right back with me. “Or do you enjoy dancing more?”
She smiled, stretching and teasing me with a slip of the sheet over her bare breast. “Hmm. I’m going to hold you up to that baby-making promise. How about I cut back to only dancing for you and keep my job at the office until I’m too pregnant to handle it?”
I leaned over, kissing her with a smack of our lips. “Sounds perfect. But you’re moving in with me.”
She smiled. “Oh?”
“Office-wise. I don’t want to have to go looking for you all the time.”
“Won’t that be a distraction?”
I shrugged. “I’ve gotten work done all these years, haven’t I?”
She snuggled against my side. I loved how casual she was about being here. “And moving in here, too.”
“Are you sure about that?” She blinked, still looking drowsy as she pointed at the computer screen. “Because this suggests otherwise.”
“Well.” I draped my arm around her. “We’re not going to have enough room here for all these babies. This apartment has three bedrooms, but we’ll need more space.”
She smiled up at me. “Do you realize you’re making all my dreams come true?”
I nodded. “Are you aware that you’re making mine come true?”
“I do now.”
Together, we browsed for properties. She fell back asleep, though, but I was too awake and excited about our future. We were forging ahead quickly, ready to make our lives united as soon as possible, with a baby hopefully on the way soon. The wedding too.
I moved my search on to wedding venues, wondering when she would want to get married. Any season would do except winter.
Can I talk her into a fall wedding? Or would that be too rushed?
I would give Mia the wedding of her dreams. Whatever she wanted, I’d make it happen. I meant it when I told her that, and I expected her to hold me to that promise.
I had never been more content than this moment. With my woman at my side, my future wife on board with being mine, I felt like all was right in my world.
As soon as Jason woke up and learned about this development…
I grinned, counting on him to be over the moon and thrilled.
Eventually, I had to get up and prepare for work. Mia would come back too, I bet, eager to resume her role. I’d never forget how she said she wouldn’t want to leave the family in the office, and I felt proud to be able to give her that inclusion.
Too soon, I bet she’d be busy with our children, but if she wanted to stay a working woman, I wouldn’t hold her back from it.
It was a win-win situation for me. I’d see her at home and work.
I got dressed, and Mia did as well. She was still yawning and wiped from the excitement of the previous night, but I bet she’d perk up when Jason saw that she was still here.
We moved into the kitchen to start breakfast, and I loved how she was used to being here already. She knew where everything was. She was familiar with the layout, and sneaking in kisses—just because we could—made this domestic scene that much more fun.
Jason was still asleep by the time my dad showed up. He stopped in setting the box of fresh pastries on the counter after letting himself in. Spotting me with Mia, arms around each other at the stove, he blinked once. Then twice.
We’d surprised him, all right. It shouldn’t have shocked him, since he gave me the family ring to give to her. But maybe he’d doubted me or that I could win her over.
“Well.” He cleared his throat. “This is new.”
I rolled my eyes. “The hell it is. I fell in love with her that first week, the moment she first told me that Helvetica is a ‘lame’ font.”
She swatted my butt as I passed by to load the toaster. “It is a lame font.”
“How can a font even be lame?” I countered.
“Because it’s too showy. Or it just doesn’t match the vibe of the document.”
“A document has a vibe now?” I teased.
“Yes! You would think it was a joke if a résumé were typed in Comic Sans.”
“Not if it was a résumé for a clown.”
“Do clowns have resumes?” she shot back.
“Oh, my God.” My dad smiled, tears shining in his eyes. “Listen to you two. You really do love each other.”
I supposed bickering was our love language, after all.
He rushed to Mia, wrapping her in a big hug. “Oh, it’s true. He really does love you.”
She laughed, hugging him back. “And I think I can handle him, too.”
“Oh, congratulations.” He cupped her face and kissed the top of her head. “Daughter! I will have a daughter!”
“Hopefully, a granddaughter or two as well.”
He chuckled, wiping his eyes. “Oh, I’m so happy for you.” He pulled me in for a hug.
“So I have your approval?” Mia asked.
“I hoped. I wished. I prayed for so long that you two would finally get your heads screwed on right and realize how good of a match you were. Of course, I approve. I’ve always enjoyed your fitting in with us.”
“Then why did you always bring women for me to meet?” I asked.
“To prompt you into making a move on her! To figure it out and go for her, once and for all.”
Mia laughed, smiling as Laura let herself in. She stopped by for breakfast often, but it seemed like she was only popping in to drop off something Jason forgot with her last night. She furrowed her brow, looking at all of us one by one.
“Did I miss something?”
My dad lifted Mia’s hand, showing off the ring.
“Oh!” She squealed, doing a little happy dance in place before she ran up to Mia and hugged her.
“I can’t believe it! You finally figured it out,” she said, echoing Dad’s sentiments. She roped me into a hug too.
We were all so loud that we woke Jason up.
He walked into the room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. “What’s going on?” He blinked, adorable with that drowsy look on his face. As soon as he spotted Mia, he opened his eyes wide and his mouth hung open. “Mia? You’re still here!”
He ran to her, and she scooped him up into a big hug. She held him at her side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “What if I stay forever?”
He gasped, looking at her, then me, then back and her. He volleyed his gaze back and forth, shocked.
“Forever?”
“As your mommy?” she asked, showing him the ring I put on her finger last night.
My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. He blinked back happy tears and strapped his arms around her so tightly she coughed.
“Yes!” he cried out. After they hugged, he wiggled to be put down so he could run to me.
I caught him, closing my eyes as he wrapped me in a tight hug too. He squeezed me, sighing happily. “Thank you, Daddy.”
I didn’t lower him as he pulled back to face me. I smiled back at him, loving that toothy grin of his. “I wished and wished for this to come true. All my birthday candles. All the pennies I threw in the fountain downstairs. All the times you found an eyelash and blew it away.” He twisted until we both looked at Mia, smiling back at us.
“And my wish is coming true!”
“I know what you mean,” I confided in him. As I stared into the emerald gaze of the woman I loved, I thought back to how long I’d wanted to call her mine. I’d wanted her from the beginning, and finally, she was mine to keep for good.
No. Not just mine. Ours . She had accepted both of us. I was a package deal. She wasn’t acquiring only a husband. She was getting Jason as a son, too.
I glanced at my dad, seeing how happy he was, and I realized she was getting a father-in-law eager for more grandkids to spoil, too.
I couldn’t wait to see how our family would grow.