Sunny's Love

chapter Sixteen



They returned to the beach house in Palm Beach and were met in the driveway by two very rambunctious children who’d obviously missed their parents very much.

“You look radiant, Sunny,” Chase’s mother said as they walked inside.

“I’m very happy, Marty. Your son is the most wonderful man on the face of the earth.”

Marty laughed and said, “Second most wonderful, his father was the most wonderful.”

Chase followed with Ali in one arm and Brice in the other.

“Looks like the munchkins missed Daddy,” Sunny said as she walked over and kissed both of them, giving Daddy a kiss for good measure.

“We missed you too, Mama Sunny,” Ali told her.

“So you’ve decided what to call Sunny, I see.” Chase looked at his daughter and smiled.

“Yes, Brice and I talked about it.”

“Oh, you did. Well, that’s good.” He winked at his wife and his mother.

He set the children down and said, “Mama Sunny and I brought presents.”

“You did? Can we see them now?”

“Of course you can, sweetie, as soon as I can find them.” Sunny looked around at the luggage and packages in the foyer.

“Ah, here we go. This is for Brice and this is for Ali.” She handed them their gifts. Finding the gifts for Marty, John, and Alice, she handed them out, as well.

After Alice, Sunny, and the children had gone upstairs to begin the task of moving Sunny’s things, Marty took her son aside. “I take it things are good between you and your new bride, then?” Marty was the one person who knew the facts of how the marriage had come about.

“Mother, I couldn’t be happier. Asking Sunny to be my wife was a good decision.”

“I’m so glad, Chase. I so worried this wouldn’t be the case.”

“She’s everything I could ask for in a wife.”

“After the rocky marriage you had with Brittney then her untimely death, you deserve this, my boy. It hurt me so to watch you raising those precious babies alone.”

“Now let’s just hope the original reason for this marriage works. I’m anxious to get back to work and check on things.”

“The last time I spoke with Russell, things were all right.”

“I hope they stay that way. I’ll need to bring Sunny up to speed on things. She’s going to be a part of this business, Mother, and not just on paper.”

“Wonderful news, Chase, if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know. I’ll be returning to Des Moines tomorrow afternoon.”

“All right and thanks, Mom, for staying with the kids this week,” he added.

“It was my pleasure. I’ve missed them this summer.”

He went in search of his wife to see how the moving was progressing. She’d pleasantly surprised him when she had spoken up and told Alice she’d be moving all her things to his room. He hadn’t discussed it with her and wasn’t sure if she’d want to keep her own room as well as sharing his. She’d taken charge and made her choices known, and he liked that. Sunny was proving more and more each day that she was going to be a valuable partner, both in the boardroom and the bedroom. He had already known she’d be a good partner in the home, from the way she cared for his children.

By the time he walked into his bedroom, most of the moving was finished. Sunny was putting a few things in a drawer.

“Have any trouble making room for your things?”

“No, I moved things around a little. If you can’t find your socks, you’ll have to ask me where they are.” She smiled up at him and unable to resist her charm, he kissed her.

Ali rolled her eyes.

Brice said, “Yuck.”

Sunny and Chase both laughed and scooped them up, showering them with kisses.

The children giggled until their parents finally set them back down.

“I’ll bet Grandma Marty and Alice have dinner about ready, why don’t you guys go check it out?” Chase encouraged.

“Okay, let’s go, Sissy.” Both children ran out of the room and down the stairs.

“Alone at last.” He took his wife in his arms once more to steal another kiss, before they made their way downstairs to join the family for dinner.

“To be continued…” she said, smiling.

“You can bet on that, baby.” Arm in arm, the couple went to dinner.

When the children were tucked in for the night, Sunny and Chase lay in bed talking.

“When you’ve had a chance to get settled into a routine in Des Moines and get Ali settled in school and Brice in preschool, I’ll call a Board Meeting to introduce you.”

“I should be ready in just a few weeks, is that all right?”

“That should be fine. You need to be brought up to speed on everything. Mother agreed to help you with that. She’s on the Board, too.”

“The sooner I get in the swing of things, the better.”

“I won’t expect you to be at the office all the time. You can work your schedule around the kids and other things you want to do. You need to make an appearance at the Board meetings and show up a few days a week to stay up to speed.”

“I’m ready to dig my heels in and get started. That is the reason we got married, after all.”

“About that, Sunny, I want you to know, I no longer think of this marriage in that way. As far as I’m concerned, this is a real marriage. I hope you feel that way, too.”

“I do feel that way, otherwise, I wouldn’t have moved into your bedroom.”

“And, baby, I’m so glad you did. So glad in fact, I’m going to show you how glad, right about now.”

The kiss was hot as his hands found their way under her nightgown.

“Why do you always wear these damn things?”

“To leave a little to the imagination, of course,” she answered with a giggle.

“Well, all right, but just know, it’s coming off real soon…”

He made love to her in their bed that night and it was different. It was their first night at home in their bedroom. It was passionate and it was hot, like before, but there was a sweet quality to it.