“I bet you’re right.”
Evie put her hand on my arm and angled me away from the kids.
“You have a good time too, okay?” she said, and then winked. “Enjoy the time without the kids. I know you’ll miss them, but make sure you live it up without them. Go to a late movie, one that’s R-rated, and eat all the junk food.”
“Trust me, I’ve got plenty of adult activities planned.”
“Good,” she said with a laugh.
I watched them go through security and disappear around a corner, then let out a large sigh. I would miss them, but it was still a tiny relief to know they’d be gone a few days. Evie was more than capable of taking care of them. For three years I’d been doing it practically on my own, so I wasn’t going to take this time for granted.
I had to stop a couple places to grab some supplies, but then I was going to pick up Grace and spend a few days enjoying her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Grace
Devon meant business when he said I wasn’t allowed to leave his house while the kids were away. When he picked me up, he took me straight there. He opened the door and motioned for me to walk in first, and I was greeted by four bouquets of one dozen roses each, one red, one pink, one purple, and one white. He said there was a dozen roses for each month since we’d met for the second time.
There was champagne, strawberries, and then there was Devon. He’d gone out of his way to give me a romantic evening, but all I’d needed was him.
For two days he held me captive.
Two gloriously wonderful and sexy days.
But eventually I convinced him we needed to leave the house and get some fresh air.
We went to a movie.
We went out to dinner.
We went on a champagne cruise around the marinas and coastline, all the while Devon’s hands never left my skin. He was either holding my hand, grabbing my waist, or pulling me into his side with a strong arm around my shoulders. He wanted me near and I wanted the same thing.
At night he made love to me, telling me over and over how much he loved me, how glad he was we’d found each other again, and how he couldn’t see his life without me in it. He held me close, spooning me as we slept, and made love again to me in the morning.
We video chatted with the kids every day, and I loved hearing about how much fun they were having with Evie and Nate, how exciting it was to be at Disney again, and all the rides they enjoyed. What made me smile the most though was how they seemed just as excited to talk to me as they did to Devon. They told me they missed me, and I with tears threatening told them how much I missed them too.
Talking to them made me emotional and on the second day I broke down.
“What wrong, babe?” Devon asked as soon as we hung up.
“I’m not sure. I just miss seeing their faces and talking to them, I guess. I miss the way Jaxy irritates Ruby and how Ruby rolls her eyes at you,” I said through a mixture of laughter and cries.
“Ah, baby, I miss them too. They’ll be home soon.”
He said the word home like it included me, and deep down I hoped it would.
The day the kids were supposed to fly home was lazy. Devon went in to work, kissing me soundly before he left, grumbling about how the last night of an empty house had passed, but I remained in his bed, soaking up one of my last free days before I would have to go back to work at the school. I picked up a book I’d been trying to read all week, but hadn’t because Devon wouldn’t let me get a minute to myself. I smiled at the memory of him ripping the book from my hands and throwing it across the room before rolling me onto my back and keeping me otherwise occupied.
Without shame or regret, I stayed in his bed reading for hours.
I knew I’d have to get up eventually, but those hours were precious. The plan was for Devon to pick the kids up at the airport when he got off work. After their first flight, both the kids felt comfortable flying home on their own, so all the adults figured it would be okay to save Evie the time and the money, and let them fly as unaccompanied minors.
My phone rang an hour before their flight was to come in. I smiled when I saw it was Devon.
“Hey, you on your way to the airport?”
“Not quite,” he said, sounding frustrated.
“What’s wrong?”
“My mom was sick yesterday, and now my dad is sick, so there’s no one here to watch the store. Usually, I’d just close up early and call it a day, but the computer system crashed and the software company’s customer service line is only open for a few more hours.”
I sat up from the bed and started looking for my shoes.
“I’ll go get the kids, it’s no problem.”
“I appreciate that, but when Evie took them to the airport she gave them my name so no one else can get them now. I called the airline and checked. Only the person who was listed can pick them up, and I have to show ID.”
“Oh, well, that sucks for us at the moment, but I understand. It’s a good call on their part.”
“Yeah.”