She raises her eyebrows and grins. “Oh, yes, he is.”
She makes a mad dash to the bed while I detour to the door. I open it a crack and hear the familiar sound of one of the kids’ shows from the TV downstairs.
I glance at Rachel. “God bless the boob tube.”
“I’ve got another kind of boob for you over here, buddy. Two, actually.”
“God bless that kind of boob.” I lock the door and cross to the bed. I climb under the covers, and Rachel meets me in the middle. For a moment, we lie side by side, our arms across each other. She looks at me, and her expression has lost all traces of humor.
“Are you okay, Sam?”
I try for a joke to recapture the levity we shared only a minute ago. “Better than fine, can’t you tell?”
A ghost of a grin. “Yes. You’re better than fine. Down there. Always have been. What about up here?” She reaches out and taps a fingertip against my forehead. “Everything okay?”
I take a breath, exhale on a sigh. “I know I’ve been a little distracted lately. I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “No, you don’t have to be sorry. You don’t even have to tell me what it’s about. I just want to make sure you’re all right.”
I’m here, with you, the love of my life. Our kids are downstairs. Tomorrow is Easter. It’s the first day of spring break.
“I’ve never been better.”
Finally, she smiles. “Good.”
She closes the small distance between us and kisses me, gently at first, then more passionately. For a split second, I think of Greta and those lips that felt foreign against mine. Rachel’s lips feel like home. I push Greta from my mind and sink into my wife’s embrace.
SIXTY-FIVE
RACHEL
I fall back against the pillows, my heart pounding. God, that was good. And we both needed it, desperately. Sam’s breathing is ragged. I turn to see him smiling broadly at me as he gulps for air.
“You’re lucky the kids watch really loud shows,” he says.
“Me? What about you? I thought your head was going to explode.”
“One of them did.”
I roll my eyes, then laugh. “That was fun.”
“Fun? Just fun? That was amazing.”
“Okay, that, too.” I shimmy to the side of the bed.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To shower, get dressed. Seize the day.”
He grins. “I’ve got something else you can seize.”
“What are you, sixteen?”
“Not interested in round two?” He makes an exaggerated sad face.
“You look like an emoji,” I tell him. “And, yes, I would love round two, but we’ll have to postpone. Tomorrow’s Easter, remember? I have to clean the house. Prep the dinner. Little things like that.”
“It’s just Ruth. It’s not like we’re entertaining the queen.”
I push myself to my feet, relishing the tenderness in my female parts. Just thinking about what we did moments ago makes me shiver with delight. Our sex life has always been really good. Even when busy schedules, kids, work, commitments get in the way, we manage to carve out time. But we haven’t made love for several weeks, maybe longer. Too long. I make a mental resolution to take Sam up on his offer of round two before the weekend’s up. Is sex on Easter Sunday considered blasphemous?
I walk to the bathroom and turn the shower on, shoving the lever to hot. As I brush my teeth for the second time, Sam comes up behind me and slips his arms around my waist. He kisses my neck, then looks at me in the mirror.
“I’ll help with the chores.”
“Deal,” I say around my toothbrush. “Shadow needs a bath.”
“The kids can do that.”
“No way. Talk about an even bigger mess to clean up.”
He nibbles at my ear. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
I can feel his penis poking against my butt. I put down my toothbrush and turn around, then point at his nakedness. “Um, you might want to put that thing away and get some clothes on. Ruth’s coming over this morning.”
He nods sheepishly, as he always does when I tell him Ruth is dropping by. “To help with the prep?”
“I’m dyeing her hair.” I grin. “She has a date tonight.”
His eyebrows waggle. “Really?”
“Don’t mention it to her, okay? I don’t want her to think we’re talking about it behind her back.”
“My lips are sealed,” he says, then chugs some mouthwash.
I leave him at the sink and step into the shower, adjust the spray. The hot water feels good. I stand for a moment and let it run over me, then begin to lather up.
“How did it go last night?” I call to Sam. He doesn’t answer. Probably can’t hear me.
When I step out of the shower a few minutes later, he’s already gone downstairs. Hopefully to make coffee. I towel dry my hair and get dressed.
Shadow greets me at the bottom of the stairs. Eden’s on the couch—all I can see of her is the back of her head. She doesn’t turn around. Jonah is nowhere in sight.
“Good morning,” I say.
When she hears my voice, Eden jumps off the couch and rushes at me. I’m expecting a hug. Ha.
“Mom, Mom, can I use your iPad? I want to FaceTime with Carlee and Ava.”
“I said, ‘Good morning.’”
“Oh, yeah, right,” she says contritely. “Sorry. Good morning, Mom.”
“And happy first day of vacation,” I add.
“Yeah, that too. Can I use your iPad?”
I detect the aroma of coffee in the air and silently sing my husband’s praises. “In a little bit,” I tell her.
“When, Mom, when?” she presses. “I want to invite Carlee and Ava for a playdate, too. Can I? Please, Mom? I asked Dad, and he said it was up to you.”
I take a deep breath and march toward the kitchen. Too many requests before coffee. Eden trails me.
“Tomorrow’s Easter, Eden. I’m sure your friends are busy.”
“Coffee’s ready,” Sam says, and I mouth the words I love you to him.
“No, Mom, they’re not busy. Can I have them over? I promise we won’t make a mess. We’ll just play in my room or outside or in the garage. We totally won’t even get in your way.”
“Where’s your brother?” I ask her, and she makes a disgusted face, which is entirely at odds with her prettiness.
“Ew. He’s out back looking for bugs.”
Crap. I haven’t picked up the poop yet.
Sam hands me a cup of coffee. I glance out the window before I take a sip. As if reading my mind, he says, “I picked up the poop.” I smile at him, and he leans in and whispers, “I thought it was the least I could do for you after what you did for me this morning.”
I whisper back, “What do I get for round two?”
He smiles. “We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”
“Mom!” Eden’s piqued voice cuts through the kitchen. “Can I have my friends over? It’s the first day of vacation. Please?”
I take a sip of coffee, then smile sweetly at my daughter. “Yes, honey. You may invite them over. But wait till nine to call them, okay?”
She squeaks with joy, then runs over and gives me a hug. Totally worth saying yes to her. She gives Sam a squeeze for good measure. She heads out of the room, but stops suddenly and turns back to us.