I laughed to myself, grabbing my helmet as Emmy sat her butt down in the seat next to me in the railcar.
“Because of you, we have to wear helmets now,” Finn said to her.
“We caught air one time,” Em retorted. “Once!”
“Dad, please?” Indie begged from the seat behind me.
I snorted. Of course, I wasn’t letting their mother drive. She had as much of a lead foot as I did, but the kids felt safer with me in control.
“I’m going to remember this, Indie,” Em chided our eldest. “When you’re old enough to drive, I might not be so indulgent.”
I glanced over my shoulder at our daughter, her brown eyes looking guilty as our shared secret went unspoken.
But Emmy noticed, glancing between us and guessing. “You did not,” she griped. “You let her drive this?”
I shrugged, turning back around and hearing our other girl, Finn, giggling. “She could reach the pedals.”
“She’s nine!”
“You let her dye her hair,” I pointed out as if that was worse. “Without consulting me, I might add. Whyyyy am I still married to you?”
“Revenge.” She twisted forward again, facing the track ahead and muttering, “Making me miserable brings you pleasure.”
I burst out into a laugh, leaned over, and hooked her pretty little neck, pulling her in. I pressed my lips to hers, unable to stop my mouth from moving to her cheekbone, nose, and over her glasses to her forehead. She loved to be kissed, and her eyelids fluttered closed as she turned to mush in my hand.
God, she was fun. Happy, unhappy, sad, and hot—I never stopped loving that she was in my life. Her strengths made me feel lucky to be a part of her, and her weaknesses brought out the best in me. I rose to every occasion with her like I never had with anyone else.
And after ten years, and two daughters and a son—and the immense joy we had making them—I knew without a doubt that it was all worth it.
I rubbed my thumb across her soft cheek, breathing in her hair. “Love you.”
“Waiting…” Indie Jones Grayson groaned, answering before her mother could.
I chuckled and pulled away. “Everyone buckled in?”
“Check,” they chimed in.
“Helmets?”
“Check,” William II screamed over his sisters from the seat behind Em.
He was actually William IV, but I was Will, we didn’t like Willy, Bill, or Billy, so everyone just called him II.
“Hold onto your phones!” I called out, reaching for the button.
Pushing it, the hydraulics started working underneath us, propelling us forward, and in moments we were coasting through the tunnel passing thirty miles an hour and then forty.
“Faster!” Finn cried.
The car rocked under us, bobbing along the track as the cool wind breezed across our faces, and Em gripped the handles at her side, unable to keep the smile off her face.
Over the years, we’d cleared all the track between Thunder Bay and Meridian City, taking an hour commute by automobile down to fourteen minutes. Normally, we’d use a subway car, but when we were just going from house to house inside town, I added more railcars and a secondary track for two-way travel. We took the underground tunnel to my parents’ house for dinner earlier, and now have to head back across town, underneath the river, and up to St. Killian’s for tonight.
We raced through the dim passageway, up a few inclines and quickly back down again, our stomachs dropping and the kids’ laughter and screams behind us deafening. I gripped Em’s jean-clad thigh, feeling it, too. Nothing beat a freefall.
Except maybe one thing.
I looked over at her, her glasses clasped in one hand as she squeezed her eyes shut and smiled. Her other hand was behind her and wrapped around II’s sneaker as she held onto him.