“You’re all those things and more.” He kisses my cheek softly, and then leans down and lays a tender kiss on our daughter’s head. “And you’re the best mother, Billie, the best.”
I giggle lightly, careful not to wake Angela. “I don’t know about that…”
“Well, I do,” he says firmly.
I turn to him. His strong jaw has a light dusting of silver, his hair a little longer, his eyes just as intense. He’s wearing a T-shirt and shorts, home gear, and that gets me thinking of the word home.
Home was our apartment in the city for almost a year – and still is when we visit – but now we’ve moved into a six-bedroom house in the suburbs. There’s still a lot of decorating to do, but it’s already starting to feel like the place I imagined, which will one day be filled with our children’s loving laughter, their scampering footsteps, and all the mayhem that comes along with a life well-lived.
Home makes me think of my mom and dad too, who have moved into a new apartment with Aaron’s help. Dad was difficult to convince at first, not wanting to take any handouts, but one day he and Aaron had a long talk, reconnecting in a way they hadn’t since they were kids.
Aaron persuaded him, and now mom and dad have never been happier.
“Are you ready?”
Aaron takes the laptop from the couch cushion, opening it and slipping the USB stick into the slot.
I lower my face to Angela’s head, inhaling her baby scent. My body feels weary from all the breastfeeding, from all the mothering, but Aaron does more than his fair share.
We’re a team. We do everything together.
“I’m not sure,” I say, keeping my face close to my daughter’s head, as though I can hide from the album.
“We don’t have to,” Aaron says. “But I think we should. I’m so, so proud of you, Billie. You planned a wedding and recorded an album, all while pregnant. All you needed was a chance to show how talented you are, and you did it.”
“Okay, okay,” I say quickly before I change my mind.
Aaron clicks play on the first track. The music comes from the speakers softly, since we don’t want to wake Angela. I’m familiar with every single piano key, with every second of the track, but this is the first time I’ve listened to it after all the mixing and producing.
My voice starts. For a second I cringe. For a second I almost ask Aaron to turn it off.
But then I listen closer. I open my mouth and listen to my voice, listen to my gentle tone.
“I think I sound… quite good?”
I turn it into a question, and Aaron chuckles.
“Quite good? You sound perfect. There’s so much emotion in your voice. It’s beautiful.”
“It comes from you, from us,” I whisper. “It comes from knowing I never have to worry again because no matter what happens…”
“I’ll always be here.”
He kisses my cheek. I turn and find his lips, and we share a gentle tender moment.
I can feel the hunger in his kiss, his desire to take this to the bedroom, but he holds himself back with Angela here.
The hunger astonished me at first, how he was still attracted to me after the birth, my body made even curvier, my sleeplessness and my personal hygiene leaving a lot to be desired.
But my man doesn’t care.
His hands are still all over me, his lips never far away, his firm muscular body always ready to spring into action.
“I’m so lucky,” he says. “I’ve got the most beautiful, talented wife, and the cutest daughter in the world. I love you both so much.”
“I love you, Aaron. More than you can ever know.”
“Don’t be silly.” He smiles, face flooded with pure joy. “I know because I feel it too.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Aaron
“We had to do something special for our first year anniversary,” I say, squeezing my hand tightly around my wife’s.
I can feel her wedding and engagement rings pushing against my skin, the metal cool, reminding me of how far we’ve come since she was the shy girl backstage.
She smiles up at me, her hair wildly messy around her shoulders. She’s wearing a glittering black dress, hugging onto her mouth-watering form. She’s still holding some of the baby weight from Angela, and that just makes me want her even more. Her voluptuous curvy body will never stop captivating me.
Even now, when I’m supposed to be focused on our anniversary date, I can’t stop thinking about the way she shivered for me last night. Having sex in the same position we ended our first time with, with her on her side, her legs pressed together.
She laughs, moving closer to me, looping her arms around my shoulders. “I bet I can guess what you’re thinking.”
Her sassiness doesn’t surprise me anymore. There are so many pleasures in our life – my woman’s growing career, watching Angela develop into the most adorable little lady in existence – and watching my wife become a sassy confident woman has been one of the best.