I rub over my heart. He does it so easily, so lovingly. It’s never a chore, it’s a gift. He notices me looking and winks at me. I blow him a kiss and he catches it happily. Holden chuckles and kisses my temple.
“Is this everything you want, Sophie?” He asks in my ear.
I turn to my husband in surprise. “It’s more than I ever could have hoped for.”
“I like the sound of that.” Roman kisses the top of my head. “We have a whole week of taking care of things at the office coming up, but then it’s the Christmas party and Christmas itself.”
“They’re going to love Christmas,” Nick agrees, putting socks on my feet. I didn’t even have to say they were cold, he just knew. “Don’t tell him, but I got Link a bike.”
Roman chuckles. “Don’t tell Cora, but I got her a kid’s cooking set ... and an easy bake oven.”
“I bet they switch within a year ... or try to.” I tease.
The guys chuckle. Roman goes to talk to his family and Nick kisses me before telling me he still has some paperwork to finish and work to handle. I pout at him, but he gives me a long kiss. “The sooner I finish, the sooner I’m all yours. Trust me, I want to be all yours.”
I hold his hand until his fingers slip through mine and he makes his way to his room.
I look back at Holden. “What did you get for Nick?”
“Oh no, I’m not ruining the surprise.”
“Hey,” I argue. “You can tell me. I’m good at secrets.”
“You just want to get an idea of what to get him.” Holden pokes my side.
“I’m torn between this extra old bottle of scotch I found – one he’s talked about before. Or getting him a limited edition paint set. It’s made with all-natural ingredients and comes with a book that teaches others how to make them.”
“He’d love both.” Holden kisses me, then whispers in my ear. “Link and I are working on a painting for Nick. A hint at a surprise Roman has.”
I gape at him. “You know Roman’s presents?”
“I have a face that people like to tell secrets to.” He shrugs.
“He won’t even tell me!”
“Because you get all excited and eager and it’s obvious you know something.” Holden chuckles. “And we all know how to get things out of you.”
I gape. “I’m not that easy.”
He chuckles and settles me back down against him, wrapping me in his strong arms and enveloping me in heat. I hum in my throat and rub his sides. “Just because I ... can’t resist you guys, that doesn’t mean that I can’t keep a secret.”
“You’re cute.” Holden kisses my nose, then gets a dark twinkle in his eyes. “Hey, Link?”
“Daddy?” He gets three answers and laughs. “Daddy Holden?”
“Should I tell Mommy my secret?”
“No!” Link says. “Mommy can’t keep secrets.”
I sit up. “Link!”
He shrugs. “Lies are bad.”
“Lies are bad.” Holden chuckles as if that absolves him of what he said. “If even our kids know, then I’d be silly to tell you.”
“You’re horrible.”
But we play around and enjoy the next few days. My husbands help me around the house and I love it. When I feel overwhelmed or exhausted, they sit me down and can’t do enough. When Nick brings me flowers like normal, it activates the tears and I just wipe at them uselessly.