Page 89 of Falling for Fury
5 years later
“I’ll be flying in around 10am on Monday. I’ll get a car and head straight for the office. How’s the newbie?” I ask Caleb through the phone. Now the director of our New York office, since Addy and I made the final move to Chicago twelve months ago.
“Stella is a natural. She is going to do just fine. She’ll shadow me for a couple weeks, so I’ll hit the sales road for a bit, but otherwise she’ll be on her own in no time.” I nod at Caleb’s reassurance. Hiring Stella had been a gamble. She had no sales experience, let alone marketing and design. But she was ready for a fresh start, to step out of her previous life and enter a new beginning. Ethan might have helped that decision and despite Lucas being mad at losing his bar manager, he was happy for her as a friend.
We end the call as I hear a knock on my office door. Spinning in my chair, I lock eyes with my golden-haired devil and feel my chest warm. “Hi, shortcake.” Standing, I round the desk and watch as her smile widens and she all but skips across to me. Looping her arms around my neck, I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her against me as I steal her pretty pink lips in a kiss. Over five years of her and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.
Pulling away slightly, she whispers against my lips. “Hi, Romeo.”
“What are you doing here today?” I ask her as I place her back on her feet and drag her fingers in my hand as I walk backwards. Leaning on my desk, I pull her between my legs, tucking an errant hair behind her ear and kissing those pretty pink cheeks of hers.
“I had some free time between classes, so I thought I’d bring you lunch.” She lifts the sushi bag she holds in her hands, and I hear my stomach grumble in response. We sit and she hands me my usual rolls, pulling out a noodle bowl for herself. We dig in and I ask her about her day.
“Good! I actually have a particularly hard student that I think might take a bit to crack, but it’ll be worth it in the end.” Addy ended up going back to college not long after we got back together. Completing her teaching degree, doubling with a psych qualification. She finished just before we made the move to Chicago and works locally with a child trauma clinic, specializing in classes on dealing with anger, depression, and anxiety, helping kids understand their emotions and finding ways to channel them and explain them to people around them who don’t know how to help.
My Addison is a hero, and every time I see her, I feel like I need to pinch myself that she is mine.
“I’m sure you’ll get through to them. You always do.” She scrunches her nose as she smiles at me, her tell that she heard the compliment and is trying to learn to accept it.
“How’s your day? Oh! Have you heard from Caleb? How’s Stella doing?”
“Good, just got off the phone with him, settling in well.” I nod at her and she relaxes back into her chair.
“Good, I’m glad. I’m happy she is making steps to move forward. She deserves it.” That she does. “Also, we have dinner with your mom tonight. Evie is bringing her new boyfriend, too, so play nice.” I roll my eyes at her.
“I always play nice,” I grunt, pushing my sushi around my plate and she giggles.
“You know you’re a hypocrite. You chased me when both Jessie and Matt told you not to.“ I look up and wink at her.
“You were just too delicious, couldn’t stay away.”
“Well, maybe E’s boy thinks she’s delicious, too.” I’m going to throw up.
“Ugh, really?” I physically shiver as Addison starts cackling, and I throw my sushi container to the desk and grab my little devil by the waist and pull her into my lap. Stealing her bowl of noodles, discarding it, and stealing the giggles from her mouth as I press my lips to hers.
A quick and passion-filled kiss before she pulls away, panting.
“What was that for?”
“Just because.” I smile at her, the same surprise still hitting me every time I see her smile at me like that. She settles into my hold, her fingers twirling with the hair at the nape of my neck, and I reach to grab her left hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing her fingers.
“Still bizarre,” she murmurs, staring at the diamond ring with a matching band on her ring finger.
“What’s bizarre?” I ask.
“Being married.” She scrunches her nose again but smiles up at me. A caveman-like warmth spreads through me at the memory of her walking up that aisle. Jessie clinging to her and firmly shaking my hand. Addison saying I-do and becoming Mrs. Karvelas.
“Mmm. I just like that I can now call you my wife,” I hum back to her, reaching forward and placing a soft kiss to her neck. When I pull back, I see her assessment of my eyes and something like longing fills hers.
“Do you miss New York?” A pit of unease settles in me. We talked about this move for a long time. I proposed about four years ago, not being able to handle her being anything other than mine, and she said yes. To my displeasure, she made me wait another year and a half to become my wife, but throughout that time, we planned and plotted our future. I wanted to be close to Mom and E, but would stay in New York for her. She said Chicago felt like home and she’d love to move and start fresh, so we did. We had a small intimate ceremony in Central Park, went on our honeymoon, and decided we’d wait until her degrees were finished, then we’d move.
She shrugs and places a quick kiss to my lips. “I miss the people, Casey and Rosie, even though they are busy with their own lives and families now. I don’t miss New York, Chicago is home. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Plus, I’m probably going to need your mom more than ever.” I tilt my head in confusion and she gets up to clear the trash and grab her bag.
“Why do you need my mom?”
“Well, God knows Lillian isn’t prepared to babysit on her own when I go back to work. I might take twelve months off, but I’m fully prepared to be a working mom.” She spins on a heel and hits me with nervous eyes as she bites her bottom lip and suppresses a smile.
“You’re pregnant?” A mix of joy, surprise, and fear grip my chest and steal my breath, and I feel like I can’t move from this spot. She pulls a picture from her bag and hands it to me. An ultrasound image showing the little bean in her womb.