Page 7 of A Constant Christmas
He pulls me close to him and sets his hands on my hips. It’s like he can’t stop touching me. “Well, that’s the beauty of owning the company, sweetheart. I can take off whenever I want. The staff can handle things, and I have my laptop if they need anything.”
“Wow,” I say. “That’s great. But what are you going to do for a whole month? It’s not all that interesting around here.”
“Well, my beautiful wife, I’m glad you asked. See, we aren’t going to be here in the house.”
My forehead crinkles. “Huh?”
“See, for the next week, you and I are going to get far, far away from this house,” he says, pulling me close to him once more.
“Ty, what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you and me taking a trip. Just us.”
I scoff. “We can’t just take a trip. We have three kids.”
As if she was listening on the other side of the door, Tess walks into the room. In her usual chipper Tess voice, she says, “That’s where I come in!”
I push away from Tyler and look at all of them. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Tess speaks before Tyler can. “It’s obvious that you two need some time alone and a break. So, Alexander and I will watch the kids while you guys take off for a little while.”
As much as I love my sister-in-law, I just don’t know about this. Yes, the kids love her, but they love her because she’s the fun aunt who pumps them full of sugar and never tells them no. Sure, they have taken them for a night here and there but never a whole week. My kids are a handful for just a few minutes, let alone a whole week.
“Look, as much as I appreciate the offer, there’s just no way we can get away for that long. But thank you guys,” I say while walking out of the room.
As nice as a vacation sounds, I just don’t think it’s feasible. I mean how irresponsible of me to just leave my three kids alone for a week. No. It’s just not happening.
I walk up to our bedroom, slamming the door behind me and beginning to folding the clean laundry that I’ve let pile up all day. Not more than two minutes later, there’s a slight knock on the door before Tyler peeks his head in.
“Hey,” he says, testing the waters.
“Hi,” I respond without looking up at him.
“You want to tell me why you’re so against this?” He asks, slowly walking into the room and having a seat on the opposite side of the bed.
“Because it’s not just that easy. You want to tell me why you’re so anxious to get away from our kids for an entire week?” My tone is well-past snarky.
He stands up and walks over to me, grabbing the towel I am trying to fold and sets it down. He turns me to face him, but I try to avoid his eyes. Those eyes of his get me every time.
“Look at me, Sam.”
When I don’t comply, he gently lifts my chin so that my eyes are fixed firmly on his.
“Baby, whether you choose to admit it or not, things around here aren’t great. I’m not saying that because I don’t think you’re an amazing wife and mother. You’re the best. I’m saying it because I can see that you’re not happy.”
I go to open my mouth, but he stops me. “I’m not saying you don’t love me and the kids. But I’m saying that you need a break. And you and I need this…as a couple. As husband and wife, you and I need to remember why we fell in love with each other. We need to laugh and cuddle. Hell, we need to be able to have sex without worrying about a kid walking in and without you faking an orgasm.”
My eyes widen. “You can tell that I sometimes fake it?”
A sudden look consumes his face, and it’s a look that used to make me go weak in the knees. It’s the look that tells me he wants to do anything and everything to my body.
“Yes, Sam. I can tell when you fake it.” He leans in to whisper as he continues. “Remember who you’re talking to. I used to make you scream while you clenched that tight little pussy around me, remember? And I fully intend on doing that again.”
I can feel goosebumps erupting over my skin as he speaks, and it reminds me of just how much I miss what we used to have. At that moment, I am two seconds away from telling him to bend me over and take me here and now, but another knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts.
This time, it’s Tess who pokes her head in. “Hi. Me again. Look, I know you are really on the fence about this whole thing, but I want you to know that I one hundred percent promise to not let anything happen to your kids while you’re gone. It’ll be good for Alexander and me to have them around.”
“Why? Are you practicing for finally being parents?” Tyler laughs.