Page 80 of The Wrong Track

He stared at me. “We slept the whole night. For at least six hours, straight. It’s like a miracle,” he said, his voice reverent. Then he grinned at me. “We should celebrate.”

“You want to go out to eat?”

“No.” He stood up from the bed, picked me up off my feet, and placed me back on it. “We should celebrate another way.” He stopped talking in order to move his mouth to my neck, which he kissed and nuzzled, and then bit, but softly. Because Tobin wouldn’t ever hurt me.

I pulled up my shirt, briefly breaking our contact, but that meant that he could do the same thing to my breasts. “Hmm,” he said, smiling at them. “I don’t know which part of you I like the best.” He licked my nipple, a light caress with his tongue, and at the same time one of his hands moved to my ass to squeeze. “It’s a tie right now.”

I had my own hands on his butt, which was very available because he’d stripped off his briefs. I’d been watching his body a lot, for several months, I realized. I took my time touching his back and shoulders and down his arms. I felt the strength there, all that strength that he used only to take care of us, to love us.

“Tobin?”

He picked up his head but then blew a cool stream of air across my nipple so that I shivered. “Yes? Want me to do something else?” His hand slid on my thigh, fingers brushing inexorably upwards.

“No, I like that…” I said but he blew again and licked. I stopped speaking as a shiver overtook me. “I like all that a lot. I love you a lot.”

He met my eyes. “I love you, too. My wife.” He laughed quietly as he nuzzled my breast and his hand slipped to the crux of my legs. “My wife.” He peeled down my underwear, not caring that they were pretty ugly. That left us both naked, our bodies pressed together. It felt wonderful and I wrapped my arms around his neck to hold him closer.

“You ok? We can stop.”

I looked up into his beautiful eyes, which were suddenly concerned. “I don’t want you to stop. Please don’t.”

So he didn’t. He stroked gently, palms gliding carefully, then harder when I pressed my body against his touch and moaned. “You’re so delicate,” he said, kissing my cheekbones. “All your features are so fine. Like art. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

That was because I was moving my own hands over his erection, up and down, up and down.

“You look so delicate but you’re so tough. Hell, Remy,” he gasped. He thrust his hips and his fingers entered me. I ground down against them as his thumb made circles on my clit.

“Tobin. Tobin?” I begged. He moved his body over mine and moved inside, joining us together. “Christ,” I groaned, because it was so much pleasure that I couldn’t keep quiet. I kept moaning, rhythmically as he drove again and again, turning and twisting his hips in a way that—

I called out his name again and came, hard, still clutching him tightly.

“Remy. Remy,” he moaned, and I felt him reach it, too. We lay panting and then he slowly and carefully pulled out, and I lay on the bed washed over with pleasure. Pleasure, and a lot of love.

I watched Tobin. “Fifty or so more years of us doing that,” he said, and smiled at me. He dealt neatly with the condom. “Maybe someday we’ll want another baby,” he said, pointing his chin towards the other bedroom. “Not quite yet.” He settled down against me, tucking me into the crook of his neck. My spot.

I thought about another baby. No, not yet, but I knew that Ella should have a sister like mine. Or a brother, like Tobin. I kissed his chest. “Love you,” I murmured.

“And I—”

We both heard the sad grunt, then the wail through the monitor.

“I’ll get her,” Tobin said. He kissed my head.

“I’ll come too,” I told him. We got dressed and went to get our baby, and I took his hand. We were on the right track. Together.

Epilogue

“Almost,” I panted. “Almost home.” It was warm as we headed into summer and I could really feel it right now. We were outside running again, with Ella strapped into the stroller that Tobin’s cousin had given to us the year before. We’d headed out together the moment the snow had melted, in fact. She’d worn a giant, down suit and as many blankets as I could pile over her, so many that we could hardly see her sweet, peanut face peeking out.

She didn’t need many blankets today, of course. “Ella, we’re almost home,” I told her again, and she said, “Hom,” which was her first real word. We talked a lot about the important place where we lived, our little family. Tobin was sure that any day now, she’d be speaking in complete sentences. In fact, when he’d been up with her one night, late, he swore that she’d said, “I would like milk, please.” I had my doubts but it gave Charlene even more proof that her granddaughter was a genius.

We crossed the street so we wouldn’t have to go by the mean dog house, but also so we could go past the one with all the lilacs growing in the front. They smelled so sweet, I always took a deep breath when I was close. My lungs filled with the delicious aroma without a wheeze; I wasn’t having many problems with asthma anymore.

I loved those flowers so much, in fact, that Hazel had helped me plant bushes at our house, and she had ordered a bouquet of lilacs for me to carry when I stood up with her at her wedding later this month. Hazel’s dress was a froth of lace and layers and she looked beautiful in it. I’d made her a slip with a blue ribbon along its edge, and I’d also made a light purple dress for me and a little one for Ella.

I’d crafted a bow for Ella to wear in her dark curls, too, but we would have to see how long that lasted. She was totally mobile and totally getting into everything, which kept us on our toes. She kept busy yanking her socks off her own toes so she could be barefoot at all times, no matter the temperature. Shod or unshod, she went fast. Tobin was considering soccer for her, or tennis. Or field hockey or lacrosse or all of them. He was certain she’d be good at everything, which went without saying.

Everything was moving fast. Our daughter was growing and learning by leaps and bounds, Tobin was working hard, I was getting ready to apply for my first class at the local college after finishing up all the high school requirements. I was also working a lot for Annie as her assistant, but she preferred to call me her “collaborator.” It was really fun, but I was thinking that eventually, I might want to have my own business. Right now, I was happy with what I had. Very happy.