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“I’ll pack a picnic.”
He doesn’t tell me that it’s impractical when we live so close. He doesn’t tell me we can just slip back here after. Instead, he grins at me like that’s the most romantic proposition he’s ever heard. He slips back into bed and takes me in his arms. It’s my favorite place in the world. Wherever we go, wherever we move, and whatever adventures we have, he’s always going to be my home, and I’ll always be his.
“You tend to get a little wild when we shower, darling. Are you sure half an hour is enough time?”
“I’m the one who gets wild?” I squeal. “Goodness. I think you might have misremembered things. I might have to show you video evidence to prove that you’re wrong.”
Rick pinches my bottom lightly. “You don’t have video evidence.”
I wink at him. “Don’t I?”
“Naughty. And for that, you shall be punished most thoroughly.”
“I don’t, I don’t,” I exclaim with a laugh, squirming as his fingers sweep over my side, getting ready to tickle me. “But I’ll give you a play-by-play in real time if that helps jog your memory.”
“You know…” He lowers his face to mine, ready to kiss me. “That might just help.”
“Would it help if I told you that I love you? That I’m always going to love you? That the letter Jace wrote was the best one in the world? That you’re my entire heart, and having you here is so much better than being pen pals?”
He gives me a mock-serious look, but his eyes light up the way they do every single time I tell him that I love him. Saying those words is so wonderful, and I’ll never stop, especially because I know how much it means to him to hear them after an entire lifetime of thinking no one did and no one ever would.
“In all seriousness, I love you with every part of my soul, even the messed up parts,” Rick says softly.
“I know. I know, and it’s the most beautiful thing. All your messed up parts are perfect too.” I kiss him hard and deep, holding him to me. I’m not done being playful yet, and loving each other is serious, but we’ve found so much healing through humor. “If I weren’t already pregnant, I’d tell you that you should try, but since I already am, we might have to skip it. It does seem rather pointless now that we’ve accomplished our objective.”
“Skip it, my ass,” he growls, sliding a leg over mine and flipping himself effortlessly on top of me.
Whatever we do with our lives, wherever we go from here, we’ll do it together. We’ve already come so far. I don’t know if we’ll buy a cabin and do the bushcraft thing, travel the world, or keep a house here in Atlanta—probably always that because I don’t think my parents will ever leave. Rick already teaches self-defense classes on a volunteer basis every single day except the weekends. He goes to one of the local community centers from Monday to Friday for hours in the afternoons. He teaches everyone, from kids to seniors, how to protect themselves. And me? I’ve spent the last two years getting my Masters, and even if it is in business, and I have no idea what I want to do with it yet, I know I’ll get there. I just finished, so I have time to figure out how to put it to the best use. Since Rick started his volunteer work, and after all the money he’s donated, I think it would be great to work at a non-profit. I want to go back to work and helpto make the world a better place for everyone, including the little person we’re soon going to be raising.
Or maybe we can start our own company, something that Rick and I will get to do together. I just don’t know yet, but maybe it’s okay not to know. Back when I was taking my Masters, Rick told me every single day that it was important, and I was brilliant, and I’ve already done great things because I’ve changed his world. I don’t need to immediately jump into having a hardcore career immediately after finishing school. If we do something together, like start our own non-profit and maybe help veterans, which we’re both so passionate about, then we can work from anywhere and can set our own hours. We can have time for our family and still have very meaningful careers. I like that we’ll have the freedom to be creative in the way our souls were meant to be. I was never meant to be chained to a desk, giving someone a mindless nine to five, and Rick was never meant to be used as a weapon. Creating a foundation will put all our talents to the best use they can ever possibly be put to.
I grasp Rick’s broad, strong shoulders, marveling all over again at how soft his skin is over all that hard muscle. I believe he mentioned my favorite part of his anatomy, so I can’t let that go unanswered. “Oh good, we’re going to talk about your bottom. That’s one of the best topics. I think about it a lot, you know. I daydream about it pretty much constantly.”
“You’re a wicked woman,” he grunts as I slip my hand around a part of him that is definitely not his bottom.
I treat him to my most dazzling grin. “I know, Patrick McDonald. I know.”