Page 48 of Accidentally Fudging the Beast

Dani leans back against the counter, exhaling. Her bump is front and center now, round and perfect under the apron.

I set the spatula down and wipe my hands on a paper towel. The kitchen is quiet, except for the sound of Alisha singing the theme song at the top of her lungs in the living room.

My wife tilts her head, watching me. "You're thinking about it again, aren't you?"

I try to play dumb, but she can see right through me. "About what?"

She reaches for my hand, threading our fingers together. "Scratching your ass in the ER."

I laugh softly. "It's not every day a guy loses his dignity before the first date, Sunshine."

She squeezes my hand. "It worked out pretty well for you, though."

I look around at the kitchen—the chaos, the fudge, the woman I love more than anything—and realize how absolutely true that is.

"Yeah," I say, drawing her closer. "It really did."

She smirks, pressing a chocolate-smudged finger to my chest. "I seem to recall you saying that I saved your life, you know."

"You did," I agree, kissing her on the forehead. "And then you let me ruin yours."

She snorts, but there's a softness in her eyes that I never get tired of seeing.

We stand like that for a while, just breathing each other in. I think about the last five years—the first Christmas, the fudge, the proposal, our wedding. Alisha's birth. Her first steps. The look on Dani's face every morning when she wakes up next to me, as if she still can't believe this is our life.

I think about the new baby coming in the spring. My new job coaching at the college level. Our future.

If you'd told me five years ago that I'd end up here because I couldn't keep my hands off a batch of fudge, I would have laughed you off the ice. But right now, with Dani in my arms and the kitchen smelling like chocolate and love and home, I know there's nothing I wouldn't risk for this.

She buries her face in my chest, her voice muffled. "You gonna help me clean, or are you just gonna stand there getting emotional?"

"Depends," I say. "Is there still fudge on your apron?"

She lifts her head and grins, devilish. "Why don't you come over here andfind out?"

I do.

Later, when the fudgeis set, the kitchen is back to some semblance of order, and there is wrapping paper all over the living room, Alisha passes out on my lap, her mouth covered with chocolate. Dani stretches out on the couch with her feet in my lap and her head propped on a pillow. The Christmas lights blink in the window, and snow falls outside, slow and silent.

Dani sighs, content. "I never thought I'd have this, you know."

I run my hand along her leg, my touch gentle. "Me neither."

She smiles at me, then at Alisha, then at her own belly, which moves under her hand.

"You ever wonder what would've happened if I hadn't brought that fudge?" she asks, her eyes dancing.

I laugh. "I'd probably still be following you around the arena, hoping you'd notice me."

"You were hard to miss, babe. Even before the hives."

I grin, my heart pulsing.

She closes her eyes, content. I just watch her for a while, memorizing every detail.

This is it,I think.This is everything.

As Alisha snores softly and Dani's hand finds mine, I realize that this is precisely where I was always meant to be.

Right here with them.

Fudge, hives, and all.