Page 10

Juno

Ten Years Later

I thought the age gap would somehow affect things more than they have, but after a decade of marriage with my silver fox, life’s just business as usual.

The coffee maker beeps and I rush to it, hoping not to wake Calder.

He’s been working hard on some construction projects in the area, building up around the lake.

At fifty-five though, it’s more supervising and less hands-on building.

I pour a mug, add my favorite creamer, grab my favorite shawl, and quietly slide the back door open.

The crisp fall air hits my face, waking me up more than, if not equally, to my morning coffee.

With a deep breath, I carefully lift my nightgown and move down the steps onto our dock. This is the life I’ve always wanted.

I close my eyes and lean my head back on the Adirondack chair, soaking in the sounds of nature.

Things have all worked out for us. My father barely blinked an eye when I told him about us.

He was more concerned with his own ever-present axe to grind.

I barely speak to him anymore, which Calder mostly supports but stays out of my way, respecting my decisions.

So far, my class this year is the best one yet. Saturday mornings provide a well-needed respite from fourth-grade drama. I smile despite myself. While I love teaching, us not having children was the best decision we could’ve consciously made. For many reasons.

“Room for one more?” Calder’s voice pulls me to the present. He leans in and presses his warm lips against mine, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I was already awake.” He sidles up in the chair next to mine.

“Babe, it’s mid-October. A shirt and shoes are a good idea” Not that I mind seeing him without his shirt on. Even in his fifties, his body is toned and tight. My cunt clenches every time I see him, knowing he’s mine all mine.

“I can handle it.” He crosses his legs out in front of him, wiggling his tootsies at me.

“Insufferable.” I tease and set my coffee down on the chair’s arm.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks me this all the time. I figured dating an older man would come with better communication, but the care and concern he has for me and my feelings—my wants, hopes, and dreams—has always thrown me off a little. I love it, though.

“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking too hard. Just sort of being.”

He reaches over and takes my hand. “Know what I’m thinking about?” The tent of his boxers tells me exactly what he has in mind. “Testing out the new showerhead in our bathroom.”

Yes, our bathroom.

Calder moved in as soon as what was formerly known as my place was finished.

He uses his old place as an Airbnb. “This place feels more like both of us.” He said, after asking if he could move in.

I was overjoyed because he was right. All of that construction, we did it together.

Well, he did most of the work but a lot of the decisions were joint ones.

Calder pinches at my ass as we make our way back up the steps.

The man can’t keep his hands off of me and that’s how I like it.

We set our coffee cups on the counter, undressing as we make our way upstairs.

I have more to disrobe, but Calder beats me to the bathroom, already twisting the knobs to the perfect temperature as I step into the room.

He holds me tight under the stream, caressing me, taking his time pleasing my body. Afterward, when we’re drying off, still steamy from the heat, he pulls me to him. I run my hands up and down the grooves of his toned back. “Are you happy, Jun?”

I giggle in response. He does this all the time. It’d be kind of annoying if it weren’t so fucking cute. I press a kiss between my husband’s pecs. Ten years of marriage, and I hope to God we have at least a hundred more.

I respond the same way I always do, meeting his eyes, still unable to believe this man is mine until the end of our times. “Abso-fucking-lutely. You?”

He pulls me in, wrapping his strong arms around me. I close my eyes and breathe in his warm, soap-scented skin. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”