Page 73 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)
OWEN
Six years later
I pulled along the curb in front of the EFU gymnastics practice facility a few minutes after picking up Tate and Lennon from daycare. No matter how long the workday might have been, seeing Tate’s mop of dark hair and Lennon’s toothy grin were always enough to boost my spirits.
The second I unbuckled them from their car seats, my four- and two-year-olds were off like rockets, little sneakers pounding down the hallway of the gymnastics facility. I jogged behind at a slower pace, smiling at the trail of laughter they left in their wake.
By the time I reached the open doorway to the gym, I caught the best kind of scene—my kids sprinting across the mats like they owned the place, Lucy crouched down to their level, arms wide.
She’d been mid-conversation with a brunette in an Eden Falls warm-up jacket—one of the new freshmen this year—but the second Tate launched himself at her and Lennon followed, she laughed and caught them both in a hug.
Six years ago, when Lucy had been fresh into her gymnastics retirement and still trying to figure out what to do with her life after college, Coach Chambers had asked her to stick around and help.
Now, with her sixth season in the assistant coach position coming to an end, she was ready to step in as head coach.
It was something she’d never even thought to dream of back when we first met, but after only a few practices her first year coaching, it became obvious she’d been born for it.
After hugging each of the kids, Lucy’s gaze lifted over their heads, finding me in the doorway. The moment our eyes locked, her smile softened. And yeah, seeing her look at me like I was still her home after all these years just did something to me every time.
We’d been together six years, married for five of those, and I somehow fell more in love with her each day.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and made my way across the spring floor, weaving around balance beams and chalk dust. When I reached Lucy and the kids, I bent to give her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You smell good,” I murmured.
“Really?” She chuckled. “Hard to believe since I’ve been in the gym all day.”
“Well, you do. You always do,” I said. “Must be the smell of victory in the air.”
“That’s what we’re hoping for.” Her bright blue eyes sparkled as she glanced toward a group of gymnasts packing up for the day.
Conference championships were two weeks away, and while the program hadn’t had a year quite like her own senior season since she graduated, this team was showing some really great promise.
And if they kept nailing their routines and putting in the hard work, we were hopeful they’d at least make regionals.
“Think Coach Chambers will loosen up and give these girls the spring break of their college dreams?” I asked, tossing her a wink as the memory of our spring break experience—New York, Broadway, and a very ill-timed relationship reveal to Theo—made me grin.
“If you mean keeping the regular practices just at a slightly kinder hour of the day, then you know it,” she said, smirking.
I slid my arm around her waist, tugging her closer. “One of these years, we’re going to take a spring break trip somewhere fun.”
“I think that’s out of the cards for us as long as I’m a coach, baby.” She smiled sweetly at me, catching my mock pout before shoving me playfully in the chest. “Lucky for us, we both have all summer off to more than make up for it.”
“True.” I grinned, leaning down to kiss her temple. “Definitely a better trade-off.”
Spending the summers with my family, especially when the kids were so young and constantly changing and growing, was definitely a gift I didn’t take for granted.
We were particularly looking forward to spending a week in the Bahamas with my mom and Asher’s family—something I never would have imagined back when everything fell apart.
It was a reminder that even after loss, you can still build new traditions worth holding onto. And after spending so many years watching other families make memories together, it was a dream come true to finally have a family of my own like that.
Were we perfect? Of course not. But our life was pretty dang good.
Lucy and I walked hand in hand out of the gymnastics facility with Tate insisting on carrying Lucy’s bag for her and Lennon bouncing along at my side, chattering about the “big jump” she was going to show Mommy when she was “big like Tate.”
The drive home didn’t take long as we wound through the familiar streets of Eden Falls and into the neighborhood right next to where I’d grown up.
Pulling into our cul-de-sac still gave me that odd mix of nostalgia and gratitude.
Nostalgia for all the years I’d spent here with my family and friends.
And gratitude that now, my own little family lived here, too—in the house right next door to my childhood best friend and his own little family.
I hit the garage door opener and pulled in, shutting off the engine as Tate and Lennon scrambled out. Lucy grabbed her bag from the back, while I took my time, just watching her in the late-afternoon light.
When I stepped into the house, I was instantly hit with the smell of the lasagna soup I’d tossed into the crockpot this morning.
Since Lucy and I both worked, dinner duties rotated.
Tonight was officially my night, but since I still had a salad to chop and throw together, I knew she’d be right there helping me out.
Which was always a nice reward at the end of the day.
While Lucy got the kids settled with their playdough at their little table in the corner, I washed my hands and pulled the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese from the fridge.
“Want some help?” Lucy asked, stepping up beside me at the counter.
“I’d love it.”
We chopped in sync, sliding veggies into the big wooden bowl between us. Every so often, we bumped elbows or shoulders, and since I was still addicted to my wife, I didn’t bother pretending it was accidental .
“Careful, Coach,” I said, brushing past her to grab the salad tongs. “You keep getting in my way.”
“Whatever.” She smirked, not looking up from slicing tomatoes. “Pretty sure you’re the one in my way.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, stepping right up behind her so my chest brushed her back. “Guess we’ll have to work this out.”
I slid my arms around her waist, and a soft laugh escaped her lips. “Oh, is that your plan?”
I kissed the side of her neck, slow and lingering, then just under her ear. “That’s part of it.”
She tilted her head slightly, giving me better access. Then, knowing we needed to practice safety first, I carefully removed the knife from her hands, setting it on the counter.
“Knives and kisses don’t mix.”
Her breath caught, and a spark lit her eyes when she looked at me. “Guess we’ll finish the salad later.”
“We’re just taking a little break.” I turned her toward me, trapping her between my body and the counter, my hands resting on her hips. She giggled when I kissed her and then her fingers curled into my shirt.
“Got any plans for after the kids are in bed?” I asked, my mind already entertaining a few ideas of its own.
“I don’t know…” She caught my bottom lip gently between her teeth before letting it go. “Probably shower.” Her shrug was casual, but the slow lift of her gaze was anything but. “Maybe put on something lacy after that.”
Her words had barely left her lips when heat hit me like a match to kindling. “Careful, darling,” I murmured, leaning close enough that my lips brushed her ear, my voice pitched for her alone. “Because I’m already getting ideas about what I can have for dessert.”
“Maybe we can get that shower together then…” She bit her lip again in that way that wrecked me .
I forced my gaze away for a beat, willing my pulse to slow. When I looked back, I scanned behind us to make sure we were out of the kids’ line of sight. “Maybe we should sneak upstairs right now?”
Because yeah, dinner could definitely wait.
“Not so fast, mister.” She patted my chest, a wicked smile curving her lips. “Dinner should always come before dessert, right?”
While Lucy loaded the dishwasher, I got the kids bathed, jammied, and tucked into bed with their favorite stories.
Lennon conked out halfway through the picture book.
Tate took a little longer, insisting I check under his bed for monsters twice.
By the time I closed his door, the house had settled into that rare, perfect quiet.
I found Lucy in our bedroom, hair down and damp from her shower, wearing one of my old Eden Falls University hoodies that hit mid-thigh. She was standing by the bed, folding laundry.
“Need help with that?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe as I drunk her in.
Her lips curved in a slow smile. “You’re offering to fold towels?”
“If that’s what you want.” I crossed the room in three long strides. “But if you’re still up for other activities…we can do that, too.”
“I guess you did get the kids to bed…” Her laugh was soft. “You probably deserve a reward for your hard work.”
“Just so you know, my intentions were completely pure in going the extra mile with kid duties tonight,” I murmured, sliding my hands to her hips. “I definitely wasn’ t expecting anything in return.”
“Sure.” She laughed. “I know how you work by now. No one likes putting the kids to bed that much.”
“Okay, fine. So maybe our conversation in the kitchen gave me just a little motivation.”
“I bet it did.”
She tipped her head back as I kissed her, deep and unhurried this time, tasting the faint sweetness of the wine she’d had with dinner.
My hoodie was loose on her petite frame, but I could still feel the warmth of her through the fabric, and it made me want to strip away every barrier between us.
Her hands skimmed under my T-shirt, palms warm against my skin. “You smell like basil,” she said against my mouth.
“It’s better than playdough at least, right?” I asked.
“Much.”
We ended up tangled in the sheets after shoving the laundry off the bed, laughter giving way to the kind of quiet that felt like home.
Every touch was as familiar as my own heartbeat and still electric enough to leave me breathless.
Outside, the world could have been chaos, but here—wrapped around the girl of my dreams—everything was steady.