And it’s these moments that make life feel so special. Yes—the big grand ones like I had this morning are incredible, but it’s these micro moments in the kitchen where my husband is feeding me a gourmet frittata from a purple toddler fork that I live for.
I can’t believe I ever used to fear falling in love with him.
“How was your day with Zoe?” I ask on the last bite. Ryan takes the plate from me and sets it aside, guiding my legs to wrap around his waist before picking me up off the counter. He carries me into the living room and deposits me on the couch, crawling on top of me and then wrapping his arms around my waist to flip us so I’m covering him.
“Let’s just say—I didn’t realize a person as small as Zoe could have so much liquid inside her.”
I laugh while simultaneously feeling terrible he had to take on the brunt of disgusting parenting today. But this is what we do. Life ebbs and flows for both of us, and when one of us needs extra help, the other steps up. It’s one of the many reasons our relationship works. “You think she’s past the worst of it?”
He nods, smiling softly as he runs his hands through my hair. “Yeah, she’s good to go now.” He pauses as his eyes sweep over my face. “You look pretty.”
“You look pretty,” I say, touching my finger to his full lips.
He rolls his eyes, shaking his head. I love his grin. I love when the black centers of his eyes eat up the brown. I love when I feel his heart rate pick up and his skin grows hot and to know that I do that to him. I love everything about him.
“You know…it’s almost the end of January,” I say, scooting up his body to level my face with his.
He runs his fingers lazily up and down my arm. “Mm-hmm?”
I lower my face and kiss him. Slowly. No hurry. “We should probably take the Christmas lights down before the neighbors complain.”
His hand slides down the curve of my spine, lower and lower until his big hand settles over my right butt cheek. He squeezes, and his smile is a wild thing. “I’ll get right on it.”
He doesn’t. He kisses me over and over again, his tongue slipping into my mouth and hands wandering all over the place. After a few minutes of kissing like we have all the time in the world, Ryan shifts and settles his lips once again against my throat. “I’m proud of you, June. And I’m so damn lucky to have you as my wife and partner in life.”
I think I must be sleep deprived, too, because my eyes well up with misty tears. “I think that every single day about you.”
He lays his head back against the couch cushion and looks up at me, eyes searching deep in my soul for any hints of a lie before he pushes my hair behind my ear. “Even when life is like this? Hectic and mundane at the same time?”
I smile, kissing him once softly. “Especially then.”
“Why especially?”
“Because even in the trenches of parenting and building a business, even when Zoe is crying at the table because she hates what we fixed for dinner, even when Stacy and Logan crash in our living room for way too long over New Year’s, I have the best time experiencing it all with you—which makes me see that I’m ridiculously lucky.”
And then, because I can’t seem to get close enough to him, I lift his shirt and climb up through it, squeezing my head through the neck hole with him.
“You’re going to stretch out my shirt, you mongrel,” he says, but affection is running throughout his tone. “I have the best time with you, too, June.”
I nuzzle against the crook of his neck like a cat, all but purring when he runs his hand over my scalp. “We have so many glittering moments ahead of us, Ryan. I’ll love sharing those with you just as much as I love this one—living with you in your shirt.”
“I love you.” He kisses my head and then reaches for the remote, clicking on the TV. “Now, I’ve got to show you the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
I groan. “Tell me you didn’t record my segment.”
“Oh, I did.” He sounds way too excited about it. I have a feeling he’s going to show it to everyone who comes over.
“Let’s have sex instead.”
“Can’t,” Ryan says matter-of-factly. “Zoe is going to wake up any second, I feel it in my dadly bones. But don’t worry—I have solid plans for later tonight. I was thinking it over in the shower.”
“Oooo,” I wiggle a little against him, drawing a laugh from him. “Tell me more.”
“You won’t distract me. We’re going to watch this over and over—my god, look how cute you are waving at the crowd.”
I give up and lay my head just under his chin, closing my eyes and savoring this quiet moment with Ryan instead of watching myself on the show.
He keeps narrating his favorite moments while running his fingers through my hair, and as I drift off into a nap with Ryan’s shirt as my blanket, all I can think is there’s nowhere else I’d rather be but here. Confident that no matter what life throws at us, we’ll always be this close.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to so many people! First, thank you, readers, for making writing so rewarding! I adore every single nice review, email, Instagram message, and blog shout-out you guys send me! The encouragement never goes unappreciated.
Thank you, family, for your unending support.
Chris, my husband, just for being you. I’m a little obsessed with you and everyone knows it. Also, thank you for coming up with the Nick Lachey bit. That was all you!
Carina and Ashley, you’re the best. Love you guys!
Gigi Blume, thank you for taking the time to critique this book. Some truly terrible jokes and cringeworthy scenes would have made it through without you! You’re amazing.
Jen Lockwood, my editor, you did it again! Without you, a horrendous and completely plot-changing typo would have made it through for everyone to gasp at! I think you’re the bee’s knees.
My bookstagram community, thank you for your love, for helping promote my books, and most importantly, your friendships!
THANK YOU! Hugs to anyone who made it this far:) I’m off to write the next book now.
XO, Sarah
