Page 17 of A Constant Christmas

“Does it make you sad?”

He thinks for a moment before giving a slight nod. “I guess a little bit, but I also love watching them grow and learn. Every day they get a little smarter, and they turn into more individual little people. It’s really cool seeing that and being able to be the ones to teach them new things. To me, they’re so much more fun now than they were when they were babies. But I get where you’re coming from.”

I sigh. “I guess you’re right. I just feel like we will blink, and bam, they will be going off to college and leaving us.”

“Sam, they are six and one. They aren’t leaving quite yet.”

I laugh. “I know, but I’m just saying six years have already flown by in the blink of an eye. By the time they turn 18, I’m sure it will feel like no time has passed.”

“Maybe you’re right. But just think, then, we get our house back, and I get to have my filthy way with you whenever and wherever I want.” He flashes that panty-dropping smile of his.

“Well, you know there aren’t any kids here now,” I say in my most seductive voice.

“As much as I would love to bend you over this table right now, we have a plane to catch.”

“A plane? We are going somewhere else?” I ask, very confused.

“A couple more places actually. I told you that I am full of surprises. So, go get dressed, and I will make sure everything is all packed up and ready to go.”

Before I walk out of the kitchen, he gives a quick swat to my ass and comments on how sexy I look in his shirt.

And I can’t stop smiling all the way to the airport.

Chapter Fourteen

Tyler

It takes about four hours for us to drive from the Hamptons back to Boston, and then, we are heading straight to the airport where my family’s plane is waiting for us. Usually, we don’t like to go above and beyond with our money even though we have the means to do so, but I must say being able to fly on a private plane certainly has its advantages.

Once we are on the plane and settled in, I let Sam pick a movie to watch, and she picks a horror movie that we haven’t seen before. It only takes about twenty minutes before she is snoring next to me. The only woman I know that can fall asleep in the middle of people getting murdered.

I try to sleep too, but the movie sucks me in, and I watch the entire thing. Looking over at Sam, I push a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes. She’s beautiful. I’ve always thought so, and I’m sure I always will.

I know lately, she’s been tired, and most days, she doesn’t feel like putting forth the effort to make herself what she likes to call “presentable”. But I don’t care about any of that shit. Do I love it when she puts on a sexy dress that shows off every curve of that sexy body? Of course. But do I think she looks just as gorgeous when she is at home in her sweatpants and her hair in a messy bun? You bet your ass I do.

At the end of the day, she’s my wife…the love of my life. I am going to think she’s the most beautiful woman on Earth no matter what. But I feel like lately, maybe I’ve been failing at showing her that.

Most nights, she is tired and just wants to pass out once we get the kids to bed, which is fine. I always am understanding. But I don’t always take the time to tell her how much I love and appreciate how much she does for us. And I don’t always take the time to tell her how lovely I think she is.

And that’s on me.

I used to tell this woman thirty times a day how gorgeous I thought she was. She probably got sick of hearing it all the time. After a while, I guess I just started assuming she knew how attracted I was to her and didn’t think it needed to be articulated out loud anymore.

Seeing how self-conscious she got when I was kissing her stomach last night though showed me that I clearly don’t say it enough. This woman should feel like the goddess she is, stretch marks or not. By the end of this trip, I plan to make sure she knows exactly how perfect she is in my eyes.

After the movie is over, I try resting my eyes for a bit, but I’m too excited to sleep. I can’t wait to see her face when she realizes where we are.

Even though the planning of this trip was a bit rushed, I wanted it to be a culmination of not only the places Sam and I fell in love but also the places where we cemented that love. The places where we realized we could make it through absolutely anything as long as we had each other. And believe me when I say that we have been through a lot these past ten years together.

But it’s been worth it. Every kiss. Every laugh. Every fight. Every tear. Every single thing has brought us to where we are today.

I’m busy reminiscing about the wonderful life we have built when the pilot comes over the speaker and tells us we are about to land.

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“Oh my gosh,” Sam’s eyes go wide as we step inside. The moment we landed, she realized where we were, but it’s like it’s just now really starting to set in.

A tiny island in the Caribbean.

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