Page 78 of Where You Are

“They’re really ours, Em.”

“They’re really ours,” I say back on a shaky breath, as I squeeze my arms tighter around him.

After a moment, he stands and reaches down to take my hands and carefully help me up off the couch before taking my face in his hands. “I love you,” he declares solemnly, before giving me a kiss that promises sexy times later.

“I love you too,” I whisper back.

“Come on,” he says, giving me another kiss. “We just set our kids loose on a cake, unsupervised,” he smirks with a chuckle and I join him, tossing my head back, laughing with joy.

He leads me out to the deck, where sure enough, the boys are huddled around the table holding the chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, and while Travis is patiently waiting with Steve tucked under one arm, there is a good hole, the size of Dylan’s hand, just below the word ‘Family’, which was the only thing we could think to have iced on the cake. Dylan’s face has a decent mixture of brown cake and white frosting all around his mouth, and a good lump of cake still in his hand.

Travis just shrugs with anI tried to stop himlook, and Steve just looks on, his big buggy eyes expressionless as usual, but we love him anyway, and in this moment, he completes the family perfectly.

“We have forks for that cake, silly!” I chide my youngest son, who just giggles back at me before shoveling more sugary goodness in his mouth.

“Hey, I think you missed a spot there, bud,” Matt jokes as he dips a finger in the frosting and dabs it on Dylan’s nose. Dylan gasps with a disbelieving smile and takes what’s left in his hand and smushes it in Matt’s face, who gives that deep throaty laugh I love as he tries to wipe it off. Dylan’s full-on belly laughs are the most beautiful sound as he grabs some more cake and smears it on his brother’s chin.

Before you know it, the cake that was meant to be eaten is being worn by all four of us. It’s on my top, my face and in my hair, and no feeling beats the joy, the love, or the laughter that has taken over my body as Matt and I chase our kids around the deck while we all sling cake at each other. Nothing beats this moment, this family. Nothing beatshome.

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