Page 111 of Recon Rendezvous

Slowly pulling away, he leaves me with a bite to my bottom lip, before his forehead rests against mine.

“I never want you to worry. As far as my company is concerned, I’ll sell it if you want.”

I squeak. “What?”

“We have more money than we can ever spend in ten lifetimes, we’ll be more than okay. Our kids, our grandkids, and their fucking grandkids will be just fine. But I want to be here for everything. I don't want to miss a moment with you or with them.”

“You're gonna be a stay-at-home dad?” I whisper, and I can't help but giggle at the thought of it, but I won’t let him give up his company. He’s worked too hard.

“Yep. Carpool. Daddy daughter dates and adventures. Father son bonding and quests.”

I sigh. “That's so hot.”

His chest puffs up. “Right? I'm gonna be the coolest dad on the block.”

My laugh is his laugh, our lips moving together as we lay out our future. “Are you real? Is this some kind of joke?”

“If so, the joke’s on me. I thought I knew it all, had it all. Then you wiped that all away with one smile, one look, and my life was irrevocably altered, because I will forever do whatever it takes to have you beside me for the rest of my life.”

He’s all shimmery and my eyes spill over at his words. “Xander,” I whisper. I know I owe him more, beautiful words, declarations, but I’m too caught up in the future he’s painted for me.

“I’m here, baby.” Loving fingers swipe away my tears. “I’m not going anywhere. I'm so fucking in love with you. I’ll move mountains. I'll fight a bear. Whatever you want me to do. I'll prove it to you every day with my words and actions. I want you to know this is what I want, and miniature versions of us running around, when you're ready.”

My smile spreads, because I’m ready for all of it. “Are we really doing this?”

“Baby, it's already done. It's you and me now and forever.”

Xander

Gesturing to the patio running the length of the house. “We can extend this patio with natural stone another twenty or thirty feet. We’ll need to put in a bigger pool over there, an outdoor kitchen and dining over here. A bar. Tons of seating. A pool house. I was thinking we can build your photography studio over there next to the indoor pool we’ll also need to build. How do you feel about underground tunnels leading from the pool and studio to the house? They’ll be ideal during the cold as fuck winters. And with all the acreage, the kids will have plenty of space to roam and run around. We’ll need four wheelers, built in trampolines, and a big ass tree house.”

My words are running together in my excitement as I lead London around the backyard before we lose the sunlight. We have about a hundred acres of land here we’ll need to explore and design for us to entertain and host our friends and family comfortably.

She clutches my hand, eyes whipping wherever I point. With her bright eyes and smile wide, I know she’s as excited as I am.

Stepping in front of me, her little hand brushes through my hair, before trailing over my ear, causing me to shiver. “I was certain that when we drove up the dirt road, we passed by our movie night set up,” she asks softly.

I nod, watching the range of emotions flicker across her beautiful face. Surprise. Then glee. But it’s the love and adoration that tugs on my own.

“You built that here, knowing it would be our forever home?”

“I did.”

“Oh my gosh, you owned this then? That was one of the nights that changed everything.”

“It was so hard not to bring you here that night, but I was hopeful we’d be back one day, and then we’d design our dream home together. And now we’ll be able to go out there whenever we want, and I can fuck you under the stars.”

Her giggle fills me with pride. My baby didn’t giggle before. She didn’t smile so freely, at least at me. But now, those hazel eyes shine with a happiness I want to see for the rest of my life.

Pressing a kiss to her knuckles, I lead her back to the house, to explore inside. “How about we start upstairs and make our way down to the basement?”

Lost in thought, she allows me to pull her along and up the stairs.

“I love the exposed beams. We should keep those.” I point to the vaulted ceiling.

The home is colossal. Three stories with a basement. Eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms. A designated library, gym, and two home offices. I’m thinking of building connected suites for our parents for when they visit and as they get older, they can avoid the stairs.

We just finished walking through the upper floors with the bedrooms and baths. She's been quiet, taking it all in. Which was especially surprising when we walked through the meager closetin the primary suite. But as we look more at the family spaces, she’s warmed up.

---