Page 142 of The Lair

“Hi,” I greet him quietly, careful not to make much noise.

“Hey, sweetheart.” The baritone of his voice turns my insides into goo as if it were my first time hearing it. I’ve already accepted he’ll always make me feel this giddy. “How was your afternoon?”

“All’s taken care of.”

I get on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, but he moves his head at the last second and captures my lips with his. I chuckle into the kiss, then squeal when Travis abandons his burgers and grabs me by the waist, pulling me onto an empty space on the counter. It’s instinctual, the way my legs wrap around his middle.

Our kiss turns urgent, and I pull away before we get too carried away. We both know what happened the last time he took me on the kitchen counter.

“Did you manage okay?” I ask, giving him another peck before he steps back to finish up dinner.

“They’re angels, just like their mama.”

Great, now I want to throw myself at him and finish what we started a moment ago. I’d wonder if I’m still hormonal or if something’s up with me, but this is Travis. He always has that effect on me.

“I’m going to check on them,” I tell him, but before I can move, his hands are back on my waist, helping me off the counter.

“I’ll join you in a minute. Let me make sure I won’t burn down the kitchen first.”

“Please don’t. Your reputation as the burger master of the family is at stake here.”

No matter how much he teases me about it, I’ve got to give it to him—his burgers are better than mine.

“Wouldn’t want to ruin it.”

I’m quiet as I make my way toward the bedroom across from ours. And just like always, my heart fills with unmeasurable love as I push the door open and spot the two small figures snoring peacefully in the room that was never meant to be empty. Our favorite room in the house.

Thanks to the dim light coming from the hallway, I can easily see the two little faces I love the most. Our twin girls, sleeping without a care in the world.

Travis comes up behind me a moment later, hugging me from behind like he knows I love, and kisses my neck. “Dinner’s ready.”

I lean back against him, not taking my eyes off our daughters. “I could stand here and watch them forever.”

He squeezes my middle. “Let’s do it, then.”

That earns him a quiet chuckle. “Don’t indulge me. One of us is supposed to be the stricter parent.”

“You three have me wrapped around your fingers. It’s not gonna be me.”

“Travis, we talked about this. We need to keep the spoiling to a healthy amount.”

He hums. “I don’t remember that conversation.”

I glance up at him, amused. “I’m sure you don’t.”

Those powerful shoulders move up and down with a shrug. “I’m a girl dad now to two little princesses, and I’m the husband of a fucking amazing wife. You can’t expect me not to spoil you.”

My heart soars, but I keep teasing him. “Poor you. Must be so hard.”

“It is,” he whispers before pecking my lips again.

After we got married—an intimate ceremony by the lake with our loved ones during the spring—I thought I knew everything about Travis and that I couldn’t possibly love him more. I’ve always cherished every virtue and flaw because they make him the incredible man I want to spend my life with. But then…

Then we had our daughters, and I fell in love with a Travis I’d never met before—the one who spoke to my pregnant belly every night, who cried when he held our daughters for the first time, who shows us every day that we’re his entire life.

Remembering where we started and seeing where we are now always makes me smile. Tonight is no exception.

“Can I make a confession?” I ask him, my voice quiet.

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