Page 190 of Wicked Fantasies

“Are you planning to work up to having sex twenty-six times a day? Because if so I can tell you right now, some of those miles will be done solo.”

Troy broke into loud laughter at her jest. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe we could just try for a half marathon.”

“I’m thinking more along the lines of a 3K. You’re going to be forty-four on your next birthday. Wouldn’t want you to have a heart attack or something. How would I explain it to the kids?”

The twinkle in Troy’s eyes told her he was enjoying their conversation too much. “Jackson would probably be damned impressed with his old man if I kicked the bucket while fucking the hell out of his mom. I mean my reputation with my son could be made.”

Faith sat up, shaking her head. “More likely you’d put him in therapy for the rest of his life. Find another way to impress him. Besides I’m determined to drag you in to a ripe old age with me here in the land of the living. There will be no fucking anyone to death.”

“Spoilsport.” Troy reached up, tickling her ribs as he spoke and she swatted his hands away.

“So what’s next?”

Troy glanced at his watch. “Well, we need to clean up all this stuff and then I thought we’d head back to the hotel and grab showers before the next stop in the anniversary tour.”

Faith was feeling twinges in muscles she didn’t know she had and the thought of a long, hot shower sounded like paradise. “Sounds perfect.”

They got dressed, before putting the picnic leftovers in the basket Faith’s mom had left behind for them. Faith folded up the blanket and they loaded everything into the truck. Troy locked up the house and they stood in the front yard, looking at the place they’d called home for a decade.

“Are you sorry we left Carlysle?” Troy asked.

Faith looked up at her husband, surprised by this question. “You had a good job with the construction company. The transfer was a promotion and raise we couldn’t turn down.”

“That’s not what I asked. I could have found another job, Faith.”

“We took the right path. It may have been hard at the time, but looking back, I know deep in my heart, we were right to leave.”

Troy’s face cleared and suddenly she realized her husband had carried around the weight of the move for a long time.

“Why didn’t you ever talk to me about these things, Troy?”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, it seems like you’ve been carrying around a hell of a lot of baggage these past twenty-five years.”

“Baggage?”

“The engagement ring, taking my virginity, the move. Troy, our life together has been nothing short of perfect. I’ve always thought that and I thought you felt the same way.”

Troy reached out to pull her close. He rubbed his nose against hers, his typical gesture of affection, and he grinned at her. “If you wanna know the truth, I never worried too much about any of that stuff until I started planning this anniversary weekend. You know me, Faith. I’m a man of few words. I don’t always find it easy to say what I’m thinking, let alone what I’m feeling. The letters were the easiest way for me to gather my thoughts, tell you some things I thought you should know. Thing is I started writing those letters and I started remembering things I’d forgotten. After awhile, I realized I was the luckiest bastard on the planet and I was sort of amazed you stuck with me this long.”

She laughed at his admission. “Thank God. I was starting to worry you’d been living with all these guilt issues for years.”

Troy pulled back and gave her an amused look. “Oh, hell no. You’re still hitched to the same caveman you’ve always been stuck with.”

“You’re no caveman and you don’t appear to have been oblivious to anything these past twenty-five years. Heck, I’m starting to think you’re more observant than me.”

Troy laughed, but after listening to her husband’s concerns, she felt as if she needed to make a few amends, as well. “Troy, I think I sort of lost my way these past few months. Let myself wallow in my depression over Jenna leaving without taking your feelings into account. I’m sorry about that.”

“No apology necessary.”

She smiled. “You know. Home has never been a physical place for me. It’s never been a specific dot on the map. Home is anywhere you are.” She looked back at the first home she’d secretly been heartbroken to leave and she realized the truth behind those words. It hadn’t been as hard to leave Carlysle as she’d thought because she was with Troy and the kids.

He sighed contentedly as he took her hand and led her to the car. “Ready to move on?”

She nodded. She already had.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Troy gestured to the photo album. “Time for the next page.”

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