Page 117 of War

“Me too,” Josie adds. “You’re the best big brother ever.”

Brayden finally looks up, giving Josie his first smile.

“What would you think about having your mother over once in a while?” Ava asks.

Brayden pushes back in his chair, those piercing blue eyes swimming with wonder. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” she promises.

With a shrug, as if it’s no big deal, despite how much it means to him, he says, “Yeah, okay. That’d be cool.”

I meet Ava’s gaze, my heart hammering.

“Hey, Jos,” Brayden says, his grin growing. “Did you know thatZombiesis made by Disney?”

She pops up out of her chair. “Oh my gosh, can we meet them?”

And with that, Brayden manages to once again turn the focus away from himself. But I don’t miss the big smile he wears for the rest of the meal.

“So Disney, huh?” Ava asks as she walks out of our bathroom, toothbrush in hand.

Damn, I’m a lucky man. My wife stands in the middle of the room in one of my T-shirts, no pants, her gorgeous red hair loose, her face bare, and her freckles—so many fucking freckles—on display.

“You disapprove?” I remove my shirt and toss it toward the laundry basket and miss.

Rather than pick it up, I shuck off my pants and stalk toward her in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

“I don’t—” She shakes her head, clearly having lost her train of thought. “You,” she says, pointing a finger at me. “You’re very good at distracting me.”

I grab her by the hips and pick her up, pulling a squeal from her, then carry her into the bathroom. “I like distracting you.” I kiss her neck. “And fucking you.” A kiss to her chin. “I like just being near you. So yeah, Disney for a few days with my favorite people. That okay, wifey?”

At the sink, I set her on the counter. Then I pluck my toothbrush from the holder. The two of us stare at one another while brushing our teeth, big smiles on our faces. Even mundane tasks like this are fun with her. I never could have imagined a life like this one.

When we’re finished, she tilts her head, studying me. “How come you didn’t tell me Trisha was the woman from that night?”

With her brush and hair tie in hand, I guide my wife to our bed. Then, once she’s seated in front of me, I gently drag the bristles through her hair.

“I tried. That night.”

Ava peers at me over her shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

I kiss her neck, then get started with the braid. “I honestly didn’t think it mattered. You wrote me off after that, and I was sure nothing would change your opinion of me. I was just happy that you were willing to be their mom. That felt more important than explaining an encounter from two years ago.”

“It would have mattered to me,” she says softly, tilting her face down. “But also, I’m glad I know now. I always hated thinking of the night we met.”

I drop my chin to her shoulder and inhale her sweet scent. “I’m sorry, baby. I really did want to be on that date with you. I’d never been so taken by anyone in my life. Still haven’t. But Bray needed me.”

She presses her back against my chest. “I’m glad he’s staying.”

“Me too. Maybe this summer we can take the kids up to Canada. I’d love to show them where I grew up. Visit my mom’s grave.”

Ava turns now, completely ruining the braid I’ve almost completed. Legs straddling me, she wraps her arms around my neck. “I’d like that.”

“We could visit your family too. I’d love to see where little Ava grew up. Maybe you can introduce me to your ex-boyfriends. I can show off how much better I am than all of them.”

She lets out a little laugh but looks away immediately. She does that any time someone mentions her family. It kills me, not having the ability to make it better for her. It’s like she’s hiding a whole life from me or maybe hiding us from that life. More than anything, I want to have every piece of my wife just like she has every piece of me.

Grasping her chin, I force her to meet my eye. “Hey, Ave.”

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