Under the Mistletoe with Me

It’s incredible.

“You rented this whole house for just the two of us?” I ask.

“Yeah. A hotel isn’t private enough, and I wanted to be close to home in case Sophie needed us. A colleague owns this place.”

“It’s great.” I smile over at him as he wheels our suitcase behind him. A suitcase I didn’t even know he’d packed.

“It is.” He grins back down at me. “The kitchen is stocked in case you’re hungry. I’m going to start a fire.”

“That sounds good. Are you hungry? I can make us some dinner.”

“Yes, please.”

I cross to the kitchen and start looking through the fridge and pantry, deciding what to whip up for dinner. This kitchen is amazing. “Who stocked this?” I ask.

“I don’t know, Ben said he’d take care of it.”

“Ben?”

“The owner.”

I find a bunch of fruit, cheeses, sliced meat and crackers and pile it all on a plate. There is also a bottle of good white wine chilling in the fridge, so I pull that out, uncork it and pour us each a glass. Gathering the glasses and plate, I join Isaac by the fire. We curl up at opposite ends of the couch, the plate between us, and nibble, watching the flames dance in the fireplace.

I check my phone for any Sophie updates and smile at the photo of Sophie taking a bath in Gail’s kitchen sink, then put it on the coffee table.

“This was a good idea,” I sigh and rest my cheek on the back of the couch, facing my impressive husband. He flashes his smile and nods.

“I’m glad you think so. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to leave Soph overnight.”

“It was really, really hard, but she’s in capable hands. I’ll just call and check up on her a few thousand times.”

He chuckles and removes the plate from the couch, placing it on the floor, and pulls me to him, cradling me between his legs, with my head on his chest. I bury my nose between his pecs and take a deep breath. He smells of fresh laundry and my husband. I feel him rest his lips on the crown of my head and he runs his hands down my back.

“It’s supposed to snow,” I murmur and feel him smile.

“They always say that, but it rarely happens. This is Seattle.” He brushes his hands through my thick hair and I sigh. When was the last time we were able to do this? Just be us, without any interruptions?

I don’t remember.

“How’s work been?” I ask.

“Busy, but good. I haven’t been able to work in the field as much as I like. Too many phone calls and desk work to get done.”

“That’s what happens when you’re the boss.”

“I think I’ll hire more office help so I can be out with the guys more.”

“That sounds good.” Isaac grips my chin and tilts my head back to look up at him.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, making me smile.

“I’m good. Hormones are finally starting to stabilize.”

He chuckles. “Thank God.”

“I wasn’t that bad.” I murmur and sigh when he brushes his fingers down my cheek.

“Let’s just say I’m happy to have my wife back.”

“They warned us when we started the whole fertility treatment thing that the hormones would make me wacky,” I remind him.

“Well, they were right.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I’m still pretty sure you were trying to kill me by hypothermia.”

I giggle and kiss his chin. “The meds gave me hot flashes.”

“Well, it’s nice to have you back to normal, and I’m so damn thankful it worked.”

God, I love him.

“Me too. The clinic called, checking in on me, and to let me know that in three months we can start trying again if we want to.”

“So soon?” His eyes go wide and his hands still, while his body stiffens beneath me.

“Some couples start trying again right away because it can take so long for it to work, and we’re not getting any younger.”

“Not yet.” He shakes his head adamantly and palms my cheek in his hand.

I frown up at him. I’m not ready to try again either, especially with as rigorous as fertility treatments are, but this response surprises me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “I thought you wanted more.”

“I do, but not yet. Sophie is four months old. We’re still getting used to being parents. Besides,” he swallows and kisses my forehead. “The emotional shit that came along with it not working for three years before we conceived Sophie was hard enough on me, but I know it was ten times harder on you. I’m just not ready to watch you go through that again. Not yet.”

His magnificent blue eyes are fiercely serious, the frown-line between his them prominent. I reach up and smooth it with my middle finger.

“I’m not ready, either, Eyes. I’m happy with it being the three of us for a while.”

“Good.” He sighs and rests his forehead on mine. “Let’s just enjoy our family for a while. Make love when we feel like it, rather than when a chart says we should.”

I grin up at him. Having a normal sex life again sounds great to me.

“You know,” I sit up, straddle his hips and run my fingers through his soft, dark blonde hair. One of his big hands cups my ass and the other trails leisurely up and down my spine.

“Yes?” he asks gruffly.

“There’s nothing that says we can’t practice.” I grin down at him and nuzzle his nose.