That Thing Between Eli & Gwen

His arms snaked around my neck. I couldn’t believe how big he was getting.

“Good evening, Sir, Ma’am,” our butler said to us when we stepped inside. “Madam Coraline has already put Wyatt and Donatella to bed, but they wanted to wait up for you.”

“I’ll go to them now,” Melody said and kissed Ethan’s cheek before walking up the steps.

“O’Phelan, anything worth noting happen in our absence?” I questioned.

“No, Sir. Between your mother and Madam Coraline, it was a casual evening. They baked cupcakes, spent some time outside before watching a movie in the theatre with popcorn. Most of them fell asleep after that.”

“Good work, that’s all for the night.”

“Of course, Sir. Goodnight.”

Ethan’s room was only two doors down from ours, in the west wing, with a door that connected to his sibling’s room. It was massive, as per Melody’s orders, the floor covered in soft cream carpets, cherry wood paneling on the walls, and the best view of the backyard over which the Chicago skyline in the distance. His bed was much bigger than it needed to be and when I laid him down, he rolled into the center. I pulled off his tie and shoes and he stirred as I sat him up and took off his jacket and pants.

“Ethan, you need to change,” I told him when his eyes cracked open.

He made a face before lifting up the comforter and crawling underneath in only his boxer briefs. He fell right back asleep.

“Because of you, my night is ruined and yet you sleep like baby,” I muttered as I kissed his head. “Sleep well.”

Moving to the door that connected to Wyatt and Donatella’s room, I turned off the light to his room, leaving the door only partially closed.

“Daddy?”

Donatella sat up rubbing her eyes.

“Shh,” I whispered and walked over to her pink bed. Her brown hair was a complete mess around her sweet face. “What are you doing up, princess?”

She didn’t answer, she just wrapped her tiny hands around me when I was close enough. Closing my eyes for a second, I hugged her back and patted her hair down.

“Come on, bed,” I whispered to her. “Beautiful girls need sleep to stay beautiful.”

“Love ya much,” she said with a yawn.

“Love ya more,” I said and kissed the space between her eyebrows. “Sleep well.”

I moved over to Wyatt, who was snoring softly, kicking off his blanket when he shifted over. Of all of my kids, he was always the most expressive when he slept, making faces. He even talked in his sleep sometimes. If Dona ever heard him, she would tease him the next day. He hated when she did, but he never asked for his own room and neither did she.

“Sleep well,” I said to him and kissed the top of his head.

When I opened the door that connected to our bedroom, I prepared myself, locking the door to their side. Our rooms were all beyond sound proof, we’d never hear them if we didn’t open the door.

“Zip,” Mel said and turned her back to me. Relatively calm?

Is this good or bad? Was she over it? Or did she not want to ruin her dress? I couldn’t help but wonder as I pulled the zipper down exposing her beautiful olive skinned back.

She allowed it to fall to the ground and stepped out of it, only in a black lacy bra…that’s it.

Fuck me.

My eyes traveled every length of her body. Over the years, I had watched it chang., She was as fit as ever, but had gotten most of the stretch marks on her body removed except for a few on the left side of her stomach. She said it because giving me my children was one battle she wanted to have scars from.

“What’s wrong with you?” She paused in the center of our room as she took her earings out of her ears. My eyebrow rose at that.

No guns? No cursing? Not even a glare? Everything was wrong.

“Nothing,” I replied and pulled off my tie. When she went into her closet, I moved over to the side table on her s