Sweet Tarte – Sweet Enough to Eat

“Almost ready?” My mom pokes her head in the kitchen, drawing delighted cries of Grandma! from both the kids, and Dimitri sets Isabella down to toddle over and be scooped up with kisses as my mom reaches down to hug D. Jr.

“Ten minutes.” I smile, and she nods.

“Okay. I’ll get the troops to the table.”

She disappears back out of the kitchen while Dimitri comes up behind me, running his hands over my enormous belly.

“I can’t keep my hands off you like this.”

He has always been attentive and lustful towards me, but when I am in the last few months of my pregnancies, he is absolutely insatiable. But, then, so am I.

“It’s going to be difficult to sit at the table with you attached to my back.”

I stir the sauce, then move it off the burner and tip my head back to give my husband a quick kiss.

“As soon as dinner is over, we will need to take a break…I can’t wait.”

He moves his hands over my hips and belly one more time, before kissing my neck. After I work the food off the other burners and check the oven, I stand up and turn around to find him standing there with a red velvet box in his hand.

“What is this? I thought we said no presents this year. I have everything I could want…”

“Sorry. I lied.” He smiles, those blue eyes melting me as they have ever since the first day I met him.

I take the box and flip open the lid to find a pendant inside. I gasp as he takes it out, running the chain around the back of my neck as my hand reaches up to finger the enormous heart-shaped diamond, surrounded by deep red rubies.

“Dimitri…it’s amazing.”

“No, you are amazing. We are amazing. Our life is amazing. Thank you for giving me all the things I never knew I wanted. And now, I can’t live without.”

He pulls me close, his lips on mine as he holds my cheeks.

“It’s burning…” I mouth into our kiss and he finally relents.

“To be continued…” He reaches down, slaps my rear end, then works his way into the other room.

“Happy Valentine’s Day! Let’s eat!” His voice is raised as he claps, and two of the servers from Sweet Tarte come down the hall with trays full of plates, ready to serve.

I leave them to the service as I strip off my apron. The babies kick and twist, the scent of the food making them even more active as I hold my fingers to the heart now around my neck, and know everyday is Valentine’s Day when you have all the love you ever wanted.