“She’s wonderful.”
I can hear the smile in her voice. “All of you are.”
I hear a sliding door before my brother-in-law Benji’s voice comes over the phone. “Hey, Mom, things are getting spotty in here. They’re ganging up on Reese.”
“Oh, Jesus, come and take me now,” she mutters, and I laugh out loud.
“Go get ’em, Mom.”
“Tell Claire I love her, give that baby loads of kisses from his Mimi, and I’ll see you guys in a few days.”
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, darling.”
The line goes dead, and I tuck my phone into my pocket. When I turn, Claire is there with Harrison in her arms, watching me. Harrison is clean, dressed, and looking pretty damn perfect, way better than he did when I was in control. I sigh dramatically. “Can you teach me your ways?”
She grins as she walks into my arms, cuddling close as I lay a hand on the back of Harrison’s head. “You’re doing wonderful.”
“I suck at this.”
“No, really, baby,” she says, looking up at me and nuzzling her nose in my unshaven cheek. “You’re doing great.”
I kiss her forehead, running my thumb along the back of Harrison’s neck. I exhale, feeling complete. I kiss her once more, my lips at her ear as I whisper, “Did you hear me on the phone?”
“I did,” she says softly. “I love your mom.”
“She’s your mom too.”
She nods but doesn’t say anything. “I’m nervous about the appointment ’cause I’m pretty sure I’m not.”
“I know. Me too.”
She kisses the top of Harrison’s head. “I’ll be sad.”
“I know, but I’ll love you extra hard to make it a little better.”
She leans her nose into my jaw. “Good. I need you.”
“Funny… I need you too.” Our eyes meet, and we smile widely at each other. “I love you, Mama.”
She grins harder, her eyes glazing over. “I love you, Daddy.”
Claire kisses my lips, and I revel in her kisses. I crave them. I always have. When we part, I kiss her nose before we look down at Harrison.
“And we love you.”
“So damn much,” I say, ignoring the dirty look from my wife. “Sentence enhancer! He knows I mean business in the love department.”
She laughs as she rolls her eyes. “We all do.”
And we always will.
Coming Home
Claire
Tristan: I’m so glad you guys landed. Good luck on your new adventure. I miss you already.