Page 40 of Milk & Cookie

“Good idea. That way, nobody will trip over it again,” he says. “How about here?” He puts it next to the tree at the edge of the herb garden. “We could plant the lavender to grow out of the top, and add some of her creeping rosemary to hang over the sides like a waterfall. Do you think Gammy would like that?”

Morrissey nods and runs to get her shovel. She and Vince fill the urn with sticks and leaves and soil from an empty garden plot nearby — Morrissey one small scoop at a time, and Vince making much faster progress with the adult-sized shovel he effortlessly loads to maximum capacity. The work is done in less than ten minutes, including the time it took Vince to show Morrissey how to take a heeled cutting of rosemary, dip it in honey, and plant it to take root.

Luna helps them water the plants in — and pours so much water into Vince’s boots that they squelch when he walks.

I give him an apologetic look when the girls run inside to get their paintings to show him.

“Worth it,” he says with an adorable smile-and-shrug combo that makes me want to give him more than the polite hug that I do.

He fawns over the girls’ pictures, asks to take photos of their artwork with his phone so he can enjoy them after he leaves, and showers them with all sorts of praise and encouragement. He even takes care of the afternoon’s activities when he helps me set up a painting station outside for the girls, so I can get some more gardening done, but that seems an almost impossible task when Raven starts to grizzle.

“Would you mind?” I ask, handing her to Vince, so I can duck inside to grab the big Moses basket, for her to nap in under the trees.

His face lights up like I just gave him a Christmas present, and he snuggles Ravee into the crook of his arm, making silly faces to distract her from her tired worries. He’s a natural.

I come back to find him drumming on the sink with Luna, while Morrissey pounds her chest and warbles, and Raven’s tugging his beard and blowing happy, noisy spit-bubbles. He looks like he’s in his element, and he’s… dazzling. Pure joy shines from his face, and there’s no mistaking the girls’ enjoyment, either.

It’s hard not to run over and join in, but watching them is a whole different kind of fun. The sight of Vince, playing with my kids, delights my core beyond expectation. It may be even more of a turn-on than seeing him with his hair all messy from sleep or when he was stretching his glorious muscles in the gym. I lean against the door frame for strength. What would life be like, if this happened every day? If there were even more children? At the end of the day, I could crawl into bed with that giant, hairy teddy bear and snuggle until he ravaged me, leaving me thoroughly bred and panting.

I had no idea I could want for this kind of relationship, but all I feel inside is warmth and love, and I know this is how life would be with Vince. I want him around. I want more of this family joy.

I press a hand to my belly and say a silent prayer before heading for a shady tree, to set up a place for Raven to nap beneath it.

Vince joins me before I’m done, bouncing Ravee in his arms, to keep her happy, as he watches me. “I love you,” he says, making my heart squeeze in my chest with those words for a second time today.

I straighten and search his face, as I smooth out my dress with sweaty palms.

“That may be sooner than you want to hear it from a man you barely know, but I do.” He shrugs and gives me a helpless look. “I love you, and I love this.” He makes an all-encompassing gesture. “And I would love to be part of it in any way you’ll let me. Even if it takes years for you or your mom to accept me. I’m already here, Angel. In my head, and in my heart, this is where I am. And I love you.”

Raven gives a restless wriggle, and he holds her up and studies her face. He tilts his head to look around her — at my breasts — and then grunts softly. “I’d do the same if I could,” he says to her before handing her to me.

She fusses at my chest until I pull my dress down to give her access. Once she’s latched on and settled, I look back to Vince.

He sighs happily. “I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect and natural. I could watch all day.”

“It’s a shame you need to go, then.”

“A crying shame.” He looks around the garden. “Can I help you finish the weeding before I do? Or is there something else more pressing? Cow need mucking out?” he asks, rolling up his sleeves. “The roof on the shed looks a bit rough too, but I can see the new iron for it sitting there. Should I put it on? It’s not a big job; it’ll only take a few minutes. I could replace that broken plank along the back while I’m at it?”

I stare at him. He just listed more than a week’s worth of chores.

“Something inside, instead?” he asks. “Dishes? I mop a mean floor.”

“You don’t have to do any of those things, Vince.”

“But I’d like to. It’s a big place, and a lot of work to maintain. Especially when you’ve got your hands full with work and the girls. If I can make your life easier, I’d like to.”

I search his face and smile. “I believe you. And I’d like to do the same for you. Kiss me goodbye and go finish your work, so you can get back to me as soon as possible. Then I will think about letting you help me with chores. We can do them together, while we talk about how we’re going to make this happen, because I’m on board, Vince. Head and heart. Sound good?”

“Sounds wonderful,” he says and kisses me long and deep.

14

VINCE

Istroke my dick, and then roll face down on my bed and groan.

“What kind of sound is that?” Fred asks with a chuckle.

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