Page 59 of Cross My Heart
Julia: hahaha
Trevor: (Laughing emoji)
Preston: Good Lord, you have lost your balls.
* * *
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 32, Another success.
Preston: (Clapping hand emoji)
Trevor: Happy for you, man.
Julia: Not sure I can reply to this every day.It’s becoming a bit nauseating.
* * *
MLM Tactical Group
Dexter: Day 45, plan got put on hold. Girls came down with a cold. Re-do tonight.
Preston: I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.
Julia: Any chance we can skip the daily check-ins and move to weekly or better yet monthly updates?
Trevor: I’m with Jules.
Dexter: No-can-do, friends. You’re in this for the long haul with me.
Trevor: At least you’re happy.
* * *
I meetLanie outside of the nursery. She looks exhausted, the girls have been extra needy today. I wrap her in a hug and love how normal this has become for us.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi,” she replies into my chest.
“It’s a beautiful night out. Let's grab the baby monitors and sit out on the deck with a glass of wine. I won’t keep you up late, I know you’re tired,” I tell her.
“That sounds great, actually.”
I grab the bottle of wine while Lanie grabs the glasses. At the last minute, I grab a throw blanket. It’s warm out, but I’ve noticed Lanie gets cold quickly, I find it funny since she grew up in Vermont.How quickly she has adapted to the south.
I make my way to the lounger and settle in, motioning for Lanie to sit between my legs. She hesitates for only a second. As she leans back into me, I wrap my arms around her, loving her scent that washes all around me. I pour us both a glass of wine, enjoying holding her with the sound of the ocean in the background. It's hard to see from here, but on nights like this, you can hear it without having to make your way through the dunes. For the first time, I am thankful the interior designer convinced me to string Edison bulbs out here all around the patio ceiling. The dim lights give Lanie an ethereal glow. The fire pit in the corner will have to wait for another time, we won’t be out here long enough for it to be worth it tonight. I tuck the fire pit idea away for another date night.
“It’s so peaceful out here,” she comments.
“It’s probably the only thing about this house that I liked when I bought it,” I admit.
“Why did you buy the house then?” she asks quizzically.
I sigh, hating that the answer makes me sound like a pretentious asshole. “My board members thought I needed to uphold a specific image to get that London deal done. I knew after all the papers were signed, I would make a lot of money. More than most would ever see in a lifetime. Security and the safety of the kids became something I had to seriously consider. I figured the gated community was as safe as I could get.”
Hesitantly, she asks, “so, you didn’t live here with Anna?”
