Page 100 of Unbreakable
Dylan flinched when Bella barked at me. “Those areherSanta pajamas!”
“Oh, my mistake. Wow, she is really stylish, Bella. That is so amazing. I am so proud of you.”
Bella beamed, and Dylan tickled her belly. “I told you Mommy would love it. Hey, I think this calls for some hot chocolate after we drop Mommy back off at the spa. What do you think?”
“Oh, no, I’m not missing hot chocolate time. Can I join you two?” I asked.
“You sure, Mommy?” Dylan’s brow knit.
I nodded. “I enjoyed my time there, but I’d rather be with you two.”
Dylan pocketed his phone and held up half a heart with his lip out, then leaned in for a kiss. “Hot chocolate for everybody,” Dylan said, “even little girls with stinky toots.”
“I’m so sorry about today,”Dylan said when we flopped down on the couch after putting the kids to bed. “I really wanted you to be able to relax. I can’t believe I screwed up the days.”
“It’s my fault. I’m the calendar keeper. I’m bound to make a mistake every now and then.”
Dylan frowned. “Yeah, but I should help you.”
“That’s sweet, but it’s easier if one person does it all. And hey,” I said, sitting up to ask for a kiss, “thanks for treating me today.”
“You’re welcome! I’m sorry you had to miss your pedicure.”
I tossed my head from side to side. “I’ll survive. It was good to get to know the girls a little better, and I’m glad I got to have hot chocolate time with you and Bells.” I took a breath. “I treasure these kinds of moments the most, Dyl, when you and I get to sit and just unload. I love being Mommy and Daddy, but sometimes I don’t care how messy the house is or whether the laundry’s folded. I just want some time with you.”
Dylan laced his fingers with mine over my knee. “I like this too. I always thought house cleaning came first.”
“I mean, we can’t have rats in here,” I joked, “but the last couple weeks have made me reconsider what’s important. It’s not big grand gestures. It’s just . . . living life with you? The little stuff? I know it sounds cheesy, but I think it’s true.”
He nodded. “I like the little stuff too.” He took a long gaze into my eyes, and a soft smile curved his lips. “Hang on. I have an idea.”
He jumped up from the couch and ran upstairs. He came back with a bottle of nail polish and a bottle of lotion. “Ta-da!”
I chuckled. “Do my toes look that bad that you’re forcing me to paint them?”
“No, potato head. I’m painting them. But first, I’m rubbing your feet.”
I squirmed down on the couch and put my feet in his lap. “By all means, pamper away.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
DYLAN
THEN
“Hey, babe. You played really well.”Jeanine raised up on her toes and laced her hands behind my neck, leaning in for a kiss.
“Thanks. You have fun with Rachel?”
“We always have fun,” she said with a grin.
Seeing Jeanine without swollen eyes was a relief, her smile relaxed, and her gorgeous eyes sparkling. It had been so long since she was anything close to okay. We’d finally gotten her an urgent doctor visit, and they got her started on some depression meds about a week before. She was also still going to her miscarriage support group and had an appointment to see a therapist in a few weeks. Things were on the up and up, though we hadn’t addressed the rockiness after her last Temecula visit.
“Do you want to go out with the team or go home?” I asked, locking my hands behind her lower back.
She pressed her lips to my ear. “Whichever, as long as I get to have you in the car right now.”
My eyebrows went up. “Oh yeah?”
