Page 23 of Jacob
I’m exhausted and sore, but my heart could not be fuller as my handsome husband takes care of our daughter so I can rest. He’s such an incredible father. Watching him parent feels like a privilege and gift, and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for us.
EPILOGUE
JACOB
I rub my forehead and groan. There is pressure starting to build between my eyes. I can feel Eden staring at me, but I don’t look up at her. I can’t.
“She’s lovely, Jacob. You just?—"
“I know.”
“It’s a pretty dress.” She says as if she just told me the sky was blue instead of it falling, like I felt it was.
“I know that, too,” I rumble, dropping my hands as I cross my arms over my chest. “You couldn’t give me ugly daughters?”
“What?” She laughs at me and looks at me like she thinks I’m being ridiculous, which I know I am.
“They’re too freaking pretty,” I argue. I sound like a jackass. I shake my head and glance outside. Both my daughters are out in the front yard in their prom dresses. Their hair curled and cascading over their shoulders. One so blonde it’s almost white and the other almost like midnight. They smile at one another before they join their other girlfriends.
“You’re being a brat.” My wife moves in closer, sitting her perfect ass on my lap. My arms wrap around her waist to hold her tight. Eden leans in, and when her lips touch the shell of myear, a shiver goes down my spine. “Only I’m allowed to be a brat in this relationship, Daddy.” The words go straight to my dick, and I have to fight myself from getting hard.
“Eden,” I growl my warning, but she’s not fazed by it. She simply laughs. Her blue eyes shine brightly in my direction.
“You gotta go out there to take pictures with them, and please, whatever you do, do not scare their dates off.”
“But that’s?—"
“No,” she cuts me off. “We don’t scare off our daughters’ dates. Fear doesn’t help against teenage boys wanting to kiss our?—"
“Kiss!”
“Jacob! Focus!” Eden looks like she’s fighting from laughing out loud.
I’m being ridiculous, but I can’t believe my girls are getting older. After we had our second daughter a year after our first, we stopped. That pregnancy took a lot out of Eden. Watching her struggle to deliver only to need an emergency C-section was traumatizing. I hated seeing her so scared and feeling so damn helpless. Our son was at college, and our daughters were in their senior and junior years of high school.
“Go out there and behave.” I open my mouth, but she presses her lips against mine. “If you’re good, we can have some playtime when they leave,” she offers.
As if that wasn’t already going to happen?
The need that pulled us closer from the beginning never died. Not even close. We take advantage of every moment we possibly can, to connect in every way.
Still, I sigh and agree to do just that. I go out there and fight the need to glare at the teenage boys taking our girls to prom. Two brothers as different as night and day despite being identical twins. One is rumored to already have scouts looking athim for the way he plays football at the local high school while the other is determined to join the Air Force.
They’re good kids with good heads on their shoulders but letting go of your babies and watching them grow is hard. My blondie laughs at something, and then both my girls rush toward me, calling Eden to take pictures of us together. I smile and kiss the top of both my lovely girls all while trying to fight the tears that threaten to fall.
Pictures are taken and snacks are enjoyed before the kids all hop into a party bus and leave. I stand at the side of the street long after the bus disappears. It feels like a part of my heart goes with them. When I turn, I find my wife at the door smiling up at me, her eyes shining brightly. The sun is starting to set, and it casts her in a golden hue that only makes my heart pitter-patter in my chest.
My angel is perfect and utterly mine.
