Page 71 of All the Queen's Men
“Isaac, Jules, I love you. Both of you. So much. Thank you for waiting for me. For opening your relationship and your hearts to me. For being mine. I can’t wait to take care of you both in person now, every day, for the rest of our lives.”
“Daddy,” Isaac said, his voice cracking as he threw himself against me. “I love you, too.”
“Oh my God,stahp,” Jules said with an exaggerated sniffle, delicately wiping under his eyes with his long, glittering nails carefully extended. “Don’t ruin my makeup, Daddy. I spenthourstrying to look nice for you.”
“You look stunning, sweetheart,” I said, which was always true, no matter how he presented himself.
“Jules,” Isaac said, elbowing him in the ribs. “Tell Daddy you love him, too.”
“He’ll tell me in his own time, little lamb,” I admonished him gently. “And in his own way.”
Even though the truth was that Jules already did.
They both did.
Not with words. None of us had said those until now, but I’d heard it anyway.
Every single day that they’d waited for me.
Every time they made me laugh.
Every moment they’d touched my heart, or let me guide them through pleasing each other in the bedroom, or shared themselves with me in private, sacred moments that I’d cherish forever.
It was all I’d ever need, more than I’d ever hoped to have, and it was perfect.
Just like my boys.
* * *
“Daddy?”Jules said, his long arm wrapped around my waist as we exited Heathrow a few minutes later, his body locked tight against mine as if to make sure I really wasn’t going anywhere again.
Isaac was on my other side, clutching onto my arm like he never wanted to let me go, and since I felt the same, I didn’t mind the awkward stride our arrangement required at all.
“Yes, gorgeous?” I said, glancing down at my sassy boy’s captivating face as we waited for our car to arrive.
Jules bit his lip, looking uncharacteristically shy for a moment, then he blurted, “I do.”
I grinned, my heart so full it felt like it might burst. “I know, baby. And I love you, too. I always will.”
“Always?”
“Always.”
“But are yousure?”
I bit back a smile. “Yes, Jules,” I said patiently, meaning it with all my heart. “I’m sure. I love you. I love Isaac, too. I’m your Daddy, and you two beautiful boys are everything I could ever want.”
Jules stopped walking and grabbed my face, his nails digging ever-so-slightly into my cheeks as he held me still and stared at me hard, testing my resolve. Then he broke out in a glittering smile, flipped his head like he was flipping Diva’s long hair, slipped on a pair of rhinestone-studded sunglasses, and struck a pose.
“Well, of course you do, honey. Whowouldn’tlove all this fabulousness?”
I laughed. I couldn’t have said it better myself. They loved me, and I loved them, and it didn’t matter that we were still an hour away from the house I’d bought for my boys.
Now that we were together, I was finally home.
And I was home to stay.
- the end -
