I tucked my children in, kissed them on their foreheads, then switched out the light and headed to the kitchen, hoping that the rice wasn’t too badly burnt.
I glimpsed the time on my phone: 7:15PM. Naomi would be home any minute and the curry wasn’t even ready yet. And who knew if it would be edible? Even though I’d followed the recipe to the letter, not straying even a gram or liter over or under, that never stopped my meals sucking in the past.
Diligently I worked to get the food ready, listening for the door, burning one too many fingers in my haste.
I checked my phone again, as I put the finishing touches to our plates and set them on the table. 7:50. Where the heck was she?
I dug my fork into my food, stole a bite as I pressed the phone to my ear. It rang and rang for what seemed like ages, until finally she picked up.
“Don’t be mad,” was the first thing she said, her voice heavy with guilt.
“Please tell me you’re on your way.”
Silence. Well, that said it all.
“I’m sorry, baby, I can’t get out just now. It’s crazy here.”
Now it was my turn to add to the silence.
“Dak’?” A nickname she’d only been using the past year or so. All of a sudden I didn’t like it; all of a sudden it irritated me. At that moment everything irritated me.
“Maybe you should just stay there tonight then,” I said, and hung up on her.
I regretted it almost as soon as the call ended. I always did when I overreacted.
“Are you feeling better?” she asked a few minutes later, when I called back. There wasn’t a hint of animosity in her voice. She never held my tantrums against me. She was so used to my weird personality quirks, which she’d once called adorable.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I’m being crazy,” I said, voice filled with remorse. “I haven’t spent a night away from you since you became my wife, and I’m not about to start now.”
She laughed. “I love all of your crazy. I’ll be home as soon as I can, I promise.”
We exchanged sickeningly touching I love yous, then I let her get back to work. I spent the rest of the evening wondering how she’d been so patient with me these past four years. I’d gotten most of my neurosis under control, but it crept up every now and then, just to remind me how fragile I still was.
*****
I’d drifted off to sleep some time after eight, exhausted and unable to keep my eyes open. I didn’t know what time it was when I felt slightly chilled hands slip beneath my nightgown and caress my back, pulling me from slumber.
Warm lips peppered the exposed parts of my shoulders with kisses; hands swept my hair away so that the mouth could claim my neck.
Holy crap! The dad!? THE DAD SHOWED UP!? Oh dear me, here comes some dramaaa…
Damn Heidi, this was AWESOME. Was totally grinning ear to ear the whole way through. THIS fic is totally what I yearned for after the epilogue. Been wanting the happy ending extended so badly. Finally seeing the aftermath of their life together has my heart doing all kinds of happy flip-flops. Thanks for the feels!
Also, it’s nice to read some well-written, grammatically correct, ultimately flawless fan fiction! So thanks for that added gift. You must have one hell of a beta team. Very well done, you. Can’t wait for the next chapter. —oh, I personally prefer chapters as their finished opposed to waiting for the whole story. More frequent updates, plus more time to reflect and appreciate what you’ve already written. But that’s just me.
Brilliant piece once again, Heidi! Thank you VERY much. Please never stop writing 😀
Haha! Yeah, bit of a cliffhanger there.
Glad you liked the chapter. The family dynamic was something I also couldn’t wait to explore. But you know it wouldn’t be one of my stories if it wasn’t filled with drama 😉
I’ve said this and I say it again you are one of my favorites hands down. Thank you so much for this series continuation. I can’t wait to see what happens next, now that the abusive dad has showed up.
Aww, thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it.
Why would Dove bring their dad unannounced?! Is he being threatened? What about when Naomi and the twins come back? 😳 Just, wow!
Great work with this chapter! I loved seeing the marital bliss, Dakota navigating being a mom, and battling those nagging fears/struggles with self-worth. The scene at Naomi’s office – so beautiful ♥️
I prefer you to release the chapters as they’re ready. Thank you for this fantastic chapter!
Glad you liked it! And I’m sure Dove has his reasons 😉
Yeah, I really enjoyed writing the scenes with Dakota and the kids. I’m a sucker for that sort of thing, lol.
The consensus seems to be that people want the chapters posted as and when they’re ready, so that’s what it’ll be.
I’m completely intrigued and caught up now. I want..no..need to know what are the dynamics between Dak and her father. Please keep them coming. I can hardly wait!
Haha, me too! His arrival will NOT go down well, that’s all I’ll say. I’m sworn to secrecy 🙂
OMG! I just finished reading this book and it was one of my favorites of yours outside of “Her Lesson to Love” and “A Scarlet Kiss.” I was wondering about the characters Naomi and Dakota and how they fared. I was so happy to stumble upon this. It was nice to see that their love made it and they each saw happiness in their lives. Dakota especially was deserving of a good family, to give her anything less would rob her of what she truly deserved in life. Although my allegiance is to Naomi as my favorite of the two. Everyone needs a Naomi in their lives to love them. I can’t wait to read the other chapters. I hope this trend of yours continues with your other works.