Exhausted from a long day, I stared at the elevator numbers, finally selecting the eightieth floor. When the doors opened, I sighed in relief when I saw our door, walking toward it with a heavy mind and tired feet.
Even before I opened it, I could hear laughter on the other side and it instantly lifted my spirits. Walking inside, I smiled as I saw the photos that greeted me, each one held a memory from our special day in St. Augustine. It was the perfect greeting every day, no matter what mood I happened to be in. As soon as the door shut behind me, Jake emerged from the hall, greeting me with a kiss.
"Busy day, saving the world?" he said, giving me a genuine look of empathy.
"Oh you know, one clinically insane person at a time," I joked back.
He handed me a glass of wine and I grabbed it as if he had just thrown me a life preserver. I walked over to the panoramic window overlooking the city and got lost for a moment in the beauty of it.
At Christmas time, the city came alive with a billion twinkling lights and from that view, it was absolutely breathtaking. Jake came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. The tiredness that I felt just moments ago had all melted away, I was in my happy place with my favorite people in the whole world.
"I am still blown away, every time I look out of this window," I said, so comfortable in his arms.
"Well Mrs. Stephenson, that's what happens when you marry the best stock broker on Wall Street, you get the best view in the city," he replied jokingly.
"And he is so humble too, that husband of mine."
Just then, Christie and Blake came running into the living room throwing a football.
"Mom, your home!" they shouted with delight. I reached down and gave each of them sweet hugs, oh how I missed those hugs when I was away at work.
Jake interrupted our love fest to give the kids a little motivation, "Alright you two, finish getting ready, we are leaving in fifteen minutes, this isn't the time for football."
Blake looked at his dad with disappointed eyes, "But if I don't practice how will I ever play for Georgia like you did dad?"
Jake took the ball and reassured him, "There will be plenty of time for practice, now go get ready."
They ran down the hall complaining just like kids do but it was music to my ears. I treasured every moment with those two, even when they were complaining.
Then Jake turned to me, "You too gorgeous, go get ready, mom and dad are way too excited to see those kids of ours. I think mom might actually squeeze them to death when she sees them. It's been six months since she has gotten a chance to spoil them." He said this while smacking me on my rear, giving me a little extra motivation of my own.
"Alright, alright, I am going but you are not going to be able to handle it when I come out, I am wearing the black dress!" I flirted.
"The black dress on a night when the parents and kids are around, how scandalous, what are you trying to do to me woman?"
"Keep turning that handsome head of yours," I said with a wink.
"Oh baby, you don't have to try to do that, it just comes naturally."
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HIS BEAUTIFUL SECRET (completed)
Romance***COMPLETED*** Sky's home life was a little piece of hell on earth. She often had to fight past the pain, but she always found a way to become stronger. When Jake came into her life, he changed everything. She knew from the start that theirs would...
