Wednesday (Timeless Series #3) (26 page)

Epilogue

Hawke

“Daddy, you walk too slow.” Suzie pulled me forward as hard as she could, determined to get to the bakery as quickly as possible. Her pink dress was brand-new but once she got her hands on a pastry, it would be ruined.

“Sweetheart, I can’t walk any faster.” I held Hannah in one arm, knowing she was getting too big to be carried around anymore. The day Suzie became too old was a sad one for me. It only reminded me that my kids were getting bigger and older, and one day, they would leave and venture out on their own—my two little princesses.

“Come on.” She got to the bakery and yanked it open. “I want to see Mommy.”

I chuckled and walked in behind her, immediately combining with the loud crowd anxiously waiting for their muffins and pastries.

Suzie pushed past people and headed into the back kitchen, knowing exactly where to go.

I followed behind her, keeping a close eye on her just in case she knocked into someone. “Suzie, slow down.”

Suzie ignored me, like always.

We got to the back where Francesca was working. An apron was tied around her waist and she had flour smeared across both of her cheeks. It seemed like she was the victim of a flour explosion. But she still looked cute—like always.

“Mommy!” Suzie ran into her and hugged her around the waist. “Happy birthday!”

Francesca was startled by Suzie’s sudden appearance, but when she realized who it was, her face lit up in joy. “Awe. Thank you, sweetheart.” She kneeled down and hugged her hard, her happiness obvious in the curve of her lips. “What a nice surprise.”

“I got you something.” Suzie pulled a small box from her pocket.

“What’s this?” Francesca took it.

“Open it!”

Francesca opened the lid, and inside was a necklace the girls and I made for her. Three stone pendants were decorated with watercolors. Each one of us made one before we placed it on the chain. It wasn’t very pretty but I knew she would love it.

“We each made one,” Suzie explained. “Do you like it?”

Francesca’s eyes immediately watered. “Oh baby, I love it—so much.” She felt the necklace in her hand before she put it on, placing it over the locket she always wore. “It’s perfect.” Francesca hugged Suzie again.

“I made it too!” Hannah kicked her feet because she wanted me to put her down.

I set her on the ground and watched her move into Francesca next.

Francesca hugged both of our daughters at the same time. “Thank you, Hannah. You guys did a great job.”

“Happy birthday, Mommy.” Hannah touched the necklace like she expected the paint to be wet.

“It’s the best birthday ever.” Francesca released both of them and stared at them affectionately.

“It’s not even over yet,” Suzie said. “We still have the party tonight.”

“Party?” Francesca asked.

“Suzie.” It was supposed to be a surprise dinner, but of course, my kids were too excited to keep it in.

Suzie bowed her head in shame. “Sorry…”

Francesca chuckled. “It’s okay. Now I have something else to look forward to.”

Hannah climbed on the chair so she could see what was on the counter. “Ooh…jungle cookies.”

“Let me see.” Suzie approached the table and looked at the dough and cookie cutters. “Let’s make some so Mommy can take a break.”

“Good idea.” Hannah grabbed a cookie cutter of an elephant and shoved it into the dough.

Francesca knew they were going to make a mess but she let them be. She rose to her feet and looked at me, and like always, she stared at me like she couldn’t be more in love. Her eyes lit up in a special way—something only I got to witness. She strode toward me slowly, clearly wanting to touch me in a way that wasn’t appropriate in front of our two daughters.

I wanted to kiss her so hard her lips would be sore for a week. “I’m sorry Suzie ruined the surprise.”

“I don’t care. My birthday is already amazing.” She felt the necklace hanging from her throat.

My hands moved around her waist and I held her close to me. My forehead moved to hers and my entire body felt hot with fire. I loved my daughters but sometimes I wished they weren’t always around. I missed making love to Francesca in the back of the store. I’d taken her on that counter too many times to count. “I have a gift for you. But I’ll give it to you later.”

“Birthday sex?” she whispered.

“Well, yes. But something else as well.”

“Ooh…lucky me.”

I cupped her face and gave her a kiss. I wanted to keep it short but the second my mouth was on hers, I didn’t want to pull away. My lips wanted to remain glued to hers forever, making love to her mouth.

Francesca dug her fingers into my forearms, the heat burning inside her like it did with me. She breathed into my mouth, her desire bubbling like a pot of boiling water.

I found the strength to pull away before it became anything but PG. Our daughters weren’t paying attention to us but it was still inappropriate. “We’re having dinner with Axel and Marie when you get off work.”

“Awe. That sounds like fun.”

I pulled her harder into me so she could feel my hard-on. “Then you’ll be mine when we get home.”

“This is turning into the best birthday ever.”

“I’m glad you think so.” I kissed the corner of her mouth before I pulled away. I was losing my willpower. My wife drove me crazy. I made love to her every morning and every night but it wasn’t enough. “We’ll pick you up later.”

“Okay. I can’t wait.” She gave me a dark look, one that told me she wanted another kiss.

I didn’t trust myself at this point so I walked around her. “I’ll see you then. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

***

Jason and Calvin, Marie and Axel’s twins, played together at the end of the table with Suzie and Hannah. They had a bucket of soldiers and a dinosaur set that kept them busy. It was difficult for us to go to a nice restaurant when our kids were so young—and loud.

I kept my arm over Francesca’s chair, my fingers grazing the bare skin of her shoulder.

“Having a good birthday?” Marie asked.

“Oh, it’s been the best.” Francesca touched the necklace the girls and I created. The house was turned in to a huge mess and it took me two hours to clean it up. “I have the best family.” Her hand moved to my thigh.

“I’m surprised you worked,” Axel said.

“I had to,” Francesca said. “We had too many orders going out. That place just gets busier and busier.”

“That sounds like a good thing—and a bad thing,” Marie said.

“I thought that other shop would slow things down,” Francesca said. “But it’s been the opposite.”

“Mo’ money, mo’ problems, right?” Axel said.

Marie rolled her eyes. “Don’t try to talk like a gangster.”

“You know you like it, shorty.” He kissed her hairline.

I turned to Francesca. “Can I give you my gift now? Before one of their famous fights erupts?”

“Please.” She turned to me with anxious eyes.

“Okay. It’s not physical.”

“That’s even better.” She couldn’t sit still with her excitement.

“Axel and Marie are taking the girls tonight and the rest of the weekend. You and I are leaving on a trip tomorrow morning.”

“Oh my god, where are we going?” Francesca loved traveling. It was one of her favorite things to do.

“We’re going to the Maldives,” I said. “The Four Seasons.”

“Really?” She shrieked too loudly then covered her mouth. “Whoops.”

I loved making her happy. It made my day. “It’ll be a nice getaway for us.” Lots of sex without the kids. “Happy birthday.”

She hugged me tightly then kissed me everywhere on my face. “Thank you. Thank you. I absolutely love it.”

“You’re welcome, Muffin.” I gave her a kiss on the mouth, feeling that constant spark between us.

“Have fun babysitting while I’m on vacation.” She stuck her tongue out at Marie and Axel.

“Brat,” Axel said. “We’ll turn your kids against you when you come back.”

“I don’t care,” Francesca said. “I’ll deal with that after our trip.” She hooked her arm through mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips. “I’m so lucky I married you.”

My heart floated like a cloud.

***

We parked the car in the garage of our Connecticut home in the suburbs. We had a big backyard where the girls could play, and it was quiet. Our neighbors kept to themselves, and we hardly noticed they were there.

The two-story house had gray trimming with blue shutters. It was exactly the house Francesca wanted, and when I saw it for sale, I had to buy it. I didn’t think I could leave the city, but once we moved in, I realized it was perfect for our family.

The second we were inside, we were all over each other.

I kissed her hard on the mouth then scooped her up, her legs hooked around my waist. I walked up the stairs. I avoided Suzie’s toys littered everywhere and made it into the bedroom. I didn’t bother turning on the lights because we were just going to get down to business anyway.

I stripped her clothes off and watched her yank mine off violently. When we were both naked, we lay on the bed together, our bodies tangled. She ran her hands up my hard chest and wrapped her legs around my waist, wanting me inside her as soon as possible. Her eyes were lit up in flames and her lips were slightly parted in desire.

I looked at her for a moment, trying to remember a time when this woman wasn’t mine. It was so long ago that I could barely remember it. She was an innate part of me now, the better half of my soul.

And I loved her so damn much.

I slowly moved inside her, listening to her breathing change as she took more of me. There was nothing I loved more than making love to her. It was when I felt most alive, most connected to her. Raising two girls took up a lot of our time, as did work. We treasured our alone time together, the mornings and evenings when we made love and didn’t even speak to each other. It was when our souls wrapped around one another, locking in place and never fraying.

“Hawke…” She wrapped her arms around my neck and dug her fingers into my hair. She locked her eyes with mine, rocking with me on the mattress. “I love you.”

I pressed my forehead to hers and continued to move slowly, feeling every touch and sensation. Sometimes we fought and sometimes we didn’t see each other much for a few days. Our marriage wasn’t always perfect, and times got rough. But our love never changed. It always stayed the same, prevailing through everything—no matter what. And it would always be that way. “I love you too.”

I hoped you enjoyed reading WEDNESDAY as much as I enjoyed writing it. It would mean the world to me if you could leave a short review. It’s the best kind of support you can give an author. Thank you so much.

What exactly happened between Marie and Axel? How and when did they fall in love? And how did Marie turn Axel into the most committed man on the planet? Find out in the next installment of the series THURSDAY.

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