Marco raised an eyebrow. “Did you just quote Usher at me?”

I struggled not to laugh. “Maybe.”

“I wouldn’t have put it like that.” He shrugged. “But I have pieces of you no one else has… I like that. Just like you have pieces of me that no one else can or will ever have.”

“I like it too.”

He nodded, happy with that before he took a bite into the delicious food Gio had given us. As we ate in companionable silence, I gazed around me before my eyes locked on the bench we’d sat on all those years ago.

We’d sat there and he’d told me about his uncle who back then had been abusive. He’d mellowed in his old age, but it had taken me a long time to be cordial to the man, knowing how he used to behave around Marco. That night Marco had told me why he’d left the States, about how lonely life had been for him. I’d ached so much for him. We sat there for hours talking about everything and nothing, and one of the things we talked about was our idea of the perfect date. Marco had just said he didn’t date. But he wanted to know what my idea of a perfect date was anyway.

I smiled remembering.

When we first got back together he set that perfect date up for me.

I looked over at him to find him watching me. “You remember everything about that night, don’t you?”

He nodded. “Every word.”

I finished off my pastry, brushing the crumbs off my fingers. “I think we did the right thing starting off as friends.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we were best friends first right. That means when we’re older we’ll still always have that. Our friendship. I think it’s what keeps couples together more than anything else.”

Marco frowned. “What does that mean?”

Sensing he was irritated by the comment I hurried to explain. “Well people get older, passion...,” I searched for the right word, “Dilutes.”

He made a face. “I hate to tell you this, baby, but when we’re old and gray my horny ass will still want yours.”

I laughed at the image I now had in my hand. “I take it that means you don’t intend to give me any peace in that department?”

He grunted and gave me a pointed look. “I think it’ll be mutual.”

Chuckling I nodded as I reached for the sparkling water in the hamper. It was true. I woke him up for sex during the night probably more times than he did me. He always fell asleep before me because I liked to read before going to sleep. “I read a lot of sexy books.” I shrugged.

“And I thank God for that every day.”

***

Sophia and Jarrod were both sleeping when we picked them up from Joss and Braden’s later that night. Although Sophia stirred and whimpered and cried a little as we took them out to the car, Jarrod slept right through. Thankfully, Sophia fell asleep with the movement of the car, and Marco carried her into the house while I carried the soft, warm, pliant bundle of baby joy that was my son.

Once we had them down for the night, we made our way to our own room and got ready for bed. Crawling in beside my husband, I curled up next to him and lay my head down on his chest.

I sighed, content, when his arm came around me, his hand resting on my hip.

“Thank you for the best Valentine’s Day ever.”

He was silent.

I lifted my head to find him frowning. “What?”

“Best ever?” he grimaced.

“Um… yes,” I answered, confused by his response.

“Well how the fuck am I supposed to top that?”

I threw my head back in laughter and found myself rolled onto my back as he braced over me, grinning. I slid my hands around the warm, hard muscles of back. “You don’t need to worry about that for another two years. Next year is my turn.”

“Oh.” He nudged my legs apart as he began peeling the strap of my nighty down. “What do you have in mind?”

“It’s a surprise.” My breath caught as cool air whispered over my breasts as he tugged my nighty down to my waist. My nipples peaked and Marco took it as an invitation. His warm, hot mouth wrapped around my left nipple and I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer.

He lifted his head and gave me a slow wicked grin. “Next year. You and me. Alone. In this bed. You naked. Best fucking present you could give me.”

I shook with laughter. “Men are so easy.”

“You know it.”

My laughter was quickly swallowed up in his kiss and we were just getting to the good stuff when Jarrod’s cry lit up our baby monitor.

We froze for a second, our heated, aroused bodies needing a minute to come out of the lust stupor. Marco untangled himself from me and got out of bed, shucking on a pair of pajama bottoms. “Don’t move,” he said to me. “Not one inch.”

“I’m lying like a wanton,” I grumbled.

“I don’t know what that is but it’s sexy as fuck so stay there, exactly as you are.”

“Or what?”

“Just do it.” He disappeared quickly out of the room and a couple of seconds later I heard his deep crooning through the baby monitor as he saw to our son.

My belly melted as I heard him whisper soothingly to Jarrod and I decided I would stay as I was just because he was such a good dad.

A little while later he wandered back into the room and stopped in the doorway. His eyes flared at the sight of me sprawled across our bed, half-naked. “Fuck,” he bit out and I had to bite my lip to stop from grinning.