Repeating the motion, Danny groaned, then panted. “Jules, fuck…fuck, Julie. I’m gonna come, baby.”

And when he did, she greedily swallowed what he gave her.

***

“THAT WAS…WOW.” Danny could barely speak as he tangled his fingers through his wife’s hair. How was it possible for sex to still feel new after almost thirty years? Hell, they hadn’t even had intercourse, and he was sated. He didn’t want to question it; he just knew that he was a lucky man. Soft fingertips drew familiar patterns on his chest. He loved those damn figure eights.

“It really was…wow.” Julie’s head rested on her hand, her elbow propped up on the bed, and her eyes found his. “I’m sorry, Danny. I shouldn’t have kept my feelings from you. You’d think I’d have learned by now, and truthfully, I have. I guess just seeing them all starting their lives and knowing how many things can go wrong for them made me nervous.” Her eyes darted to the side, then back to him, a misty sheen over the gray. “I may not be their mom, but I love them. I want to protect them.”

Danny looked at his wife, his life partner, the love of his life, and tucked some strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. “I was going to wait until our anniversary in July to give you your present, but I think today is the perfect time.”

Sitting up, he planted his feet on the floor and left his bed and his woman behind as he walked from their bedroom to the basement door, completely naked. Downstairs, he went to the corner where he’d been hiding his project, a labor of love he’d been working on for months. With contributions from Max, Janie, Ashley, Ryan, Kyle, Cate, and Lyla, Danny had finished the piece mere days before. Little had he known he’d be giving it to his bride early.

Hefting the five-foot-by-three-foot paper-wrapped, framed canvas over his shoulder, Danny made his way back upstairs and into the master bedroom, where Julie awaited him, wrapped in the bed sheet.

“Dan, what is that?”

Slowly, he unwrapped the art and turned to watch Julie’s eyes eat up the painting.

“Oh...Danny, my God. What…how…you made that, didn’t you?”

The way her lip trembled and her wide eyes filled with tears was all the reaction he could have ever asked for, but when his Julie nearly floated from the bed, reaching for the gift he’d created for her—his breath caught in his chest.

The textured painting was more than just a large tree. It was them. Their names and wedding date appeared carved in the thick, strong trunk. A tiny butterfly with bright pink wings floated next to their names. Danny knew the instant Julie’s eyes landed on the butterfly that the meaning of its presence was not lost on her. Roots twining beautifully into the ground were made up of Julie’s parents’ names, as well as Danny’s mom, dad, and Anita. Two roots grew together, twisting until they met with Danny’s, and they had Jeff and Neal’s names inscribed in them. Toward the top of the trunk, just before the branches sprouted, Chester Murray’s name and an intricate rabbit appeared branded in the wood. Watching Julie’s face brighten when she realized that the rabbit stood for a certain redheaded manager made Danny chuckle. But the fact was, Bunny had been there at the beginning of them and therefore couldn’t be forgotten. Danny watched Julie’s eyes roam farther up the tree.

Each leaf was painted on a separate piece of canvas and affixed to the large panel, giving the tree a layered, lively look. Hundreds of leaves in various shades of greens, each hand-cut (by Lyla or Cate) and hand-painted, though only a few had special designs. The kids had printed out pictures of what they wanted on their leaf so Danny could draw and paint them.

“Sheila and Chris are on here. Danny…” Her arm extended to the canvas, fingers about to make contact, but she abruptly pulled away.

“It’s okay, honey. You can touch it. The paint’s been sealed.”

Her long fingers once again reached out to the miniature O’Brian’s sign that hung on the leaf with Sheila and Chris’s name.

Just as in life, their kids’ leaves were paired off. Max’s had a tiny racecar and a checkered flag while Janie’s had an apple. Ashley’s leaf had a slanted crown sitting on a rainbow, and Ryan’s had a guitar. Kyle’s showed a broken brick wall with half of a face behind it. The eyes were smiling. Cate’s leaf had a hand holding a brick with a heart on it. Quite telling, no? While Lyla’s leaf, with a quill and a bottle of ink, was next to the rest of the kids, the one directly linked to hers was blank. Danny had high hopes it wouldn’t remain that way for long. Many leaves were painted and attached to the tree, beautiful and waiting for the time when their family expanded further.

“Danny, this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was thick with emotion and truth. “When did you do this? What made you think of it?”

“A wise woman once told me that a family didn’t have to come with blood, it only had to come with love.” Julie’s eyes widened, but Danny didn’t give her time to respond. “We’ve been building our family since the day we met. I thought it was time you saw, actually saw, what we’ve created together.” Danny pointed at the family tree. “There is nothing but love there, baby, because you made it that way. It’s always been about you. I love you, Julie Marcus.”

“Thank God for that,” she replied.

Epilogue

FRESHLY SHOWERED, JULIE slid on a clean pair of yoga pants, sans panties, and a lacy pink bra.

“You’re just begging to get fucked again, aren’t you?” Danny groaned as he ogled her reflection in the mirror.

They had made love—and yes, fucked—after the incredible sixty-nine experience just a few hours prior. The man had the turn-around time of a teenager and the stamina of a stud.

“Wouldn’t be opposed to it, handsome. But Max and Janie will be here any minute, and that might make for a weird conversation,” she teased.

Danny touched his lips to hers before retreating into the closet to get dressed while she applied makeup. It was Saturday, after all, and once Max and Janie left, she and Danny would be headed to the bar for the rest of the evening. They didn’t need to be there—Ashley and Ryan had it covered—but they were still getting used to letting go.

Ding-dong

“I’ll get it,” Julie called into the closet on her way to the front door. Before she could turn the handle, Danny was by her side.

“Hey,” Max said.

Janie smiled. “We’re here. Can we come in?”

Acknowledgments

PHEW – THIS BOOK…this book was one that was never supposed to be written. It wasn’t in my timeline, it wasn’t part of my plan, but as I started writing Cheers in Charistown (the next story, a novella, in the Charistown series), Danny and Julie started talking to me and refused to stop until it was their words I was writing on paper. They needed me to tell their story and once they started talking, telling me about their beginning, their love, loss, heartbreak and strength, I had no choice but to keep on writing until nothing was left but peaceful silence. I’m grateful they finally opened up because unbeknownst to me, it was their love that truly shaped this series for me.

That said, this book could have never been written without the help of several special people. While I’m just a storyteller, a person who dreams up tales and creates worlds in which my characters struggle, flail, and hopefully succeed, our world is filled with incredible people who spend their days, years even lives helping others find freedom, safety, health and happiness.

Combat veteran David Clark was an amazing resource to me while I was writing Danny’s early days as a soldier. Mr. Clark let me pick his brain, pester him with questions and bother him endlessly with trivial silliness until I shaped Danny into the soldier and man I needed him to be. Thank you, David.