The Hardest Fall

“Are you kidding me? Have you seen your own ass in those tight pants? I mean, of course you have, but…do you know what I mean? It’s just hard to take your eyes away when someone walks right in front of you. I didn’t know where else to look.”

I stopped and lifted my head from her neck. “That’s not funny at all, Zoe.”

She laughed. Her body shook in my arms as she turned and pulled my head down for a quick kiss. “Then don’t ask me funny questions. Now go away so I can finish cooking, and don’t open the fridge—you don’t get to see the cakes.”

There was no way she could get rid of me that easily. Instead of getting out of her hair, I pushed her back against the kitchen island and trapped her between my arms.

“I like where I am.”

I tried to go for another kiss, but she arched away from me. “Everyone will be here soon and nothing is ready yet.”

“Relax. Everything is ready. I can barely walk into the living room with all the balloons,” I murmured against her throat.

“How was your workout?”

We were off-season, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t training. I was working every day to stay at the top and be the best I could. After New York, we had moved once, but it’d been three years with the new team and I was happy with the move. I’d be happy as long as I played, and that was the truth. We were happy.

I ignored Zoe’s question and sucked the skin on her neck to make her go crazy.

“Dylan,” she groaned, her tone a dead giveaway as to how close she was to giving in to me, but then again, she always gave in to me.

I stole another kiss, this one longer and filthier as I tasted every inch of her mouth and took her breath away. By the time I gave her a break, she was already standing on her tiptoes and reaching up for seconds.

Her eyes still closed, she swallowed hard and licked her lips. I pushed my hands under her silk shirt and caressed her back, smiling when I felt goose bumps break out over her skin.

“Did you get the Nutella?” she murmured.

I buried my face in her neck and grazed her skin with my teeth. “All four of them.”

“And did you get all the Reese’s, too? And M&Ms?”

I let my hands travel all the way up her back and couldn’t hold back my grin when she shivered and tried to plaster the lower part of her body against mine. I gave her what we both desperately needed—always—and lifted her up on the counter, pushed her skirt higher on her thighs, and pulled her legs around me until I could feel the heat radiating from her core through my pants.

“I got everything. Do we have enough time?”

“They—”

Before my beautiful wife could give me an answer, we heard footsteps rushing toward us, then my gorgeous little girl appeared around the corner. Her eyes got bigger when she saw me and her little feet quickened.

“Daddy!” she shrieked, arms open, ready for me to catch her. “Snuggles!”

Zoe unwrapped her legs from my back and I took a step back from her. The little monster aiming for me was the only thing that could distract me from my wife.

I crouched down and caught my little baby, Sophia, in my arms. “Oooff,” I groaned when she crashed into me and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Daddy,” she whispered as she laid her face on my shoulder, and my heart just melted. I straightened and saw Zoe watching us with a smile on her face. I couldn’t get enough of them, never would, not till the day I died. Leaning toward her, I gave Zoe a small kiss on her lips as she closed her legs and focused on our daughter.

“I missed you like crazy,” she whispered when she was done hugging me and looked at my face.

“I know, I missed you like crazy, too.”

“It’s only been a few hours you two,” Zoe said, cutting into our usual lovefest as she jumped down from the counter. I’d have to wait until everyone went to bed before I gave her all my attention.

Small hands turned my head, and I looked into my daughter’s happy little face, her clear blue eyes just like mine.

“Mommy is jealous,” she whispered loudly, and Zoe snorted.

“I know, she is always jealous of us.”

Sophia nodded eagerly then a grin touched her face. “Your face looks happy, Daddy. Is it because it’s my birthday?”

“It’s my birthday, too, you know,” I replied. While my baby was a little mini version of Zoe with all her quirks and looks, she had been born on my birthday—the best present Zoe could ever give me.

“Happy birthday, Daddy. But your face is happy because it’s my birthday, right?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I think that’s why my face is happy.”

“See, told ya. Did you buy my Riri’s?”

“Yes, I got your Reese’s.”

“My Nutella?”

“Got that, too.”

“Show me.”

She was the bossiest little thing in the house, and I loved her for it.

“Let’s check them out.” I winked at Zoe as she stood barefoot next to the stove and stirred the meat sauce for the lasagna she was preparing. She shook her head, but I knew how much she enjoyed seeing me with Sophia. Marriage hadn’t killed our love or sex life—not at all. We still couldn’t keep our hands off of each other, and I hoped it’d stay that way till we were wrinkly and old.

I took Sophia to the counter and showed her everything I’d gotten one by one. To say both my daughter and wife had a sweet tooth would have been an understatement.

“Good, good. You did good, Daddy. Now put them all in my closet so I can see them every day.”

I threw my head back and laughed. She was the funniest little thing, repeating everything she heard from the adults around her, and just like her mommy, she loved gazing at her prized possessions.

“Where is your grandpa, Soph?” Zoe asked, and she turned her attention to her mom.

“Outside.”

“Yeah? What’s he doing outside?”

She lifted her little shoulder in a shrug until it touched her ear. “I dunno.”

“Sophia?”

“My favorite ball went missing and he is helping me look for it.”

My chest shook with silent laughter. “Did you hide it, Soph?”

She turned her big, innocent eyes to me and gave another shrug. “I dunno.”

Gently, I put her down and righted her frilly white birthday dress. “Come on, go get Grandpa Ron—everyone will be here soon.”

“For my birthday, right?”

“Yes, everyone is coming to see you. Now go get him.”

Happy with everything she was hearing, she dashed out of the kitchen after giving Zoe’s leg a quick hug and a quick “Love you, Mommy,” all the while yelling for her grandpa.

“Granpa, everyone is coming! We’re gonna have cakes and I’m gonna get pressies!”

I went back to Zoe and she shrieked when my hands went up toward her boobs. She slapped my arms and forced my hands out of her shirt.

“My dad is coming inside, what are you doing?”

“You weren’t worried about your dad a minute ago.”

“Yeah, because I knew they were outside. Now Sophia will get him in faster than you can give me a kiss.”

Ignoring her protests, I hugged her and rested my chin on top of her head. “We could’ve gotten pizza—why are you cooking so much food?”

“Don’t say pizza. I want one so bad. Everyone will stay for the weekend, so we’ll order some tomorrow, and your dad loves my lasagna.”