Reece rolls her eyes as Bull groans for the twentieth time. “They’re going to be fine, Angel. Can we get going before we miss our booking?”
I cringe, looking back at my not so little babies. “But …”
“No, Amelia. Get your fine ass out the door.”
“Seriously, Dad?” Coby groans in distaste. “Do you have to talk like that all the time? You’re grossing me out.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Bull grins, purposefully teasing the kids as he looks me up and down like a hungry bear, ready to eat the most satisfying meal of his life, though hopefully, that’s exactly what he’ll be doing come tonight. “Your mom is fine.”
Zeke picks up my bag and starts walking towards the front door, the universal sign for ‘get the hell out of here.’ “Dad’s right,” he says. “If you don’t leave now, there won’t be a point in going at all.”
I let out a sigh. “Fine, but remember—”
“We know,” Reece cuts me off. “The emergency numbers are on the fridge, the first aid kit is in the cupboard above the oven, the fire blanket is on the wall, and the alarm code will be set. Zeke will be kept away from anything flammable while Ryan is strapped to a chair to avoid breaking any bones. We’re good, Mom. Go and enjoy your night away. You deserve it after dealing with Coby’s whining all the time.”
“Excuse you,” Coby says, starting the inevitable fight. “I’m the whiner? Speak for yourself. You’re the one who hasn’t stopped sulking about her boyfriend, who may or may not bat for the other team.”
“How many times do I need to tell you?” Reece demands, going red in the face. “Matt is not in the closet.”
“Yeah, right,” Zeke scoffs from the front door, making his view on the matter well known. “His jeans are tighter than yours. He’s the only dude I’ve ever met who has a regular nail appointment, and you know, I swear I caught him checking me out the other week.”
“Talk yourself up,” Ryan laughs, making me realize that despite how much I love my kids, I actually can’t wait to have just this one night away from them. Their endless bickering is tiresome. I don’t know how I’ve done it quite so long. Zeke and Reece have both recently turned eighteen while Coby and Ryan are 21 and 22, and it's as though they wake up every morning wondering how much they can irritate each other.
Knowing they’ll all be just fine, I give them each a kiss on the cheek and smile at the way my son picks up my bag and walks it out to the car like a gentleman, exactly the way Bull raised him to be.
The kids all stand by the front door, waving us off, and the second we pull out of the driveway, my seat gets reclined, and my fingers weave through Bull’s. I’ve been needing this so bad. Life is crazy. A few years ago, I went back to school and got myself a psychology degree, and I earned myself a job right off the bat.
Working in Social Services and helping other women face down their demons has been the best thing I ever did, apart from my husband and kids, of course. Learning to rebuild my life after all the hell Bryce put me through for all those years was hard. But now I'm able to use that experience to help others in similar situations do the same. I get to help make them stronger again, and it's an incredible feeling. I’ve always worked jobs, but this is a career, and it’s one where I feel valued. I don’t think I’ll ever give it up.
Bull and I chat on the short two-hour drive up north to where we have a beautiful resort villa waiting for us as an anniversary gift from our children. We weren’t expecting anything from them, so to receive something like this was amazing, and we instantly knew it was something we had to accept. It would be great to have a whole family vacation again. We haven’t done one in a while, but for now, this will have to do.
We get to the resort only to find it’s right on the beach, and the kids paid for us to have the best villa the resort has to offer. It’s absolutely stunning. Our room opens right up to the most spectacular beach view. We have a couple’s massage booked for this evening out on