He grinned at his wife.
“Mommy! I wanna sit by Adam!” Jesse shrieked.
Sylvie shot out of her seat.
His wife spoiled the dog and her son.
Creed spoiled the cat and his sweet little Ray.
Both of them, in different ways, spoiled Kara and Brand.
Kara and Brand spoiled all of them.
The perfect family.
Finally.
Creed drew in a breath and grabbed the platter of meat.
* * * * *
One year and nine months later…
Creed sat at the end of their pier, jeans rolled up, feet in the water and he stared at the moonlight glinting on the lake as Sylvie burrowed her shoulder into his side.
He wrapped his arm around her.
When he did, Creed remembered the first time she did that, in the woods when he told her he intended to be Creed.
He felt his lips tip up slightly and curled his wife closer.
She didn’t put her feet in the water. She curved them under her. Since he’d just finished making love to her, she was wearing nothing but her panties and his tee and he remembered the last time he had that, too.
Vividly.
Years, the memory of his Sylvie finally becoming all his at the age of eighteen had been bittersweet.
Now it was just sweet.
She snaked an arm around his gut and shoved closer even as she asked, “Do you think we should get back to the hotel?”
“Kara’s got ‘em, baby,” Creed muttered and he was right. His girl would look after the kids. All of them, even Brand, were with her in their adjoining suite.
“You wanna stay,” she murmured.
Yeah, he did. He always did. Every year, when they came back and he brought his Sylvie out here in the moonlight, he wanted to stay as long as they could.
So they did.
“Yeah,” he answered softly and she snuggled closer.
His Sylvie.
Their spot.
Their lake.
Their pier.