by Aj Harmon
“Let’s see if we can try to make it better, shall we?” he grinned and slowly pulled out and pushed back in.
“Aahh,” she moaned, as his slow and purposeful rhythm drove her wild.
Matt continued the deliberate and sensual union of their bodies and could feel her at the point of ecstasy and pushed himself further and further inside her and when her body stiffened as he took her over the edge, her contracting muscles brought him to glory in that same moment.
They clung to each other, breathless and thoroughly fulfilled, and completely happy.
*****
When Janie woke a few hours later, she was under the blanket and Matt lay beside her, watching her.
“Hi,” she smiled.
“Hi,” he said. “I told you we wouldn’t need any lingerie.”
Janie giggled and snuggled closer to her husband.
“Janie?”
“Hmm?”
“I need to talk to you about something.”
Janie’s eyes opened and concern filled her mind at Matt’s tone. She scooted up to sit leaning against the headboard.
“What is it?” she said, almost too scared to ask.
“I want to have a baby with you,” he whispered, gently caressing her hand with his thumb.
EPILOGUE
Janie sat in their newly expanded and remodeled apartment in her new favorite chair, in her new favorite room, her precious photo album on her lap. She had been negligent in the upkeep of her cherished book recently and was taking the opportunity to add the dozens of photos sitting next to her on the table.
As she thumbed through the pictures, looking for the next blank page, she smiled as she came to the hand-written message Matt had scratched, ‘Matt & Janie’s New Memories’. Janie caressed the words with her finger, remembering that amazing night, sailing past the Statue of Liberty, her future full of promise.
Matt and Janie would soon be celebrating their second wedding anniversary. How time has flown, she thought as she perused the wedding photos. She couldn’t take her eyes of Matt that day and she still couldn’t. There were lots of photos of their three weeks in Hawaii. They had a blast learning how to snorkel and body surf. There were photos of them at a luau with leis around their necks and gorgeous sunsets in the background, their eyes focused on each other looking deliriously happy. She recognized the look on her face. It was the same look that grinned back at her in the mirror every day. They came back to New York City tanned and relaxed and it was just as well because the contractor was not done with the remodeling. Matt almost came unglued but bit his tongue when Janie said they could handle the mess and the noise for a couple of weeks.
And the wait was well worth it. The new floor plan now accommodated new bedrooms for Tyler and Adam. They both were at Columbia University, Adam in medical school and Tyler working on his MBA, and shared a small apartment in Morningside Heights. But Matt had insisted that they have a home to come to anytime they wanted. And many weekends the three men could be found watching sports or an action movie in the new family room, an inviting, cozy, comfortable place where Janie and Matt spent much of their time.
There were pictures of the boy’s college graduation. That was a special trip to Oregon. She smiled at the photos of her three men together. Matt couldn’t have been prouder if they were his biological sons. They had bonded quickly and Janie felt blessed.
A few pages further Janie came to their first anniversary pictures, beautiful photos of Venice. Of course they flew first class and stayed for seven nights in a magnificent five-star hotel. Janie gained over five pounds that week. But it wasn’t all my fault, she smiled.
There were pictures of their family at Yankee Stadium and she loved it when Ryan and Courtney invited them out on the yacht for the day. They hadn’t gone out yet this summer. Hopefully they would have the opportunity soon.
Finally she arrived at the blank pages. She began with the first photo at the top of the pile and carefully slid it into the photo corners and onto the blank page. One down, a jillion more to go, she sighed.
Coming to last few photos in her stack, Janie picked up one of her favorites, and then another one of her favorites, and then another. The last few weeks had presented hundreds of opportunities for perfect photo moments and she had taken advantage of every single one.
“Mommy says I have the nicest feet she has ever seen, but that’s not true is it? No, it’s not, because you have the cutest, chubbiest, tastiest, most perfect little feet I have ever seen. And these tiny toes are just delicious!”
Janie laughed as she looked up from her book to see Matt lying on his stomach on the floor of the nursery with Ella Rose on a blanket. He was nibbling on her feet and Ella was just starting to smile at her daddy. Janie reached for her camera on the table and took a dozen or so more pictures to add to her book.
“I’m going to need a new one of these soon,” she said.
“A new camera?” he asked rising to his knees.
“No, a photo album,” she laughed. “At this rate I will have twelve full of pictures by the time Ella turns one!”
Matt scooted over and knelt in front of his wife.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed as he kissed her. “Positively breathtaking. I’ll order another dozen then. And maybe an extra dozen, just in case.”
“Just in case?” Janie’s eyes opened wide.
“Just in case Ella gets a little brother or sister,” he winked.