Chapter Eighty-Eight

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March in Atlantic City was not what came to mind when one thought about the Jersey Shore, but the tournament to determine the state wrestling champions was held there every year. They arrived on Thursday and left whenever their round was lost.

This year, Somerset Valley was ranked number two in the central division—the highest they'd ever reached, and Steve had a good feeling about his guys, from the one-hundred six pound weight class to the one-hundred eighty pound class. His squads were solid. Two of his seniors were going to college on full rides due to their records and abilities. One was a shoe-in to make the US Olympic team. It was their year to take it.

But first they had to get to the finals. The first round of elimination competition would begin at nine-thirty Friday morning. If all went well, they'd still be there Sunday afternoon.

Steve opened his eyes to a gray, rainy morning. The clock on his nightstand said six-fourteen and the sun hadn't even poked up yet. The room was quiet. Aislinn was sound asleep beside him.

He gently rolled onto his right side, facing her. It was a little weird, not having to worry about Chris crying, as he was safely in Asgard, no doubt being spoiled by his grandparents. Instead, he tucked one hand under his cheek, the other under his pillow and just gazed at his sleeping wife.

His wife.

The word brought a smile to his face. Married six months already and still not quite used to the heavy ring on his left hand. But he was definitely used to the way wife sounded. Was definitely used to how it made him feel. Was definitely used to how nice it was to open his eyes and see Aislinn asleep beside him.

His wife.

He never saw himself as a husband. Or a father. And yet, he settled into both roles with such ease, as if they were a natural fit for him. There was nothing he wouldn't do for the woman beside him and nothing he wouldn't do for the child they created. They were his world and it was a world he loved with everything he had, with every strand of his being.

Aislinn stretched and sighed in her sleep, rolling first onto her back then, with a low grumble, onto her opposite side. As she turned, her hair skimmed down to pool on the mattress, a river of silky black against the crisp white hotel sheets, against the smooth paleness of her back and shoulder.

He slid closer, easing his arm about her waist to tug her snug against him. Her soft sigh made him smile and she curved against him, cool and soft. Her belly wasn't quite as flat as it had been before she became pregnant with Chris, but he didn't care. He preferred her this way, found she fit even more perfectly in his arms, against his body. She was beautiful before, but she was breathtaking now. And he'd been lucky enough to see firsthand just what her body could do, what she could do, and it was enough to make him want to pull her closer and never let go of her.

Her shoulder cool against his lips as he pressed a kiss into it. A hint of cherry blossoms tickled his nose. Her shampoo. "Mine," he murmured, sweeping a kiss into the slope of her shoulder, the curve of her neck.

"Always..." she whispered, snuggling closer, one hand coming to rest atop his. "What time is it?"

"Early enough for you to go back to sleep."

She turned her head to peer at him over her shoulder. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and sleepy. "I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because this is nice."

He smiled, pressing her into him a little more. "It is nice, baby." It wouldn't bother him at all to remain right there, nestled in the cleft of her backside, her thighs against his, her back against his chest. Little by little, she grew warmer, her eyes soft as she gazed up at him.

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