"I got the job!" I ran into the kitchen where Jacob was cooking dinner, practically jumping into the air as I waved the letter in my hand.
"What?"
"Jay, I got the job!" I cried, shoving the letter in his face. He laughed and took it from me, reading over it carefully before tossing it aside and hugging me tightly.
"I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it." He kissed me, hard, his hands on my waist as he pulled me closer. I smiled and looped my arms around his neck to kiss him back.
"Papa? Daddy?" We broke apart to look over at Penny who had appeared in the doorway.
"Hey Penny. What's up?" I asked, letting go of Jacob and crossing the room to crouch down in front of our daughter.
"Why are you yelling?"
"Because I'm happy."
"But, when you yell at me, it's cause you're mad at me." There was a small frown on her face and I smiled.
"Yes, but sometimes people yell when they're happy too. We don't always yell at you, do we?"
"No. Only when I'm naughty."
"Exactly." I stood back up and pulled her into my arms just as Jacob came over to hug me from behind. "But I was yelling just now because I got some very good news."
"What was it?"
"You remember how daddy and I went out last week to visit a school?"
"Yeah. And I played with Lily."
"Yep. Well, I just got a letter from that school to say they'd like me to come and work there."
"Oh. Does that mean I have to move schools?" I laughed and kissed her forehead.
"No. But I won't be working at the same school anymore so I probably won't be able to pick you up every day." Currently, I would finish work and then pick up Penny from her school which was only a few minutes away. But if I was going to work at this new school, our whole schedule would have to change.
"I'm so proud of you, Con." Jacob told me, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Thanks, babe." I set Penny down on the floor and hugged Jacob tightly. "But you're the one who convinced me to even apply so, I owe it to you."
"You're a wonderful teacher. Even if I did convince you to apply, it was all down to your amazing work." I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Jay. Thanks for making me apply."
"Love you too. But if you don't want the house to burn down, you'll need to let go of me."
"Sorry." I laughed and let go of him so he could get back to what he'd been doing. Penny tugged at the sleeve of my sweater and I looked down at her. "What's up, Penny?"
"Can you play with me, papa? Please?"
"Sure. Just until dinner's ready." A grin spread across her face and she pulled me into the living room where her dolls had all been set in a circle on the floor.
"Papa, sit." She instructed, pointing to the floor and I gladly sat to wait as she busied herself making 'tea' with her little kitchen set.
"So, who's at the tea party today?" I asked.
"Princess Polly, Mr Cuddles, Amber the fairy, Snuffles and Pinky." Penny told me, pointing to each toy in turn.
"Oh. Well it's nice to see everyone again." Penny giggled and set little tea cups in front of each toy before setting herself in my lap and handing me my own cup of 'tea'.
"Drink up!" She announced and I obediently did as she asked and gave her a tight hug.
"Papa, Princess Polly wants to know when we can go to Uncle Brandon's house again."
"I don't know, sweetie. Uncle Brandon is very busy at the moment."
"Oh." Penny loved it at my younger brother's house. It was huge, thanks to his well-paying job, being principal of a private school, and there was always somewhere new for Penny to explore.
"How about I call him tomorrow and find out when we can visit?"
"Please?"
"Dinner's ready!" Penny and I both looked up at the sound of Jacob calling.
"Coming!" I called back, pushing Penny off my lap and standing up myself. "Let's go wash those hands of yours missy."
"Why?"
"Because if you don't have clean hands, you won't be able to eat the yummy dinner that daddy made for you."
"Oh. Okay." I followed her to the bathroom to watch and make sure she actually washed her hands before we joined Jacob in the dining room.
--------------------
Later, after we'd put Penny to bed, I stood in the kitchen, washing up the dishes from dinner. I was imagining the possibilities of what I could do in my new job so I jumped when I felt Jacob's arms wrap around me from behind. He pressed his lips to my neck and I laughed.
"I'm so proud of you, Con." He whispered as I turned to face him and loop my arms around his neck.
"Thank-you. I'm so excited for this. It's all I've dreamed of for so long."
"When do they want you to start?"
"The end of next month. It's not a lot of time for Lakeside. But I can't turn down this opportunity from Pinewood. If I do, there's a chance it won't come back around."
"I know. And the people at Lakeside will understand. I'm sure they will see how much of an opportunity this is." With a smile, I stretched up on tip-toes to kiss him, feeling him tighten his arms around me to pull me up off the floor.
"No fair." I whined, pulling back a little.
"Not my fault you're so short." He teased, setting me down momentarily, only to grab the backs of my thighs and pull me up to wrap my legs around him. I giggled, and leaned down to kiss him again.
"You love it. Means you can do this."
"Mm. I do love it. How about we leave these dishes for tomorrow and celebrate your big win?"
"Sounds good to me." I was expecting him to put me down but instead, he just captured my lips again, carrying me to our room and laying me on the bed. Before joining me, he stood and pulled his shirt over his head, giving me a breathtaking view of his toned torso. I sat up and reached out, running my fingers down from his collar bone to his v-line.
"What're you doing?"
"Nothing. Just admiring perfection." I smiled up at him as he pushed me to lay back down and gently crawled on top of me.
"You must be looking in a mirror then."
"So romantic." I laughed before pulling him down to kiss me again. I was on cloud nine. I had a husband who loved me endlessly, a perfect daughter, and I was about to start my dream job. My life was perfect.
