Chapter 46

Ollie’s fifth birthday rolled around, and with it, his first day of kindergarten. Anelise was a bundle of emotions, snapping pictures of him at every turn.

When the school bell rang, signaling the start of the day, Michael had to practically drag her out of the classroom. He helped her secure Henry in the car and then pulled her into a comforting hug.

“You know he’s going to be just fine, right?” His smile was reassuring.

“I know, but he’s my baby boy!” Anelise’s voice was thick with emotion, causing Michael to chuckle. “I know, love. But I think he’s on his way to ruling the world, especially with Johnathan Rothchild as his ego-boosting, nurturing grandfather!”

Anelise managed to laugh through her tears, agreed with her husband, and then drove home to start her day. She cherished every moment with Henry, watching him grow bit by bit.

There were times when she wished she could have seen Ollie grow from a tiny baby, just like she was witnessing with Henry.

Henry was starting to stay awake more during the day and sleep longer at night, which was a relief for Anelise. The every-three-hour feeding and changing schedule was exhausting!

With Ollie in school, she needed to establish a new routine, especially since she was going to be working from home part-time. She was grateful that the library was allowing her to do this, so she could stay home with Henry until he was six months old.

After returning home, she started a load of Henry’s laundry, fed him, and then settled down to work with him in the office.

After a few hours of work, she decided to take Henry and Goat for a walk. It was a good way for her to get back into shape and interact with other adults in the neighborhood.

She had thought that the lack of adult interaction would be the hardest part of staying home. After her walk, she had lunch, and then spent the rest of the afternoon feeding Henry and taking a nap with him.

She was eager to pick up Ollie and hear about his day. When she pulled up in the carpool line, Ollie hopped in, his uniform dirty and a big smile on his face.

“How was it, baby?” Anelise asked as they drove away.

“It was so great, Mommy! I did so much today and made new friends!”

Ollie then launched into a detailed account of his day. Anelise let him talk, only interjecting when necessary.

When they arrived home, Johnathan and Naomi were there. Ollie excitedly recounted his day again, and then Johnathon took him outside to play with Goat and burn off some energy.

“Well, it certainly seems like the first day was a success!” Naomi grinned.

“Absolutely! And just think, we get to hear about it again when Michael gets home!” Anelise chuckled.

“So how are you doing, sweetheart? You feeling ok?” Naomi asked as she helped Anelise prep some veggies for dinner.

“I am feeling good, Mom. Henry has been sleeping about five hours at night, which is so much better than two or three! Plus, today I started a new routine with a walk.”

Naomi gave her a side hug. “Good! I’m really so proud of you! You are an amazing mom, and I love watching you with your boys!”

Anelise hugged her back. “Well, it took a while, but I had a really great example to learn from!”

Naomi sniffed and hugged her tighter. “No tears! You’ll ruin my mascara! You know the rules!”

Anelise laughed, and they went back to work. Naomi held Henry when he woke up, and he looked up at her like she was the most intriguing person in the world. They had a wonderful evening when Michael got home and just relaxed as a family. Life was good.

—

December was a whirlwind of activity with Christmas and the wedding. Anelise was running around like a headless chicken.

She was Leslie’s matron of honor and was thankful that she had lost some baby weight, but she still had the curves that Michael loved. And she looked good in the deep forest-green dresses Leslie chose for the attendants.

Michael was Craig’s best man and was thrilled about it. Both Ollie and Henry were the ring bearers, and now that Henry was sitting up, he would look perfect in the little wagon Leslie had found for Craig’s sister’s little girl to pull as the flower girl.

Anelise had the house decorated for Christmas the week of Thanksgiving because they would be so busy, and Ollie loved every single second of it!

She was so glad that she had started a little tradition of making a handprint of the boys as an ornament to see how they grew over the years.

She was even more excited when she found a tracing of Ollie’s handprints when he was one and two years old so he wasn’t left out.

She wanted to come up with different ways to display them every year and was thankful every day for Pinterest and the ideas on it. She had an entire file in the office filled with ideas in case she got stuck.

Ollie had a Christmas program and every single Rothchild was there recording the performance. Ollie hammed it up and actually called out “Hi Papa! Hi Nana!” in between songs and everyone just about died laughing.

Henry looked around with wide eyes at the atmosphere and tried clapping when everyone else did. It was adorable, and Anelise sent a copy of the video to her Aunt Peg.

December 20 arrived, and the wedding was upon them. Leslie and Naomi had secured the church, the same place where Anelise and Michael got married. And with everything decorated for Christmas, it was like a fairy tale.

They decided on a night wedding, and there were candles everywhere to give off a magical and romantic feeling. It really was a beautiful atmosphere, and they couldn’t wait to see the photos.

Michael stood next to his best friend, who was grinning from ear to ear, as they looked around. “Are you ready for this, Craig?”

He turned to Michael. “I can’t wait! I’m so in love with Leslie that I can’t even see straight!”

“Oh, I know what you mean, man!” Michael clapped him on the back. “How the hell did we get so lucky?”

“I have no damn idea, but I am so thankful that we went to London and that nanny you had quit!” Craig grinned.

“Man, I’d totally forgotten about her! Can’t even recall her name now. But who gives a damn? We’ve got the most incredible women in our lives!” Michael shot back.

As the music shifted, the pastor joined them, and the bridesmaids began their march down the aisle. Craig drew in a deep breath, watching them.

Michael’s gaze was fixed on his stunning wife, the last to walk in, wearing a figure-hugging green velvet dress. She winked at him as she neared, and he shot her a grin, feeling a familiar stirring within him.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, forcing himself to think about accounting terms to quell his arousal. It wasn’t the first time she’d had this effect on him.

Craig’s niece, Erica, from his older sister, Tammy, was guiding the wagon where Henry sat, looking around curiously. Ollie was walking alongside, clutching the pillow with the faux rings and grinning from ear to ear.

Michael chuckled, watching his sons. Ollie stood by him, and Susan took Henry for the duration of the ceremony.

Michael was overjoyed that his entire family had made it to the wedding. They’d known Craig for years and adored the Rothschilds. They couldn’t stay for Christmas, but they’d have a family celebration before heading back to Iowa.

Leslie looked radiant, holding Craig’s hands, their eyes locked. Anelise was struggling to hold back tears as she looked around.

Her husband looked incredibly handsome and sexy in his tux, her sons were adorable in their mini tuxes, and her best friend was radiating happiness and looked flawless.

It was interesting to see how different their tastes were, despite their close friendship. Anelise was more romantic, quiet, and beautiful, while Leslie was sexy, bold, and a bit louder.

Leslie’s dress was a figure-hugging mermaid style that suited her perfectly. She’d embraced the Christmas color theme, and Naomi had transformed it into a picturesque winter wonderland.

When Craig and Leslie shared their first kiss as a married couple, Anelise couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. A few slipped down her cheeks, and she wiped them away impatiently as the guests erupted in applause.

The recessional song began, and the newlyweds made their way down the aisle. Michael offered his arm to his wife and followed them. “Ani, you look fucking beautiful! And I can’t wait to get you out of that dress later!”

Anelise gasped, whispering, “~Michael!~ You can’t say things like that here!”

“Too bad! It’s true! And I got hard watching you walk down the aisle in that dress!”

“You’re terrible!” She giggled.

He leaned in and kissed her gently before they had to reposition for photos. They made it to the reception and the meal, where Michael delivered a heartfelt speech honoring his best friend and a woman he’d come to love as a sister.

Leslie hugged him tightly after the toast, tears in her eyes, thanking him profusely.

The large family danced the night away, the sweetness of the evening amplified when JJ proposed to Grace. Naomi was in tears of joy. The Whitlock grandparents took all the kids back for bed, allowing the adults to party until the wee hours.

And when Michael and Anelise finally made it home well after midnight, he slowly unzipped her dress, and they made love passionately until Anelise bit into the pillow, screaming as Michael thrust into her from behind, feeling himself climax inside her.

“Best night we’ve had in a long time!” Michael panted, kissing her spine.

“I agree. We need more nights like this!” Anelise agreed, moving to lie down. Michael flopped next to her, pulling the covers up.

Somehow, they managed to get through Christmas, with Santa bringing Ollie a new bike and Henry playing with the wrapping paper. They hosted the family, minus the newlyweds, for dinner and ate until they were stuffed.

And amidst all the chaos, Michael made damn sure that he and Anelise continued their tradition of dancing at midnight. He wasn’t going to let their time together suffer; he loved her too much.