Chapter Fifty Two

Stephen

I was beyond pissed off.

This whole situation had spiraled out of control. I was stuck in a loop, replaying Chad’s words over and over. They wanted their money back. Could I make that happen? Could I get them what they wanted and get them off my family’s back?

I was running out of options and I knew Benj wanted to help, but this was my family. My responsibility. I appreciated his efforts, but this was my fight.

Trinity had put the kids to bed after the confrontation with Peters. I’d been sitting outside, smoking and losing track of time in my thoughts.

The sliding door opened and I looked up to see Trinity standing there.

“Baby, it's 1:30am. What are you doing out here?”

“Is it really? I'm sorry, baby. I lost track of time.”

“What's wrong?”

“I just got lost in my thoughts, babe. Come here, please.”

She walked over and I pulled her into my lap. She straddled me and I held her close, burying my face in her chest. I felt her hands in my hair as I held her tighter, feeling a sense of calm wash over me with her so close.

“Are the kids okay, babe?”

“Yeah, I just fed Jay and put him back down. The twins fell asleep in bed with me. Or maybe I fell asleep on them, so I've left them there.”

“Babe, can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything, you know that.”

“Would you ever consider leaving here, permanently?”

Her eyes widened a bit as I sat up to look at her.

“I'd never force you to, baby. It's just a thought I had. I wondered if moving away might ease some of the stress.”

“My love, I would go anywhere as long as I had you with me. I can't lie, I would miss our family and lives here, but I would have you and our children.”

“I'm scared, babe. I'm really scared this time.”

She pulled me into her and I sighed deeply against her chest.

“Please don't carry this burden alone, baby. Let me be your strength, like you've been mine.”

“I can't clear my head. I feel like I'm just treading water and barely keeping afloat. I'm drowning, babe.”

“No, you're not. Because I'll always pull you back up, baby.”

“I'm supposed to be the strong one, to protect you all. But this is one thing I can't seem to shield you from. I feel so useless.”

“We need you, babe. And just being there is enough. Sometimes you need to step back a bit to see the bigger picture. It's okay to ask for help. None of us could have predicted this. If it wasn't us, it would have been someone else. You have to know that.”

“Right now, the best thing we can do is step back, forget what we know, and start from the beginning. Sometimes a second look helps to put the puzzle together. It's okay to start over. We aren't runners, we aren't quitters. If we were, we wouldn't still be here today. It would have been easier to give up, but I think what we have is worth fighting for.”

“I'll always fight for you, baby.”

“And I you.”

I kissed my wife gently, feeling a wave of calm wash over me. She had a way of soothing my soul, and it's what I needed right now.

“Here, baby.”

She pulled out another blunt she'd brought with her and sat next to me, lighting up. We shared the smoke, sitting together, cuddled up, both lost in thought.

My wife snuggled into my side as I held the blunt to her lips. She took a long draw, as did I, before putting it out. I leaned back and pulled her closer.

Her nails gently raked down my chest as my hand rubbed her back, pulling her hair softly so she'd look up at me.

I was dying to kiss her. I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in my wife's lips.

I leaned down and our lips met. I felt her soft lips against mine, her arms wrapping around my neck. Her tongue gently parted my lips. It was incredible.

One kiss led to another and soon we were making out. Our hands explored each other's skin, causing goosebumps and soft moans.

I pulled her onto my lap, our lips and tongues dancing intimately, our fingers teasing and exciting each other. I get lost in this woman with every touch.

I pulled back to look at her beautiful face, brushing the hair away as I stroked her cheek tenderly.

“I ask myself all the time how it's possible to love you so much and still keep falling deeper in love with you.”

She looked up at me adoringly.

“It hurts sometimes, you know, baby.”

“What hurts?”

“My heart. The love I have for you. I ache for you. All the time.”

I leaned down and kissed her again, showing her through this kiss how much she means to me. After everything I've already lost in this life, this woman is the one thing I can't afford to lose.

In this moment, I realized she is my strength. If I want to solve this battle, I need to look to her, to let her build me up because she is the very air I breathe.

I stood up, holding her in my arms, and carried her inside. I told her to get in bed next to our children.

She laid down, wrapping her arm around our babies as I slid in behind her, our bodies fitting together perfectly. I draped my arm over my wife and twins, protecting them from everything outside of our family. I looked over at our youngest, sleeping soundly in his crib next to our bed.

I rested my head in the crook of my wife's neck and whispered softly to her.

“You fill all the emptiness in my heart. Even the silent moments we spend together have the power to drown all of life's chaos away. Before I met you, I never knew what it was like to really fight for something or someone.”

I’ve never been this terrified of losing something in my life, then again, nothing in my life has ever meant as much to me as you do. It’s like every second I spend with you stretches into a lifetime, and it’s all I need. You’re not just a part of my life, you’re my heart, my soul. I love you, baby.