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Alex groaned, letting his head fall to rest against Jamie’s shoulder. Maybe if he didn’t move, whoever was at the door would go away. There was no such luck.
“Mr. and Mrs. Reid?” The nanny's voice came through the door. “I'm so sorry to bother you, but Lilli had a bad dream, and she heard you come in. She won't settle down without seeing you.”
Jamie sighed. “Just a minute,” she called back. “I'll be right there.”
“I swear,” Alex said, running a hand through his hair, “the universe is out to cock-block me.”
“Oh, baby.” Jamie leaned in to kiss him, chuckling. “I'm sure we'll find the time.”
“Easy for you to say. You already had an orgasm.”
“You're capable of having one without me, you know,” she pointed out as she stepped away and pulled a robe on over her underwear.
Alex watched with regret as she covered all the bare skin that had so recently been on display. It was unfair, was what it was.
“The quality is drastically reduced,” he said, leaning back against the pillows and crossing his arms over his chest. “I don't think it's an equal trade.”
“I'll be as quick as I can.”
Jamie stole one more quick kiss and then headed out into the hall, where Alex could hear her talking in a low voice with the nanny. He sighed. Was it really too much to ask that he get to have one night with his wife where they weren't interrupted?
Apparently it was, because Jamie's quick trip to settle Lilli into bed turned out to be not at all quick. Alex, listening through the baby monitor, could hear her trying to comfort their daughter while Lilli babbled about something that he couldn't quite make out. Whatever had upset her, it wasn't going to be as easy to fix with a few minutes in the rocking chair.
Not that Alex begrudged his children time with their mother; of course they should have time with Jamie. He just wanted a little time with her, too, and lately it seemed as though every chance he had for a moment alone with her turned into some long, drawn-out saga of trouble elsewhere.
She was an amazing mother, though. Alex found himself smiling, despite his irritation, as he listened to her reading softly to Lilli. She'd been so afraid when they'd found out she was pregnant the first time, worried that she would somehow replicate her own terrible childhood. But she'd been nothing but amazing from the moment the twins were born. They were lucky to have her. As lucky as Alex was. He couldn't have asked, he thought, lying back on the pillows and letting his eyes slide shut, for a better woman to share his life with.
***
WHEN ALEX WOKE THE sun was spilling in through the blinds, and Jamie was asleep next to him, her hair a tousled mess. She looked like she hadn't had a chance to get much rest, if the purple circles under her eyes were anything to go by, so Alex slid carefully out from under the blankets, trying not to wake her, and went to check on the kids.
The twins were still sleeping, so that was something at least, but Markie was awake, looking up at him with big blue eyes.
“Hey there, little man,” Alex murmured, leaning in to gather up his son. “How’re you this morning?”
Markie smiled a toothless smile at him, and Alex felt an answering smile on his own face. It was impossible to resist that grin.
“Glad to hear it. How about some food?”
He made a gleeful little sound that Alex took as a yes, and Alex went to make him a bottle, jostling him gently on his hip.
The upcoming Christmas vacation was going to be a good thing. For all of them. Alex had been spending more time at home recently, handing over some of his duties to Paul, who had taken quite well to his new position in the company, but he still didn't spend as much time at home with his children as he would like to. Having two weeks of uninterrupted time with them and Jamie was exactly what he needed to relax.
Alex tested the warmth of the milk in the bottle and found it acceptable, so he tipped it up for Markie, smiling down at his son while he ate. There were a few drawbacks to having children, maybe, but all of them were outweighed by the weight of his son in his arms and knowledge that he and Jamie had made something together. Something perfect.
There was a rustle of sound in the doorway and Alex turned to find Jamie standing there, wrapped in her robe and watching him with a tired smile.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted. “You doing okay?”
She nodded. “Was up later with Lilli than I would’ve liked, but I'm all right. I'm sure I can squeeze a nap in somewhere.”
If they were squeezing anything in that involved a bed Alex didn't want it to be a nap, but he didn't say that. Didn't want Jamie to feel like he would be disappointed if she decided to get a little extra sleep. Not when she so obviously needed it.
“Why don't you go back to bed now?” he asked. “I've got Markie. We're doing fine. You could get more rest.”
“I'm already awake.” Jamie shuffled across the kitchen to give him a brief good morning kiss on her way to the coffee maker. “And Mark and Erica will be coming over later, so I should probably get a few things done this morning.”
Right. Alex had forgotten that they were going to be dropping by. “I can get things done, Jamie. I don't have to go to work today.”
She waved away the offer. “It's fine, Alex. Honestly, I'm not going to be able to fall back asleep. I'm too used to being awake by now. And the twins will be out of bed soon, wanting breakfast. You're not used to dealing with all three of them at once.” She turned to smile at him over her shoulder. “Honestly, wrangling three small children is a task that two can handle better than one.”
“If you're sure.” Alex pulled the empty bottle back and propped Markie against his shoulder to burp him. “But if you start to fall asleep I'm putting you to bed.”
“Oh? And how exactly are you going to keep me there?” Jamie prompted, looking at him over the top of her still-empty coffee cup with raised eyebrows.
“I could think of a few ways,” Alex said, letting his voice drop a little lower to watch her shiver. It made him regret missing out on last night again. He desperately wanted to have her naked and underneath him, preferably sometime before New Year's.
“You're terrible, Alex Reid,” Jamie accused, too much laughter in her voice for her to pass it off as serious.
“That's me,” Alex agreed. “Absolutely awful.”
Jamie shook her head and poured herself a cup of coffee, which she promptly drank almost half of. Alex watched her with concern, not sure that she wasn't going to burn her mouth.
“You should be more careful with the hot coffee.”
“I'm fine,” Jamie said laughing. “You learn to drink it quickly before it’s cold with these little munchkins around.”
“You know we could have the nanny come by more often,” Alex pointed out. “She could help you with the kids and you could get a little more sleep when you need it.” The au pair lived downstairs in the apartment where Jamie first lived. She was great. In college finishing her Master’s and always available to watch the kids. College online these days... who needed to go to class then?
“No.” Jamie shook her head. “They're with Katie often enough as it is. I don't want them to spend so much time with her that she feels more like their mother than I do.”
“They're not going to think that, Jamie.”
“All the same, the time we've got with Katie is plenty. I can deal with it, Alex.”
“Okay,” Alex said carefully. “You can deal with it. I'm just trying to help, Jamie. I know that you're under a lot of stress with the kids and work and the holidays coming up. That's all. I wasn't trying to make you feel like you're not a good mother.”
She sighed, sinking down onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “No,” she said, rubbing a hand over her face. “I know that you aren't, and I shouldn't have gotten upset with you. I just...I hate the idea of leaving the kids with someone else any more than necessary. We're their parents; we're the ones who should be taking care of them.”
“We do take care of them, baby. Just because you can't be with them every minute of every day doesn't mean that you're a bad mother.” He lay a hand on her shoulder. “You're a wonderful mother, Jamie. Trust me on this.”
She looked up at him, and he leaned down to press his mouth to hers in a soft, sweet kiss. Jamie melted into the touch. Over the kitchen monitor he heard the twins start to stir, and pulled back to smile ruefully at her.
“I think they're doing it on purpose,” he said.
Jamie laughed. “I think you just have bad timing, baby. I'll go get them.”
Markie contentedly babbling away in his arms, Alex watched her go and wondered for the millionth time how he had managed to snag the best woman in New York City for himself.
***
IT WAS EARLY AFTERNOON when Mark and Erica arrived, both bundled up in snow gear. Alex was playing with the twins, doing a puzzle while Jamie got up to let them in. She had Markie on her arm and she shifted him to her other hip so she could give her in-laws each a hug, greeting them with a smile. “Do you need anything? Coffee? Something stronger?”
Both of them shook their heads. “We're fine, Jamie,” Mark said. “Thank you, though.”
Erica reached out for Markie. “Look at you, little man,” Erica cooed. “Look how big you're getting.” She rubbed her nose against his. “You’re so much cuter than your uncle. Yes, you are. Yes, you are.”
Markie giggled, and Jamie turned to smile at Mark. “How did the rest of the party go?”
“Utterly,” Mark said, “amazing. Really good. Everyone had a fantastic time, and this morning I had a handful of emails from some investors who want to put money into the golf course. I'm sure that Alex will have heard from them, too.”
Alex chuckled. “My phone’s been buzzing all day.
Jamie smiled at her brother-in-law. “That's great, Mark. I'm glad it went well. Sorry we couldn't stay last night.”
“No need to apologize. I totally understand.” He glanced over at Erica playing with Markie while the twins tried to show her drawings they'd done that morning. They’d tried carrying the puzzle over but when it fell apart, they left it and moved on to something else. The adults laughed. Mark ruffled Benton’s hair fondly. “The kids needed you.”
Or something like that, Alex thought. Jamie gave him a look that said she knew what he was thinking.
“Outside,” Lilli said.
Jamie looked down at her. “You want to go outside?”
“Snow!” Benton added.
“Outside in the snow?”
The twins nodded in unison, like two little robots.
“I don’t mind taking them outside,” Erica said. “Do you have a sled for them?”
Five minutes later, Alex was trying to wrestle Benton into snow clothes. Benton, despite his claims that he wanted to go outside and see the snow, didn't seem nearly as excited about the coat and snow pants he needed to put on to go out, but Alex and Mark got him dressed eventually. Jamie and Erica managed to get Lilli into her clothes without too much excitement.
“How about we all go out?” Alex suggested.
“Let me just get the peanut down for his nap.” Jamie laid Markie down and, once he’d fallen asleep, she brought the baby monitor out with her so they could hear him if he woke up.
The twins were fascinated with the snow.
It wasn't the first time they had been outside since the snow started falling, but they didn't get as many chances to just go outside and play in it as they pleased. Erica taught them how to make snow angels, and then Mark taught them how to make snowballs. Which he then taught them to throw by throwing one at Alex. The twins giggled at the sight of their daddy’s face covered in snow, and begged Uncle Mark to throw more.
“Did you know Lilli wants a pony for Christmas?” Jamie said as they rolled up snowballs of their own to throw at Mark.
“A pony?” Alex lobbed a snowball at his brother, ducking behind a tree when Mark returned fire.
“That's what she told Santa,” Jamie said. “And Benton wants a car that drives.”
“I don't think a two-year-old really needs a pony,” Alex said, dodging another throw, this one from Erica. “Maybe one of those stuffed ones that neighs or something?”
“That's what I was thinking.”
The twins, apparently having given up on hitting Alex or Jamie with a snowball, were now throwing snowballs at Mark, who was making a grand production of being hit with them, collapsing into the snow while Erica laughed at him.
“You know,” Alex said, “I think we could leave them alone for a few minutes...”
Jamie looked at him. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Come on.”
She glanced back at the kids as he curled a hand around her wrist and led her toward the house, but they seemed to be doing just fine with their aunt and uncle, thoroughly delighted by Mark's theatrical “death.”
They got in the door without being seen and Alex grinned at Jamie, who was flushed with the exertion and the cold, as beautiful as she had ever been. He stripped her out of her coat, shaking the snow off it and tossing it in the general direction of the hook. His own followed. He pressed her up against the door to kiss her hard, groaning at the sensation of her body against his, all of her soft curves in his arms.
“I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she answered, breathless as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her toward the couch.
“Alex!” she gasped when he dropped her on it, looking up at him with wide, scandalized eyes. “We can't do this here.”
“We'll hear them if they come in,” Alex said, and leaned down over her to taste the skin at the tantalizing curve of her throat. “Where's your sense of adventure?”
“Excuse me if I don't want to traumatize our children and your brother. Not to mention Erica.” Jamie shoved at his shoulder even as her hips rocked up against his, the words catching in her throat. “It's really not— Fuck!” she groaned at the end.
Alex smiled against her skin. “We won't be long,” he said. “It’ll be fine.”
One of her legs wrapped around his hip, dragging him down closer. Alex moaned, and the sound was echoed by Jamie.
“You're so lovely,” he told her as he rocked into the cradle of her thighs. “I don't know how you do it, but I swear that every time I see you you're more gorgeous than you were the day before.”
“Now you're just flattering me.”
“Will it get me in your pants?”
Jamie laughed, pulling him down into a kiss that he gladly returned. She pulled off the hat he was wearing and threw it onto the coffee table, sliding her fingers into his hair to make it even more of a mess.
“You don't have to flatter me to get in my pants. You—”
Footsteps sounded outside, mixed with excited voices, and then the sound of the door opening had them flying apart. Jamie looked up at Alex with accusation written across her face, and he gave her a somewhat sheepish grin in return. It wasn't his fault they'd come in so much earlier than he expected.
“Everything okay?” he asked, turning toward Mark and Erica, who were standing just inside the kitchen doorway with knowing looks on their faces.
“Lilli tripped and fell in the snow and she's cold,” Erica said, sounding like she was trying to repress laughter.
Jamie sat up and gave them both a wide smile that didn't hide the fact that her cheeks were bright red. “Oh. That's too bad. I'll take care of it. Thank you for bringing her in. I was just about to make some hot chocolate.”
Erica was already helping Lilli out of the snow clothes, and Lilli was squirming and complaining about the snow and being wet.
Alex leaned back against the couch and wondered if he was cursed to never get laid.
All he wanted was a few minutes. And Jamie. Preferably naked, but at this point he’d take just about anything.
That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
