Life after Love

The night sky was a clear one, the vastness of the sky was almost pitch black with only the light of the full moon illuminating the paddock below. The night brought such silence that the only sound came from the crackling of the campfire.  I watched as my husband James was engrossed in telling a spooky story to our two children, Alec and Wyatt.  Alec is five years old, while his brother is three, both watched with wide eyes as their father told a story about the cursed werewolf.  I rolled my eyes at James. He has always been so fascinated by the supernatural. I have a slight inclination that he secretly believes that there is more out there than what we know, not that he would ever admit it. “Then the beast pounced on him..ROAR!” James cried, both Alec and Wyatt jumped out of their seats, “and. He. Was. Never. To .Be .Seen .Again” he whispered, eyeing the boys, “true story”, James teased with a smirk while giving me a wink. “Alright, that’s enough for tonight” I declared, “you’re going to give these boys nightmares!” I added. “I wasn’t scared, mum” Alec insisted. “I wasn’t scared too”, Wyatt chimed in as he hid his face in my chest.  James chuckled with amusement at his boys. Goodness, I will never tire of hearing that sound come from him.  “ OK boys, it’s time for bed.” James proclaimed as he smiled at me and I nodded in agreement with him. “I want daddy!” Wyatt protested.  “You’re such a baby” Alec groans as he rolls his eyes at Wyatt.  “Enough!” James cautioned, “you’re both my babies!” He continued and grabbed the boys under both arms as he pretended to be an aeroplane flying while heading inside to put them to bed.  “Say goodnight to mum”, James told the boys. “Night, mum” the boys giggled. “ Goodnight”, I responded, “I love you”.  I watched them as they entered the house through the tall glass sliding patio door. We lived on an acreage in a small town edging close to the nearby forest. It had always been our dream to own a big plot of land with minimal neighbours around. We preferred the quite life surrounded by a small close nit community. We weren’t rich but we were comfortable, we worked hard for the things we had.  “Mmm” I signed, turning back towards the campfire. I stared into the flames that sent red sparks flying into the dancing breeze. A state of calmness washed over me as my mind reminisced over the past eight years. I met my husband, James, when I was nineteen. I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight, but what grew from it was a love like no other. I count my blessings every day at how lucky I am to share my life with someone like him. He is god strikingly handsome. It wasn’t just his looks but his soul, his personality that made him even more beautiful. He has this aura about him that is so warm and inviting, that people just gravitate towards him. Some people, almost like they just needed to be close, even for a brief moment, to experience the goodness radiating from him and into them. We married not long after we met. It was a small wedding that comprised of family and close friends, mainly from my side, as James doesn’t really have anyone close to him. James has never told me much about his past or family. It was a topic we have fought over a number of times through the years. Eventually, I stopped asking as I could see the pain behind his piercing hazel eyes. I decided the past isn’t important, what’s important is now, and the future we have together. We were both over the moon when we first saw those two little pink lines show up. I knew James would make the most amazing father. He is the type of father every child should have in their lives. We were blessed not once but twice with two beautiful little boys who doted on their father. “Miss me” he purred into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me out of my thoughts. His stubble left slight goosebumps prickling down my neck and arms.  “Always” I replied.  James picked me up and settled me back into his lap.  “Did the boys go down easily” I asked curiously, still staring into the flames.  “Out like a light” he murmured in response while leaving a trail of kisses down my neck. His hand traced ever so lightly up and down my thigh, making the hair stick up from his touch.  “Have I told you how beautiful you are, Hannah?” he professed as he continued giving soft kisses down to my shoulder.  I have never been one of those girls who put a lot of effort into their appearance each day. It’s not that I think I’m unattractive, I've never had the time or the overwhelming need to dress up. On most days, my dirty blonde hair is in a messy bun. Before I met James, my self confidence was not very high but he made sure he changed that.  “Mmm” I breathed, “many times” I smiled as I turned to face him, reaching my hand up to twirl my fingers through his luscious brown hair. He grew his hair out, reaching just above his shoulders, it gave off a more rugged look. “Dance with me” he whispered as he lifted me off of his lap and stood up, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into his firm chest.  We danced under the full moon, we never needed music to dance, all we needed was each other. James twirled me and lent me over and kissed me passionately, his tongue tracing the entrance of my mouth, begging to be let in. I submit to his request and his tongue invades my mouth. I could taste our shared breath as he pulled me back up, his lips never leaving mine. Our bodies pressed together as the heat ignited our bones and the want turned into need.