“I haven’t gotten beyond finding a way to escape.”
“To go where?”
“Haven’t figured that out yet.”
“Doesn’t your cousin own a hotel?”
“In fact, she does. Great idea.”
Julia rolled her eyes. “That was a gimme.”
“Don’t get cocky. We’ve got more work to do here.” He sent a text to Laura, asking if he could reserve a room for the evening. A fireplace would be a bonus, he added. “Okay, I asked her. What else have you got?”
“What’s the dinner plan?”
“You’ll be shocked to hear I haven’t gotten to that yet.”
“Don’t you have a sister-in-law with a restaurant in your cousin’s hotel?”
“You’re good at this.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve been told that before.”
She cackled with laughter. “Believe it.”
“Oh hey, Laura responded that she’s got the perfect room for us, so that’s all set.”
“Why don’t you call the florist and have some flowers sent over?”
“Another great idea. I don’t deserve you.”
“I tell you that every day. Do you want me to do that?”
“No, I want to do it myself so it doesn’t seem like I farmed this out to others, you know?”
“I respect that, even if you’re still an idiot.”
“Stephanie is in to deliver dinner to the room.”
“Doncha just love when a plan comes together?”
“You have no idea how much I love this plan.” He stopped short of mentioning he hoped to get lucky for the first time in months, but more than anything, he couldn’t wait for some precious time alone with his love to reconnect as a couple. “No one tells you how tough kids can be on a marriage, even though we love them more than anything and wouldn’t trade a second with them. It’s just a lot sometimes.”
“Five kids is a ridiculous number of kids.”
“Six, actually. We count Connor, the one we lost, too.”
“Of course. Six is a ridiculous number, too.”
He grinned. “But they bring a ridiculous amount of joy in addition to the mess, the screaming, the diapers, the never-ending bickering… Maddie likes to remind me that while the days are long, the years are short, and we need to enjoy every stage for what it is. But I’m looking forward to the time when they’re all out of diapers and a bit more portable.”
“That’s fair. The baby years are intense, even when you don’t have three in eighteen months.”
“I wonder if Adam and Abby know what they’re in for with four babies.”
“I bet they’re finding out.”
