Chapter 10 - Beloved husband

Unfortunately, the planned video chat with Peter didn't happen because he spent most of the day touring with his father and didn't get home until late. So Natalie decided to spend the day relaxing by the pool and sunbathing in the garden. After all, she wanted to look her best when she presented herself naked to her family on her big day. And she had always thought that a little tan suited her quite well. Even though the fire would later give her skin an even deeper tan, of course.

Later, her mother joined her and transferred a preview version of the newest chapters of her latest novel to her tablet. Secretly, Nattie was extremely proud that she was always the first person to see a new work by the famous author. Her mother valued her feedback very much, and in fact, some of her suggestions had made it into her works.

In this one the main character was a young orphan girl her age who lived as a street child in the alleys of D-Town and tried to protect herself and her little sister from the sinister figures who frequented the area. An endeavor that was not always successful, of course. Natalie already had the feeling that this work could become one of her mother's most personal. It seemed that she was using it to process, at least in part, the death of her sister Monica. So she spent most of the afternoon working her way through the first hundred pages of the novel and then giving her mother her open and honest opinion, as was expected of her. And it brought a big smile to her mother's face when she heard that she already liked it very much. Secretly, Nattie deeply regretted that she would never know how the book ended and whether the two girls survived in the end.

But the best moment of the day was when her father finally returned. When Nattie saw the company Hovercraft land on the rooftop parking lot and him get out and say goodbye to his assistant, she jumped up and ran back into the house, as she had already agreed with her mother. She wanted to give him a chance to freshen up and settle in before she jumped on his lap. So she left it to her mom to welcome her beloved husband home.

***

A few minutes later, Stephanie stood at the stairs leading to the roof terrace, her heart pounding with excitement, waiting impatiently. And sure enough, shortly afterwards, she heard her husband's footsteps on the stairs. And then he came into view. Michael Robinson was a man who, even after twelve years of marriage, could still make her heart beat faster. At forty, he was in his prime and looked fantastic, she thought. She had always loved his dark, wavy hair, and his slightly slanted eyes were a clear indication of his Japanese grandmother. When he saw her at the foot of the stairs, his features lit up and a broad smile appeared on his lips.

“Steph... I'm so glad to be home at last.”

Beaming, she stretched out her hands and welcomed him at the foot of the stairs.

“I believe you, come here and kiss me. I missed you so much.”

He immediately took her in his arms and held her close. Steph sought his lips with hers, and they found each other in a tender kiss full of longing and joy at being reunited. His hand gently on her cheek, he whispered:

“I missed you too, darling. I missed you so much. Where's Nattie?”

His wife smiled.

“She'll be here soon. Go and freshen up first. Did Carina take good care of you?”

“Oh yes, she did. She was an angel. I'm really glad you introduced us back then.”

“How is she? Why didn't she come in with us?”

“Oh,” Mike waved it off with a smile. "She's bringing my documents to the office for me, and I'm really grateful to her for that. Besides, she's exhausted. I gave her the next few days off."

“That was sweet of you.”

Once inside, Stephanie took her husband's jacket off and hung it neatly on a hook in the coat closet. Then she stood on her tiptoes again and gave him another tender kiss on the lips.

“Well, I hope you've got some energy left. You're going to need it.”

Her husband, who seemed to understand the hint, smiled to himself, grabbed her butt, squeezed it, and pulled her close to him. He looked down at her and his eyes sparkled as he asked:

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Not just me, my darling, not just me.”

But with that, his wife laughed and pulled away from him, took him by the hand and pulled him into the kitchen, where she immediately instructed the coffee machine to fill two cups.

“How did it go?”

“Oh, it went great! I was able to wrap everything up nicely. I don't know if the big merger will actually happen in the end, but at least the chances look good.”

As he spoke, Mike took off his shoes and placed them neatly next to the door. Then he pulled his shirt over his head and took a deep breath. Stephanie bit her lip furtively as she looked at him. The sight still had an effect on her. She secretly hoped that Natalie wouldn't wear him out too much, because she also planned to climb onto his lap later and ride him until they both ran out of energy. But of course, she knew she had to let her child go first today. The news she had to announce was of paramount importance. As the coffee cups slowly filled, she replied:

“I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. That would be an amazing step for your career.”

“You can say that again. At least Mr. Fredrickson is very happy with my work.”

“He should be. You sacrifice a lot of time for it.”

A little contrite, Mike shrugged and stepped toward her. He raised his hand to her cheek and caressed it tenderly.

“I'm sorry, honey, but I love my job.”

“And that's a good thing,” she replied with a soft laugh. “But we both missed you anyway. Now get settled in, take a shower, and then go to the living room. I think someone can't wait to see you again.”

Michael smiled at her, threw his shirt over his shoulder, and turned away. But at the door, he paused and looked back at her with a worried frown.

“Did you talk to her? About... you know.”

Stephanie blinked a few times and swallowed hard, but tried not to show her feelings too openly.

“Yes, I did. But she should tell you herself.”

Her husband hesitated for a moment and sought her gaze. Then he nodded.

“All right.”

And with that, he disappeared around the corner, and shortly afterwards she heard the bathroom door close. She watched him for a moment, biting her lip thoughtfully.

He's not stupid. He can already guess what the answer is. What's going through your mind right now, my beloved husband?