“I love you too.”
“Forevermore.” She says that one word so freely and without slurring.
“Forever and more.”
She grins, and my whole world lights up. My wife may be deteriorating right before my eyes, and effectively destroying my heart, but my love for her has only grown stronger.
Chapter Twenty-Three
MOLLY
I sit on the rocking chair at the end of the dock and smile as Lincoln, Gray, and Gemma frolic in the lake. Lincoln suggested he carry me in so I could join them, but I’d much rather be here. Sitting here with them in front of me, I can enjoy watching them. I do that a lot; sit on the outside while my family goes on about life. It doesn’t depress me like some may think. Yes, I wish I was well and could be with them, but it makes me happy when I see them laughing and playing around. It makes me feel like everything is normal. And seeing them like this gives me hope they’ll be okay once I’m gone. It’ll be devastating for a while, but after they get past their grief, they’ll go on with life.
Gray comes up behind Lincoln and climbs on his back, pushing down on his shoulders as he tries to dunk him. I laugh when it doesn’t work and he ends up being dunked himself. We taught our kids how to swim at a young age, and both are really good at it. So when Gray’s head goes beneath the water, I don’t worry. He pops back up seconds later, a big grin stretching across his face.
“Gemma!” he yells. “Come help me dunk Dad!”
Of course, this has Gemma squealing in delight as she splashes her way over to them. Gray climbs on Lincoln’s back again while Gemma attacks him from the front. I know it’s for their benefit when Lincoln’s head disappears beneath the water’s surface.
I laugh at the utter joy on the kids’ faces when they celebrate their victory. A moment later, Lincoln pops back up, shaking his head and sputtering water out of his mouth.
“What is this?” he demands playfully. “Dunk Dad day?”
“Yes!” Gemma screams.
“Maybe we should change it to dunk Gemma day,” he suggests. “Huh? How about that?”
She shrieks and begins swimming away as fast as her little arms and legs let her.
“Hey! Wait! Come here!” Lincoln suddenly shouts. “I know what day it is!”
He waits until Gemma swims back before the three of them huddle in a circle, their legs kicking to keep them afloat. Suspicion forms in my stomach when he says something too low for me to hear and they sneak glances at me.
After a minute of quietly talking, they all begin to swim to the end of the dock. One by one, they climb up the ladder Lincoln installed several summers ago.
I narrow my eyes. “Whaat are yooou three uppp too?”
Lincoln grins cheekily at me as he approaches. “I was just telling the kids you look awfully hot up here.”
I fight a smile. “Nooope. I’m gooddd.”
“Nah,” Gray pipes in. “You do look hot, Mom.”
“Uh huh.” Gemma giggles. “There’s even sweat above your lip.”
Before I can protest, I’m scooped up into Lincoln’s strong arms, and he turns me toward the lake. He moves me so he’s holding me by the back of my thighs and our chests are pressed together. I use the little bit of strength I have left in my legs and lock my feet around his waist. I struggle a little with getting my arms around his neck, but Lincoln’s patient with me.
“On the count of three, we all jump in,” he announces.
Gray rubs his hands together and bends at the waist in wait. Gemma laughs and claps her hands loudly.
“One!” Lincoln shouts. “Two!” He quickly presses a kiss against my lips and murmurs, “Hang on tight, baby. Three!”
I grin as we all, as a family, jump off the dock. I take a deep breath and hold it in before we hit the water. It’s cold but feels refreshingly good against my heated skin.
Just as fast as we go under the water, we come back up. I feel the tops of Lincoln’s legs flexing against my bottom as he keeps us afloat. My grin is still in place when our eyes catch.
“This feelsss gooddd.”
His grin turns naughty as he murmurs against my lips, “It feels good to have you wrapped around me.”
I let loose a giggle and wiggle my hips, feeling the hardness between my legs. “I can telll.”
“Mmm….” Holding onto my hips, he presses himself closer.
My body may be failing me, but my husband still manages to turn me on within seconds.
Our moment is interrupted when Gemma bobs her head out of the water beside us.
“Can we tell her yet, Daddy?”
Lincoln chuckles, the sound rich and deep. “Not yet. And shh…. She’s not supposed to know something’s going on.”
I can’t help but laugh because I’m right here in the middle of their conversation, and now I obviously know something is going on.”
“Whatttt do you tttwo have plannned?”
“Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about.”
“It’s a surprise,” Gemma chirps. “And you’re going to love it!”
“Hmm…. I ammm?”
“Yep.”
“Welll, then, I caaan’t waittt.”
We spend the next few minutes laughing and playing in the water until I let out a big yawn. Even though Lincoln is doing most of the work keeping us above water, exhaustion still grips me. I hate that my weakened body interrupts their good time.
“All right, kiddos. It’s time to call it a day.”
Without complaint, Gray and Gemma swim toward the ladder with Lincoln and me following.
After setting me down in the chair, he immediately wraps a towel around my shoulders. Although the sun is still blazing above us, the breeze quickly cools my skin. He dries himself and scoops me back into his arms, bridal style.
“Who wants dogs on a stick for dinner?” he asks while we walk back toward the lake house.
Dogs on a stick means we’re having a campfire and we roast hotdogs over the flames.
“And marshmallows?”
Lincoln smiles down at Gemma. “Of course. You can’t have a fire without marshmallows.” He turns his smile to me. “You up for a campfire tonight?”
“Yeah. I miss theee smelll of a firrre.”
“Hotdogs and marshmallows it is then.”
Later that night, once the kids have showered the smell of smoke from their bodies and they are tucked into bed, I’m on my back with Lincoln hovering over me. His stormy gray eyes stare down at me with so much love and compassion it almost brings tears to my eyes.
“Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?”
I smile tenderly at him. “Onnnly once or twiccce a day for the lassst twentyyy years or sooo.”
“Still not enough,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the underside of my jaw.
“It’sss more thaaan a looot of women gettt.”
“I should still tell you more. You steal my heart every time I look at you, Molly.”
I love these tender moments with Lincoln. Although they happen often, I still cherish every one. Our love has been strong from the moment we confessed our feelings, and it’s only grown stronger the longer we’re together. I firmly believe the love we share is special and rare. Even before we became more than friends, our relationship was unique. As kids, Mom always said our friendship was unusually close.