I lifted my head and stared at Lia. She wasn’t just my wife, my soulmate, my best friend, or the mother of my three children. She was my absolute, without fault, everything.
My everything.
And as I stared at her holding our oldest, Caleb, both of them snuggled together as they slept, Caleb so big already that he would soon tower over his mother in the next couple of years, I felt myself smile. He might be the oldest, but he was, and would forever be, a mama’s boy, and didn’t that just make me smile even more.
I looked back down at Abel and Cellie, the twins sleeping soundly, at least until they roused because they were hungry; but right now, in this moment, with the stillness and quiet surrounding them, I could just let myself go and know that everything would be okay.
Because these four people in the room with me were my world and I'd do everything in my power to make sure they were always safe and protected.
They’d never doubt how loved they were.
Snapshot by Marley Valentine
Chapter One
Blake
Before
“Just close your eyes,” the photographer, Liza, instructs. “I don’t want to put a blindfold over your eyes and ruin your makeup, but the element of surprise is something I most definitely want to capture.”
“It’s fine,” I respond as she takes hold of my elbow and guides me to whichever end of the penthouse the photo shoot is taking place. “Just don’t let me fall, these heels are ridiculously high.”
Together we walk in complete silence, and I feel my anxiety ratchet up a notch at the prospect of being intimate with a complete stranger.
When the ad to sign up for a photo shoot with a stranger featured on my Instagram Stories, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the whole concept. My friends have been using apps like Tinder and Bumble to try and date and hook up for ages, so it’s not like the idea is completely foreign. It’s just not something I’ve ever done before.
“Okay, we’re here,” Liza announces. “Keep those eyes closed, and I’m going to bring in your mystery man.”
“I’ll be here waiting,” I joke, because we both know I’m not planning on walking around wearing a blindfold.
Alone, with my eyes closed, all my other senses work overtime as I prepare for the imminent arrival of my shoot partner. My pulse races at what feels like an unnatural speed while the beat of my heart tries and fails to regulate. To say I’m inexperienced when it comes to spontaneity is an understatement.
I’m the girl who wrote her yearly goals out on a yellow legal pad, and had been since I was seven years old. As each year passed me by, I became more and more determined to have every goal crossed out by the time the new year rolled around.
And now I’m a thirty-year-old woman who gets excited by to-do lists, spreadsheets, daily planners, and conversations about her ten-year plan.
Correction
I was that woman. Now… now, I’m not sure who I am.
The sound of loud footsteps coming closer forces me to stop thinking about all the things that brought me here and actually focus on the moment itself.
“Now, you stand here,” Liza says, and I feel a wall of solid muscle press up against my back. “I’m going to get into position and then I’ll get you two to turn around and meet each other, okay?”
“Okay,” we both say, the stranger’s voice a deep, rich baritone that strangely eases my anxiety almost instantly. Paired with my imagination, I’ve now conjured up a man in my mind who is nothing less than a masterpiece of sculpted perfection.
“Are you ready?” Liza’s voice is unmistakably giddy, and I can’t help but feel the same. “Three. Two. One. Blake, I want you to turn around and meet Rosario.”
Inhaling long and loud, I carefully turn on my heels in Rosario’s direction and keep my eyes closed for a few beats too long. When I finally gain the courage to open my eyes, I’m hit with a smile that could light up the darkest night and honey-colored eyes that I know with absolute certainty I’ve stared into a million times before.
But how?
“There you are.” His voice wraps around me like a warm blanket, but the recognition in his tone and his words makes me feel like I’m living in an alternate universe.
“Do I know you?” I ask, almost hoping he can somehow explain the familiarity buzzing between us.
Without an invitation, he slips his large calloused hand in mine, his touch warm and inviting, and then brings it up to his lips. Eyes locked on mine, he presses a soft, tender kiss to my skin before answering, “I don’t know, do you?”
Unsure of what to do next, I release a shaky breath and turn to look at Liza. “Is this okay?”
Her smile matches Rosario’s, and I relax a little bit more. “This is perfect. Just keep talking. Just be, and when I call out a pose, just naturally, if you can, fall into it.”
“Tell me about yourself,” Rosario says, steering my attention back to him.
My eyes drop to his shoes and leisurely travel up the length of his body, taking in every aspect of his appearance. Just as Liza instructed us prior to the session, he’s dressed up. Pressed black pants, a black button down, and a black blazer that fits him like a glove. The whole outfit accentuates the breadth of his shoulders, hinting at the cut body hiding underneath the layers, making it absolutely impossible to question or doubt his masculine perfection.
He’s undeniably gorgeous. A head turner. That one man who’s every woman’s type.
“What do you want to know?” I ask, surprised by the flirty lilt to my voice.
“Anything.” Smiling, he shakes his head emphatically. “Everything.”
We both stare at each other, the connection irrefutable, even as the sound of Liza furiously clicking her camera reminds us we’re not alone.
“Rosario,” Liza calls out. “Place your hands on Blake’s waist. Bring her close to you.”
He’s barely touched me and I’m already stepping toward him, my arms wrapping themselves around his neck like that’s exactly where they belong.
“So, Rosario,” I enunciate, enjoying the way his name sounds out of my mouth. “How’d you get a name like that?”
“It’s my grandfather’s,” he tells me. “Rosario Alessio Ricci, but my friends call me Rio.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are we friends?”
“It’s a good start.”
“Are you Italian?” I ask, continuing my inquisition.
“What gave it away?” He smirks. “The name or my strapping good looks?”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I try to hide my smile. “Even if you were good looking, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Okay, guys,” Liza interrupts. “Rosario, I want you up in her space, like you’re about to tell her a secret, or whisper sweet nothings in her ear.”
In one soft move, he sweeps my hair off my shoulder, and the anticipation of our closeness has my stomach doing somersaults. He lowers his mouth to my ear, and the warmth of his breath causes an eruption of goose bumps along my skin. “You don’t have to tell me I’m good looking,” he whispers. “Your eyes and your body do all the important talking anyway.”