Page 63 of Beautiful Small Things

I’m just finishing taking some muffins from the oven when Marcus comes strolling through the door. I glance up at the clock and then at him, wondering why he is home at ten in the morning.

“Hey, Beautiful!” he says as he picks up Iris from her swing. She’s smiling now. She reserves her best smiles for Marcus.

Seeing these two together still fills me with awe. He is so good with her. He’s patient and doting. I never would have pegged him to be so good with a child, which is ironic since he is still a large child himself.

“What are you two lovely ladies up to today?” He asks, popping a piece of hot muffin in his mouth and then unceremoniously spitting it back out.

“Damn, that’s hot,” he says to himself.

“That’s generally the physics of what happens when something cooks in the oven,” I tell him as he grimaces and takes gulps of my water.

“It amazes me that you save people’s lives when you seem to have zero safety awareness on your behalf,” I say as I move the muffins out of his reach.

“I know, right?” he agrees, wiggling his eyebrows, making me chuckle and Iris smile. “Andersen is covering for me today. I thought we could go to the beach,” he says with excitement.

“I guess,” I shrug, motioning to Iris. “It’s not like we had plans to go to a rave or anything. We do that on Fridays,” I joke.

I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that we’ve gotten more comfortable with one another. We seem to be exiting the honeymoon phase of this relationship, where everyone was on their best behavior. Now we are back to our typical sarcastic banter. That’s dangerous territory. Next comes flirting. Then comes touching. Then—

“Iris?” Marcus calls, pulling me from my thoughts. “What do you say? I can get Iris on a surfboard!”

“She’s too little, Marcus,” I laugh. “She just started holding up her head.”

“I’m not saying she’s going to shred. I just want her tiny little feet to touch the board.”

“That sounds fun,” I smile. “You get her changed while I make some sandwiches.”

“Perfect!” he exclaims. “I can put her in one of the fifteen little bathing suits your sister bought.”

“Hey! She can’t be expected to surf naked like her dad!” I shout as he disappears up the stairs.

Going to the beach with an infant is like planning an expedition to the moon. It took forty minutes to load everything up and three trips from the car to bring everything to our spot.

By the time we have everything set up, I’m exhausted. We decide to have some food and let Iris get used to the sights and sounds. She’s particularly enamored with the seagulls flying overhead. She sits quietly and watches them while trying to suck on her toes.

After we eat, Marcus announces it’s time to check out the water. He pulls his shirt over his neck as he does, revealing that torso I’ve missed so much. I try not to stare at his broad, sculpted chest and muscular shoulders. I look at Iris. I pack up the trash from our lunch. I momentarily find the seagulls as interesting as the baby. But my eyes keep finding their way back to his golden skin, rippling abs, and shoulders and arms that can easily lift me in the air.

“Can you get my back?” He asks, handing me the sunscreen.

I can do this. I’m not a slave to my hormones.

“Of course,” I reply casually. I stand up, wipe the sand from my hands, and take the sunscreen from him. At the first stroke of my hand across his warm skin, I almost release a satisfied moan but manage to keep myself in check. My hand glides over his back, undulating across his muscles. Once he’s sufficiently covered, he turns to me and smiles.

“That was thorough,” he jokes. “Should we do you now?” He cocks an eyebrow in challenge.

“Yes, please. Safety, first, right?” I say lightly. I unbutton my jean shorts and shimmy out of them as he pretends not to watch. Next, I whip my tee shirt over my head, revealing my bikini. It’s a black triangle top with little pink hearts on it and plain black bottoms. They are cheeky but not obscene for a family outing at the beach.

I can feel the heat as Marcus’s gaze sweeps over me. When I meet his eyes, he’s staring at my dragonfly piercing. Satisfied, I hold the sunscreen out to him silently. He pours some into his hand, warming it up between his palms, before placing those large hands on my shoulders and gliding them down my arms. My eyes close instinctively, and this time I do moan audibly, earning a satisfied chuckle from Marcus.

When I open my eyes, I see Iris looking at us. I swear she’s judging me. She thinks her nanny is a tramp. It serves as a good reminder of who I am and what I’m here to do. Nothing more.

Marcus picks her up as we walk down to the water. It’s a bright day, and the waves are looking pretty good for mid-day. Marcus takes Iris and drops her little feet into the surf, and she immediately recoils like an accordion. It’s adorable and hilarious. We do it a few more times until she starts to lose patience with us.

“Well, this won’t do at all, Baby,” he tells Iris. “We need to get you used to the water.”

“Why don’t you surf while we hang out in the shade?” I tell him.

“Yeah?” He asks. “Sure you wouldn’t mind?”