Becoming strangers again (Lily and Ryan) novel Chapter 141

RYAN

After landing in Canada, I couldn't wait to see my wife and kids. It had been a month since I last saw them, and I missed them dearly. On my way home, I made a quick stop at a florist shop to pick up some flowers for Lily, and I also grabbed some chocolates for the boys.

By the time I finally arrived home, it was late in the evening. I knew I wouldn’t see the boys because they would already be asleep. As I stepped into the living room, I noticed the central light was turned off, leaving the room softly lit by a few small lamps. I also caught the flicker of red lights coming from the dining area.

Smiling to myself, I slowly ambled toward the dining area, my heart beating a little faster with each step. As I turned the corner, the sight that greeted me was one I would never tire of: the most beautiful woman in the world, my wife, standing beside the table.

She was draped in a stunning red nightwear that clung to her curves in a way that made my breath catch. The fabric left just enough to the imagination, with a teasing glimpse of her cleavage visible, but she had wrapped herself in a robe, no doubt to maintain some modesty in case the boys happened to wander in.

“Hello…” I whispered, my voice coming out breathless as I closed the distance between us.

Without a second thought, I dropped the chocolates and the flowers onto the table, reaching out to pull her into my arms.

“I’ve missed you so much,” I murmured as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the intoxicating fragrance that was uniquely hers.

The scent of her skin, the softness of her body pressed against mine—it was like a drug to me, something I could never get enough of.

I was hopelessly addicted to my wife, and I wasn’t the least bit ashamed to admit it.

“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered against my neck, pressing a soft kiss there before pulling back to look at me. Her eyes roamed over me with concern. “You’ve lost some weight,” she remarked, taking a small step back to get a better view.

“I’ve been busy,” I admitted, my voice filled with a bit of exhaustion. “Crazy busy. And I’ve been missing my family a whole lot. Of course I’d lose some weight.” I reached down, picking up the bouquet of flowers I had brought for her and handing it over. “What do you think? You like them?”

She took the flowers with a smile, bringing them close to her nose and inhaling deeply. “They smell lovely,” she said, her eyes closing for a moment as she savored the fragrance.

I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift over her, taking in the sight of her in that red nightwear, my eyes lingering on the enticing curve of her cleavage. “I can think of something that smells even better,” I teased, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

Lily flushed, her cheeks staining a soft pink as she giggled. “Let’s have dinner first,” she suggested, her voice warm and inviting. “I took my time to make it.”

“Of course,” I nodded, moving to pull out her chair. I waited until she was comfortably seated before taking my own seat across from her. “But after dinner,” I added with a playful glint in my eye, “we are most definitely moving on to dessert.”

She grinned at me, batting her lashes playfully. “Definitely. I didn’t buy new lingerie just for you to admire them from a distance.”

She always knows exactly what to say to get my heart racing. “Shall we start with a toast, then?” I suggested, and she nodded in agreement. I reached for the bottle of wine, carefully uncorking it and pouring a modest amount into each of our glasses. We raised our glasses together. “To a perfect marriage,” I declared with a smile.

She chuckled softly. “To a hopefully perfect marriage,” she replied, her tone light yet thoughtful.

I couldn’t help but frown at her response, a bit puzzled. “What was that?”

She shrugged casually and took a sip of her drink. “No marriage is perfect, Ryan,” she explained, her voice calm. “A perfect marriage is just an illusion, something people create to escape facing the real problems that come with it.”

Her words were confusing, a bit out of the blue. “I’m not going to pretend I understand what you’re trying to say,” I admitted, my brow furrowing as I tried to grasp her meaning.

“Every marriage has its own ups and downs,” she continued. “and we should be toasting to the fact that we’ve managed to get through them together, coming out stronger each time. And also to the hope that we’ll continue to grow even stronger in the future.”

“Right,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light. I guess we’d have to agree to disagree. For me, being with her and the kids was my idea of perfection, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Halfway through dinner, I decided to steer the conversation to a topic I knew would brighten her mood—her work. I always loved hearing her talk passionately about what she loved doing. “How’s work going?” I asked, watching her closely as she lifted her head and blinked at me. “Were you able to sort things out with the new doctor?”

Her nose wrinkled in that cute way it did when she was annoyed. “I don’t have any plans to smooth things over with him,” she muttered. “He’s the one who embarrassed me, so he owes me an apology.”

Embarrassment? That caught me off guard. “What did he say to you?” I asked, a bit confused. No one gets to insult my wife, not even if they were the president.

She shrugged slightly, looking somewhat frustrated. “Well, he pointed out the obvious, but I hate that he did it in front of the resident doctors.”