Klaus chuckled, a low sound that felt like music to her ears. He pressed a swift kiss to her cheek.
“Go freshen up. Breakfast will be ready soon,” he said, pulling away.
Morticia noticed the restraint in his retreat. She would have loved to tease him more, but her body ached, though she tried to deny it.
Back in the room, she entered the bathroom, opting for a warm bath since it was quite cold outside. The weather was relaxing, and she could already imagine using the chill as an excuse to have Klaus wrap his strong arms around her and talk for hours.
She wished this honeymoon would never end.
After her bath, she stared at her reflection. Love marks adorned her delicate skin, reminders of their passion.
Geez, Morticia, enough with the thoughts about him.
But no, there was no stopping them. Klaus was her husband now. Hers forever. She imagined their future-children, boys or girls, whatever God blessed them with. She pictured herself and Klaus parenting together, telling stories to their little ones before bedtime. It was a beautiful dream.
“What are you thinking about?” Klaus’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see him standing in the doorway.
A wide grin spread across her face before she returned her gaze to the mirror.
Klaus approached, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her neckline, where his love was imprinted. “Come on, baby, tell me.”
“I was thinking about us and the future we’ll build together,” Morticia admitted in a soft, dreamy tone. She leaned into his embrace, clutching his arm tightly.
Klaus trailed featherlight kisses along her shoulder, his deep voice vibrating through her. “Hmm, the future? Tell me about it.”
Morticia closed her eyes, savoring his warmth as heat crept onto her cheeks. “About how perfect it will be. About the home we’ll create, the memories we’ll make. Our kids running around, laughing. You teaching them to cook while I scold you both for making a mess.” She chuckled at the image in her head-a beautiful vision of family life with Klaus.
Gently, he turned her to face him, cupping her cheeks. “Sounds lovely. You, me, and our little chaos-makers.”
“They’ll have your eyes,” Morticia said, holding his hand.
“Maybe the boys. Yours would look better on them, though. And our girls should look just like you,” Klaus replied.
Morticia’s heart swelled at their conversation about the future.
“They’ll have your stubbornness,” Morticia teased, her smile softening as she gazed into his eyes.
Klaus smirked, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “And your sass. A dangerous combination, don’t you think?”
She laughed lightly, her voice like music to his ears. “Dangerous, maybe. But perfect. They’ll be a little bit of you, a little bit of me, and a whole lot of love.”
Klaus leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. “They’ll be our legacy. But for now, I’m more than happy just having you all to myself.”
Morticia brushed her lips against his. “I guess I’m the luckiest woman alive.”
“And I’m the luckiest man.” With that, he reached for her thighs, lifting her into his arms. Morticia wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s go have breakfast.”
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his sweet scent. Could the days slow down? Just the thought of their honeymoon ending tomorrow and returning to normal life made her a little sad.
She wanted to keep him all to herself, just like this moment at the beach house. She didn’t want it to end-not ever.
—
“Yeah, I know… I need those files sent off soon. We’re going to need them,” Rhea said to the person on the other end of her phone call. The phone was precariously held between her shoulder and jaw as she walked into the office building.
Stepping into the elevator, she ended the call. “Bye.” Sighing, she decided to call Morticia.
“When are you coming back, Mrs. Morticia Bernard?” Rhea asked, trying to keep her voice calm. “Miller is on my neck again.”
“Phew… one more day, Bes,” Morticia replied.
“One more day? Miller will literally chop my head off, and Valerie will chase you and your husband for stressing me out this much,” Rhea said in one breath. Then her tone softened. “I can’t keep covering for you, Morticia. I have so much on my plate, and you know Valerie is still healing from Nana’s death last month. She acts like she’s fine, but…” Rhea paused, pressing her lips together. “I know she’s still hurting, and it breaks me.”
“Oh my God, Rhea, I’m so deeply sorry,” Morticia apologized sincerely. “I had no idea you were dealing with this. I’m so selfish. I’ll return tomorrow-I promise.”
Rhea sighed. “It’s fine. I… I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“No, I deserved it. I needed someone to yell at me. I missed you,” Morticia admitted.
Rhea snickered, shaking her head. “I’ve missed you too. How’s Klaus?”
“He’s good. We’ve been spending a lot of time just… talking about the future. It’s been so nice, Rhea,” Morticia said, her voice soft and dreamy. “I really don’t want this to end.”
Rhea chuckled. “I can tell, Mrs. Honeymooner. But reality’s calling, and trust me, it’s not as patient as Klaus probably is.”
“I know,” Morticia groaned. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“I’ll be expecting you. My regards to Klaus.”
“Alright, bye, Bes.”
As the call ended, Rhea sighed. A shadow fell over her face as her mind drifted to Valerie.
‘She hasn’t been concentrating. Her mind seems to be somewhere else, and she’s been making mistakes during practice,’ Rhea recalled Valerie’s manager reporting. Her chest tightened at the thought of Valerie bottling up her pain.
“Miss Rhea!” a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. It was one of Morticia’s new teammates, Nova, hurrying toward her.
“Hi. How may I help you?” Rhea asked.
“I was just wondering when Miss Morticia will return to work,” Nova said.
“Soon,” Rhea replied with a small smile.
“When exactly?” Nova asked, her smile seeming forced, though perhaps it was just nerves. “Sorry to bother you. I just needed her for a few things.”
“Tomorrow,” Rhea answered firmly. “She’ll be back tomorrow.”
Nova nodded. “Thank you, Miss Rhea. I’ll leave now.”
As Nova walked away, Rhea watched her retreating figure, her thoughts swirling.
Then she shook her head, mumbling to herself. “Knock it off, Rhea. Everything is peaceful now. No need for vigilance.”