Feyre put the car in park and pulled her golden-brown hair out of the ponytail at the back of her neck. She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to shake the tangles and knots that had collected from the long double shift she'd worked at the Illyrian Bar and Grill, in downtown Velaris. Looking up at the small home whose driveway she was parked in, she couldn't help but smile. The weekend before, she and Rhysand had put out the Christmas lights and decorated the house. With the dusting of snow that had fallen before she got off work, it was picture perfect. Pulling the wad of bills out of her pocket, she counted through them one more time before getting out of the warmth of the car. She totaled it up to just under $300, which wasn't bad considering the slow night they'd had.
Pulling out her phone, she checked her email and saw that 3 more of her paintings had bids on them and she breathed out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
Their house payment was due in less than a week and with the money she'd made tonight and the checks for her art, they'd be able to cover it and groceries, with about $500 to spare for Rhys's student loans.
Feyre loved her husband more than life. She married her longtime boyfriend straight out of high school and had spent the most amazing past 5 years with him, but with nearing $80,000 in student loans, every spare nickel and dime they had went to paying them off. It helped that he now had his degree from the Prythian School of Law, but being entry level, he was only able to find a job as a civil litigation lawyer for a small private firm in Velaris, making barely $42,000 a year. Luckily, Feyre's sister and Rhysand's best friend owned a bar in town and were willing to give Feyre shifts whenever she wanted, even if that meant opening at 11:00 in the morning and closing at 3:00 am.
The snow was steadily coming down now and unless she was the one to open up, she knew the Illyrian would be staying closed the next day. Glancing at the clock radio in her car, she saw that it was 3:27 now and it was already down to 17 degrees. Zipping her coat up a little higher, she cut the engine on her car and grabbed her purse, running up the porch steps to the front door. Fumbling to get her keys out of her purse, she sighed, knowing Rhys would be asleep. He'd had to be at the office at 7:30 for a deposition that morning and she couldn't wait to curl up in bed next to him.
Her stomach growled as she turned the key in the knob and she groaned. Okay, she couldn't wait to curl up in bed next to him after she ate something real quick for dinner.
Opening the door, she was surprised to see not only the light on in the kitchen, but to smell the most intoxicating scent coming from there as well. Tentatively, she set her keys down on the small table in the entryway and walked down the hall. As she entered, she saw Rhys leaning on the counter, a glass of wine in each hand. "Welcome home, darling."
Feyre's mouth was hanging open. After finally remembering how to speak, she asked "What's going on?"
Rhys came over and took her purse, placing the glass of wine in her hand. "I thought you might be hungry." As if on cue, Feyre's stomach growled as she looked at the food neatly plated on their table. Honey lemon chicken, scalloped potatoes, roasted asparagus, and a small salad. He laughed and pulled her chair out. "And it looks like I was right."
Feyre sat down and looked at the plate of food in front of her as Rhys headed to the fridge to put away the wine and turn down the lights, instantly her eyes narrowing. She knew for a fact that Rhysand couldn't cook for shit, but the food looked and smelled so amazing, she didn't know how he'd managed to pull something like this off. That is, until she glimpsed the to-go containers from the restaurant across the street from Rhys's office poorly stashed in the pantry closet. But she didn't say anything and she smiled at him as he sat down across from her.
"You didn't have to do this, you have to be exhausted, baby." She reached across the table and grasped his hand in her own, sliding her thumb across his platinum wedding band.
"Oh, I am, but I know you are too, and I knew that you were going to come home and eat something you weren't going to enjoy before falling into bed." His violet eyes were sparkling in the candlelight between them. "So I figured we could spend a little time together and have a good meal as well."
Feyre looked at her husband and couldn't help the tears that began to form in her eyes. "Thank you, Rhys. You have no idea how much this means to me."
He leaned forward and she did the same, pressing his lips to hers. "Anything for you, Feyre Darling. Now eat up! We don't want your dinner getting cold."
They ate, talking about their days, Feyre regaling the story of the horrible, drunk customers she'd had at the end of the night and how they refused to pay their tab until Cassian came out of the back office, and they saw how large her boss really was.
"I hate that you have to work so late, I don't feel comfortable going to bed until after you get home, but with how early I have to be at the office…" His voice trailed off and Feyre smiled sadly at him.
"I do what I have to do for us. With the paintings I posted today and my tips, we'll be able to take another small chunk out of your student loans! You'd do the same for me if the tables were turned."
"I would," he smiled, and then took a deep breath. "So. Speaking of, I received a phone call today."
Feyre's heart nearly stopped beating. "What kind of phone call?"
"It was from the Attorney General's office. I applied for one of the available Assistant Attorney General positions they had in their Civil Rights Division. I had an interview with the Deputy General and one of their Senior Counsels last week. Feyre, they want to offer me the position. At $78,000 a year with benefits." For the second time in one night, Feyre was absolutely speechless. She couldn't believe it. He hadn't told her he'd applied for this job, but after it took him so long to find the one he had, they'd become so discouraged. It wasn't surprising he hadn't told her if he didn't want to get her hopes up. She tried to speak, but she couldn't figure out what to say. Rhys got out of his chair and knelt in front of her own. He took her face in his hands. "Baby, you can quit serving. You can focus on your art. We can pay off my loans as we go and you can finally do whatever you've always wanted. You could go to art school."
By this point, the tears were starting to stream down her face and the food was forgotten as she kissed him and began to laugh. She couldn't stop smiling and she hugged him. He picked her up, spinning her around, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She laughed and clung to him as she said, "Congratulations!"
Since the day they got married, they'd been struggling to save money. Something always happened and what little bit they'd had saved from their meager salaries had to go to a blown transmission, a new AC unit for their house or to his loans. But now, they could really start to save money and start their life together.
As she kissed him, Feyre knew exactly what she wanted. She could already paint, so why go to art school? "I want to start a family."
Rhys smiled at her. "We will, darling, I promise."
"No, Rhys," she laughed. "I don't think you understand. That's what I want. I want us to have a baby."
He stared at her. "You want to start our family?"
"Yeah," she said, laughing.
"Okay, then let's have a baby!" He kissed her hard and smiled at her.
"I don't think you understand, Rhys. I mean like…" She rubbed her body against his. "I want to start our family, now."
Rhysand's eyes lit up and he pressed his lips against hers in a hard kiss. As he lowered her to the kitchen floor, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled back to look into his violet eyes.
"I love you so much," she breathed.
He pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead before claiming her lips again. "I love you, too, Feyre, darling."