As she stood glancing out of the patio doors with a glass of wine in her hands Rachel couldn't help but smile. The sight before her was one she had dreamed of for many years but she never imagined it would become her reality. It truly still surprised her that her life had turned out so wonderfully. The painful memories of her past now firmly remained there, no longer haunting her dreams. She tilted her head slightly to glance at her handsome husband who lay in the swing chair partly focusing on the book before him and partly resting his eyes as their youngest daughter lay sound asleep in her pram right beside him. The two older children were playing in the paddling pool and having heaps of fun soaking each other while the poor dog was caught in the crossfire. The sun was shining and her beautiful garden was in full bloom. As she quietly opened the doors she could hear the birds singing and the fresh smells of summer reached her immediately. "This is absolute paradise" she whispered to herself, her earlier smile not leaving her face as she strolled across the garden towards Eddie. "Hi sweetheart" he whispered as she approached and he moved slightly so she could put her glass down and sit between his legs, leaning against his chest with arms encircling her.
He could sense that her mind was preoccupied as he planted kisses in her hair. "Are you going to tell me what's going on in that head of yours" he asked gently his tone displaying nothing but pure love and concern. "Nothing much" she answered honestly, "why do I get the feeling your not telling me something" he responded not wanting to push her but also wanting to understand. "How did we get to this point" she questioned happily "what do you mean sweetheart" he mused, more than a little confused. "well if you told me 10 years ago that right about now I would have a doting husband, three beautiful children and one crazy dog I never would have believed you". "Well Rach you deserve all of that and so much more. You spent so much of your life fighting to be better and do better and now you can enjoy the life you've built for yourself". The tears were beginning to form as she absorbed his beautiful words. "No Eddie we built this, none of the blessings that I have now would have been possible without you, I love you so much" she whispered turning in his embrace to plant a quick playful kiss on his lips. "I love you and I love the life we have together Mrs Lawson but if your going to kiss me you better do it properly" he joked lifting her small frame and adjusting their position so her legs were wrapped around his waist, her hair fell Infront of her eyes as he pulled her close and kissed her passionately, knowing she could feel every bit of his love in his kiss and touch. When breathing became a necessity she gently pulled back, "now that's what I call a kiss" she breathed breathlessly resting her head on his shoulder, she felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled at her latest comment, "you should know by now that I'm an all or nothing kinda guy Rach". "That I do" she responded lifting her eyes to meet his, her lips still curled into a beaming smile. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are" he questioned staring intently at his wife. "Yes I believe you have..pretty much every single day for the past 8 years". "Yeah well you better get used to it because I intend to say it every single day for the rest of our lives". "Your a soppy idiot but god I love you" she giggled leaning into to kiss him once more.
A few seconds later their passionate embrace was interrupted by a spray of cold water in their faces and Rachel turned from her husband to see both her daughter's armed with water guns and ready to unleash hell on their unsuspecting parents. "Right you two I'm gonna get you" she shouted through laughter as she ran towards their children and grabbed a watergun. "hold on a minute,what's the teams here" Eddie questioned. "girls Vs boys daddy" shouted a small voice from behind Rachel. "well that's not fair, there's only one of me and 3 of you" he grumbled, knowing he was well and truly outnumbered but really he wouldn't have it any other. "You better start running Lawson" Rachel shouted, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She threw him a water gun and gave him a few seconds to prepare before running in his direction.
