My Husband and My Mate

Chapter One

Quick shout out to @CassyMeakra for the amaizing edit and cover!

*Chapter One*

*Edited by @CassyMeakra

*Victoria's P.O.V.*

I glared at the stack of bills on the kitchen table, knowing if I didn't get to them, they would only grow like a wicked weed. Like a soldier preparing for war, I pulled my long curly brown hair in a bun and set my shoulders back in preparation for the battle ahead. Marching to the table, I grabbed my two weapons; my bankbook and my tablet, my loyal soldiers in the war of fiscal responsibility. We weren't poor, thankfully, but it seemed like the cost of everything went up every day and yet the pay stayed the same. So money was tight and unless something changed, it would only get tighter. Michael walked in and smiled at me. The smile faded at my grim appearance.

"Kiddos are officially lights out." He said to me and smirked, showing off a dimple, in an attempt to lighten my mood. It worked. Michael was my rock, the love of my life, and after 10 years he is still the sexiest man alive. Can you blame me? He is 6'2" of manly yumminess. Fit, with blonde hair that perfectly hid the few grey hairs and warm hazel eyes and let's not forget those dimples. He got a wicked gleam in his eyes and I knew he was going to say something naughty.

"How about we go to the bedroom and I...." I had to stop him right there.

"No the bills are first and then quality time second." I said with a smile. "Care to help?"

"Sure. Sooner you get this done, the sooner I can-" I stopped him with a hand on his mouth laughing.

"Stop, I need to concentrate." I tell him. Thirty minutes and an almost Machiavellian plan later, I have paid all but one bill. It seemed a chore of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, but it was done. I quickly paid most of the bills online with my tablet and the rest with the checkbook. Pulling up the calendar on my tablet, I entered the info of what bill was paid when and a reminder to pay the last bill next week.

"I'm thinking I need to go back to work." I tell him, already anticipating his answer.

"We've talked about this before. We can't afford the daycare for Alyssa and the after school care for Jacob. It would cancel out anything you would bring in." Michael kept going. "Don't you remember the last time, we talked about it. Hopefully, the new move will cut our costs. The cost of living is much cheaper here." We had moved to a small town in Oregon for his work as a contractor and as much as I miss my family, I love it here. Small towns mean safety for my children and hopefully a better quality of life.

"I know, and I love our new place, but we have to see Jacob's new Neurologists soon and school supplies. Plus, I would only work a few nights a week, nothing like last time." I explained it to him.

Before I was a happy homemaker, I worked full time as a manager in a casino back in Las Vegas, NV. The money was great, lack of sleep, not so much. Imagine working from 8 pm to 5 am with a newborn, especially when that newborn woke up religiously at 6 am. It sucked the life right out of me; I defined sleep deprived that year. Then the worst happened, news that my little Jacob had a medical crisis. A simple new mother worry of not meeting milestones turned into a huge worry on whether or not my baby would live or die. The doctor noticed his head size was larger than normal and ordered a CT scan, turned out he had a condition called Benign Exterior Hydrocephalus, which may or may not have caused his delay. I could have lived with that, but then the doctor said something even more terrifying, bleeding. Jacob had a blood clot in his brain, more than likely caused by a simple fall. Due to his condition the brain rattled more than would be normal and caused a tear. We had to see a neurosurgeon right away. For two years we played the wait and see game before he "stabilized". Of course in doc lingo means "it's still scary, but unless it tips over, there is nothing they could do. Two years of early interventions followed by three years of special preschool, cured him of his delays. Now in second grade, you would never know he was so sick. He does have a speech delay, but he will see a speech therapist for that at school twice a week. I thank God every day for our little miracle. He is a larger than most kids, but also smart as a whip. All A's last year. We got super lucky.