"I got the job!" I ran into the kitchen where Imogen was cooking dinner, practically jumping into the air as I waved the letter in my hand.
"What?"
"Imogen, I got the job!" I cried, shoving the letter in her face. She laughed and took it from me, reading over it carefully before tossing it aside and hugging me tightly.
"I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it." She kissed me, hard, her arms around my waist as she pulled me closer. I smiled and hugged her back as I kissed her.
"Papa? Mummy?" We broke apart to look over at Abby who had appeared in the doorway.
"Hey Abby. What's up?" I asked, letting go of Imogen and crossing the room to crouch down in front of our daughter.
"Why are you yelling?"
"Because I'm happy."
"But, when you yell at me, it's cause you're mad at me." There was a small frown on her face and I smiled.
"Yes, but sometimes people yell when they're happy too. We don't always yell at you, do we?"
"No. Only when I'm naughty."
"Exactly." I stood back up and pulled her into my arms just as Imogen came over to hug me again. "But I was yelling just now because I got some very good news."
"What was it?"
"You remember how mummy and I went out last week to visit a school?"
"Yeah. And I played with Amber."
"Yep. Well, I just got a letter from that school to say they'd like me to come and work there."
"Oh. Does that mean I have to move schools?" I laughed and kissed her forehead.
"No. But I won't be working at the same school anymore so I probably won't be able to pick you up every day." Currently, I would finish work and then pick up Abby from her school which was only a few minutes away. But if I was going to work at this new school, our whole schedule would have to change.
"I'm so proud of you, Nick." Imogen told me, pressing a kiss to my cheek.
"Thanks, babe." I set Abby down on the floor and hugged Imogen tightly. "But you're the one who convinced me to even apply so, I owe it to you."
"You're a wonderful teacher. Even if I did convince you to apply, it was all down to your amazing work." I smiled and leaned my head on her shoulder.
"I love you, Imogen. Thanks for making me apply."
"Love you too. But if you don't want the house to burn down, you'll need to let go of me."
"Sorry." I laughed and let go of her so she could get back to what she'd been doing. Abby tugged at the sleeve of my jumper and I looked down at her. "What's up, Abby?"
"Can you play with me, papa? Please?"
"Sure. Just until dinner's ready." A grin spread across her face and she pulled me into the living room where her dolls had all been set in a circle on the floor.
"Papa, sit." She instructed, pointing to the floor and I gladly sat to wait as she busied herself making 'tea' with her little kitchen set.
"So, who's at the tea party today?" I asked.
"Princess Polly, Mr Cuddles, Amber the fairy, Snuffles and Pinky." Abby told me, pointing to each toy in turn.
"Oh. Well it's nice to see everyone again." Abby giggled and set little teacups in front of each toy before setting herself in my lap and handing me my own cup of 'tea'.
"Drink up!" She announced and I obediently did as she asked and gave her a tight hug.
"Papa, Princess Polly wants to know when we can go to Nana's house again."
"I don't know, sweetie. Nana is very busy at the moment."
"Oh." Abby loved it at my mum's house. Mum always had some new game or toy for her and was always baking cookies or cakes to have fresh whenever we visited.
"How about I call her tomorrow and find out when we can visit?"
"Please?"
"Dinner's ready!" Abby and I both looked up at the sound of Imogen calling.
"Coming!" I called back, gently pushing Abby off my lap and standing up. "Let's go wash those hands of yours missy."
"Why?"
"Because if you don't have clean hands, you won't be able to eat the yummy dinner that mummy made for you."
"Oh. Okay." I followed her to the bathroom to watch and make sure she actually washed her hands before we joined Imogen in the dining room.
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Later, after we'd put Abby to bed, I stood in the kitchen, washing up the dishes from dinner. I was imagining the possibilities of what I could do in my new job so I jumped when I felt Imogen's arms wrap around me from behind. She pressed her lips to my neck and I laughed.
"I'm so proud of you, Nick." She whispered as I turned to face her and loop my arms around her.
"Thank-you. I'm so excited for this. It's all I've dreamed of for so long."
"When do they want you to start?"
"The end of next month. It's not a lot of time for Lakeside. But I can't turn down this opportunity from Pinewood. If I do, there's a chance it won't come back around."
"I know. And the people at Lakeside will understand. I'm sure they will see how much of an opportunity this is." With a smile, she stretched up on tiptoes to kiss me, and I tightened my arms around her to pull her up off the floor. "No fair." She whined, pulling back a little.
"Not my fault you're so short." I teased, setting her down momentarily, only to grab the backs of her thighs and pull her up to wrap her legs around me. She giggled and leaned down to kiss me again.
"You love it. Means you can do this."
"Mm. I do love it. How about we leave these dishes for tomorrow and celebrate my big win?"
"Sounds good to me." I'm sure she was expecting me to put her down but instead, I just captured her lips again, carrying her to our room and laying her on the bed. Before joining her, I stood up and pulled my shirt over my head, dropping it to the floor. She sat up and reached out, running her fingers down from my collar bone to the waistband of my trousers.
"What're you doing?"
"Nothing. Just admiring perfection."
I smiled at her as I pushed her to lay back down and gently crawled on top of her, "You must be looking in a mirror then."
"So romantic." She laughed before pulling me down to kiss her again. I was on cloud nine. I had a wife who loved me endlessly, a perfect daughter, and I was about to start my dream job. My life was perfect.
