The Unexpected Journey Part Two

Chapter 4

If there was one thing that hadn't diminished over the years, it was Maddie's intense attraction to her husband. As he aged, as the years passed and fatherhood settled over him, he had only become better looking. Though his hair had thinned only slightly, it had maintained that infamous red color, the carefree, wild fluff. There were a few more lines around his eyes and he had a pair of glasses that he wore late at night in his office. He still worked out nearly every day, running and lifting and his body was still tall and lean and strong And he was, without a doubt, more gorgeous now than he was on the day they married.

And he had been unbelievably handsome that day.

So, as Harry and Maddie and all of their children unloaded at Beaufort Polo Club that sunny Saturday morning, she didn't even try to hide the way her eyes were drawn to him. He was walking ahead of her, holding onto Malcolm's hand while Lilli and Ollie ran ahead of him and she followed behind with Oscar. And when he turned around to check on her, when he caught her clearly ogling his ass in the white polo pants she loved, Maddie didn't even pretend to be looking at something else. She just bit her lip as she smirked and offered him as much of a shrug as she could muster.

"I see you Sussex," he called back to her.

"Ha!" Maddie's head tipped back in laughter. "I see you too Captain!"

"Yeah, yeah," he shook his head as they walked down the hill, spotting the rest of his family; Kate and Arthur just arriving and getting settled. "I hope you still like what you see."

"Oh I love what I see," Maddie giggled, holding tight to the baby in her arms as she followed behind him. With a shared laughter between them and their children running full speed for their cousin, they joined their family at the tent.

With a kiss to Kate and Arthur, Harry called out words of loving warning out to his children, he kissed his wife a little longer than normal, his hand resting on her ass--as it nearly always did--and he was off to see his brother, to get ready for the match.

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"Oh hey..." Maddie's voice lowered as she leaned closer to Kate who sat next to her on a blanket as they watched the kids run around, intermittently watching their fathers play polo. "I wanted to warn you."

"Warn me?" Kate glanced over at her as she held Oscar up by his little hands, letting him walk about and bounce on the blanket. "About what?"

"There are most likely going to be some articles about the two of us fighting."

"What? Why?" Kate blinked, her lips curling up at the corners. "What are we fighting over now?"

"I'm thinking of dying my hair brown," Maddie's smirk matched Kate's, their shared understanding and amusement at the way they were both portrayed evident in their eyes. "So I'm sure that will ignite something about me wanting to be like you and...you know the rest."

"Of course," Kate nodded, leaning in to make a face at Oscar, making him giggle and bounce even more.

"Though I DO want to be like you."

"Ha!" Kate snickered at that. "Of course you do." Her smile moved from laughter to interest. "You're going to dye your hair?"

"Mmm," Maddie shrugged. "I'm thinking about it. Just...wanting to try something a little new, something a little different."

"Yeah?" Kate lifted her eyebrows. "What does Harry think?"

Maddie's eyes immediately shifted out to the field, honing right in on him as his horse ran the length of the field. "Oh I don't think Harry will mind." Her lips curled up higher, her eyes dancing behind her sunglasses.