Free Timeless by Erin Noelle Page B

Europe and Asia was extremely challenging, yet exceptionally rewarding. Flying from place to place and hopping from hotel to hotel—often not speaking the native tongue—with the babies was much more difficult than being on the bus. We could only take with us what would fit in suitcases, which meant no swings, exersaucers, or anything else to keep them from crawling around and getting into everything, and most of the hotel rooms we stayed in were not infant-friendly, to say the least.
    On the upside, we got to experience these foreign cities on a first-class ticket. Many of the places I’d dreamed of visiting were a part of the tour—London, Paris, Venice, Moscow, Frankurt, and the list went on. We celebrated the twins’ first birthday atop the Eiffel Tower—something they’ll never remember, but I’ll never forget. They both took their first steps in foreign countries—Everett in Germany, and Ashlynn in Spain. One off-night while we were in Italy, Sophie and Aaron kept the babies overnight to give Mase and me a much-needed break and alone time. We had dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant, followed by a ride down the canal on the famous gondolas, and with big plans of a long night filled with hot sex…we both fell asleep before midnight. Thankfully though, we became masters of utilizing the kids’ nap times wisely to fit in our sexcapades. I had more sex in hotel room bathrooms than I ever dreamed possible. We did what we had to do in order to keep the spark alive, and through it all, our relationship grew stronger and more resilient, and our love matured and flourished.
    Glancing over at Mason as we get to the end of the stack of pictures — a year of our life summed up in photographs — I see the memories affecting him the same way they have me.
    “Crazy. It seems like just yesterday, but so long ago at the same time,” he murmurs, still gazing at a photo of the four of us standing in front of the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.
    I rest my head on his shoulder, sighing softly. “Always a good crazy.”

MASON
    Damn Scarlett and her good distractions. I know we really need to get to work unpacking all these damn boxes, but between her tempting me with that sexy-as-fuck body, and getting me lost in the memories of the two little ones I cherish more than anything in the world, I’m not being very productive. The three of them have introduced me to a life I never knew I wanted, and now couldn’t live without. Growing up with less-than-spectacular parents, before I met Scarlett, I had no intention of ever settling down with one woman, much less having a family. I never wanted to disappoint anyone the way my parents did me. But once I fell for her, I knew I’d do whatever it took to make her happy, and as fucking pussy-whipped as that makes me sound, I don’t give a rat’s ass — full pun intended.
    Our journey to this point hasn’t always been good — shit, it was downright God-awful at times in the beginning — but here we are, our love stronger than I ever could’ve imagined. It’s hard to believe it was over eight years ago when my dark-haired, green-eyed beauty walked into my bar, exuding an innocence that first captured my attention, and later stole my heart. There’s no point in rehashing the ways we fucked up or the choices we made; it all happened the way it was supposed to in order to get us to this place. Happiness.
    Looking at all the pictures from the past six years, I’m reminded of our trek here, and if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Many people don’t realize it, but Scarlett sacrificed a lot to make our relationship work. When she left to go on tour with me, she gave up the notion of going back to school and stopped playing her own music, stepping into a life of attention-starved whores and headline-hungry journalists that stripped her of her privacy. Yet she never complained. Not fucking once. She gave up everything so I could pursue my dream, always there