Dear Darling by Elle McKenzie

remember forever.
    “That’s such a lovely story. I can’t wait for you to teach Sam to ride his first bike. Just don’t let him get too cocky.” We both looked to our son, who had managed to get the wrapping off and was now playing with the paper. The toy thrown to the floor.
    We finished unwrapping presents and ate a perfect Christmas dinner, with a little help from my mum, who showed up in time to rescue the dry turkey.
    On New Year’s Eve, Aaron and Jodie returned our previous child-minding favours and babysat so Eli and I could have a well-deserved night out. It was the first time I’d left Sam since he was born, and I was flapping like a mother hen. My maternity leave had been extended, so I had no plans to go back to work until January. The thought of going back and leaving Sam scared me, I didn’t want to miss a single part of Sam’s childhood. Eli hated that he was missing things, like his first smile and the first time he laughed. I didn’t want to miss the first time he crawled or walked. It would break my heart, but we needed the money, so I had to try. This night out was a tester to see if I could do it.
    “You look beautiful,” Eli said as we were getting ready in our bedroom. His eyes sparkled as he looked me up and down. He always knew how to make me feel beautiful with one glance. I’d put on a black dress with silver sparkling lining and matching silver jewellery. For the first time in ages, I felt like a princess instead of the frumpy mummy I had become. I’d put on some weight during my pregnancy, but I liked the curves, I just needed to get rid of the wobbly tummy that came with it.
    “You don’t look so bad yourself.” I winked at my husband, who was dressed in black jeans and white button-down shirt. His top button was open, and I could see a small patch of chest hair scattering his tanned skin.
    “Are you ready to go?” he asked, kissing the top of my head as he walked past me to head out of the bedroom door.
    “Yeah, give me a minute to say goodnight to Sam and I’ll be down.” He nodded and headed downstairs as I crept into Sam’s room to kiss him goodnight. My beautiful baby was growing so fast, his thick brown hair stuck up in all directions as he lay fast asleep in his cot with his blue teddy bear by the side of his head. Bending down, I kissed the top of his head softly, so as not to wake him. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake, and I let out a deep breath.
    “Stop worrying, he will be fine,” Jodie whispered as I left the room.
    “I know. I don’t like leaving him, though.”
    “He won’t even know you’ve gone.” She smiled, pushing me towards the stairs. “Now go. Have fun.” When I walked down the staircase, Eli was standing there looking as handsome as he ever did.
    “Are you ready now?” He smirked.
    “Yes, I’m ready. Let’s go.” I gave Jodie a quick kiss on the cheek and followed my husband out to the car.
    “Thanks for the flowers, I forgot to say with all the madness of the past week.” Eli took his eyes away from the road for a second to look at me confused.
    “I didn’t buy you flowers?” he said with a hint of confusion.
    “Oh, it must’ve been Jodie. They were in a vase on the table when I got back from the shops the other day. I assumed they were from you.” I shrugged.
    “Maybe you have a secret admirer,” he joked. Rolling my eyes, I looked out of the window, watching the cars go past as we headed up the motorway towards the city centre.
    We arrived at a quaint restaurant in Chinatown, and the waiter showed us to our table. We ate and laughed, and I tried not to think about what I was missing at home. The waiter cleared our plates and placed a dessert menu in front of us, which I inspected with the intensity of someone pondering life and death choices—it all looked so good. I had narrowed it to two options when Eli cleared his throat.
    “Do you know that bloke over there?” he whispered. I went to turn around, but he stopped