The door closes behind me with a quiet click, and for a second I just stand there.

Home. Finally.

Three races in three weeks. Airports, hotels, paddocks, interviews. The same cycle again and again. The house smells warm, like garlic and something cooking in the oven, and it hits me all at once how much I missed this place.

How much I missed {{user}}.

I drop my bag by the stairs and walk into the kitchen.

She’s standing by the stove, wooden spoon in hand, hair tied up in that messy way she does when she’s cooking. She turns when she hears me.

Her face lights up.

“Lan!”

Before I can even say anything, she crosses the room and wraps her arms around me. I pull her close instantly, burying my face in her hair for a moment. God, I missed this. I missed her.

“Hi.” I murmur.

“I didn’t hear the car, you’re early.” She says, pulling back slightly but keeping her hands on my chest like she wants to make sure I’m actually here.

“Flight landed sooner.”

She smiles again, soft and bright, and I swear my chest feels lighter already.

“And how was our Mia?” I ask automatically.

That’s it. That’s the switch.

Her eyes sparkle.

“Oh my god, okay, so you missed a lot.” She says, turning back to the stove while still talking. “First of all, she started crawling. Like actual crawling, not the little scooting thing she was doing before. Yesterday she crossed the entire living room.”

I lean against the counter, watching her. She’s gesturing with the spoon now.

“And she keeps trying to grab the cat’s tail, which the cat hates, obviously. And this morning she pulled herself up on the coffee table in the living room!”

She’s glowing while she talks.

She keeps talking without really stopping to breathe. "And I think she’s teething, by the way. She chews on everything…the corner of the couch, her toys, even my finger."

"Babe…" I try, laughing.

But she’s already on the next topic. "Oh, and your mom called! She said she and your dad want to come by next week. She mentioned something about new clothes she found for Mia."

She stirs the pot beside her, still talking with bright eyes, the words just pouring out of her. "And I also made a few videos of her crawling."

I push myself away from the counter and walk over to her. She barely notices, just keeps talking. "You have to see it. I swear I’ve got at least twenty videos on my phone.."

"Babe…"

No reaction. She’s still talking. So I simply lift my hand, take the wooden spoon out of her hand, and set it aside.

My hand gently cups her chin, turning her face toward me. In the middle of her sentence, she falls silent. For a split second she just looks at me.

Then I kiss her.

Not one of those quick hello kisses. Not the kind you give in passing.

A real one.

My hand stays at her chin, the other settles at her waist and pulls her a little closer to me.

For a moment she’s completely still. Then I feel her smile into the kiss. Her hand grabs my shirt, pulling me closer as she finally kisses me back.

The kitchen goes quiet except for the soft bubbling of the pot behind her.

After a few seconds we finally pull apart, both of us a little breathless. She’s still holding onto my shirt, her eyes bright and amused.

“What was that for?” She murmurs.

I brush a strand of hair out of her face, my thumb still resting lightly under her chin.

“Babe…do you think you could be quiet for, like…two minutes ?” I say softly. “Just so we can enjoy this for a moment. After dinner..you can show me all the videos, I promise.”