It's All Coming Back to Me Now

Prologue: Moments of Gold

Istanbul

Serkan looked down at his sleeping wife and smiled. She was cuddled up against his side, her arm flung over his stomach, her leg draped over his, her head resting on his chest. His hand moved up and down her back, gently waking her. Her lips stretched into a slow smile and she snuggled closer to him, sighing in contentment.

He carefully moved her dark hair out of her eyes with his index finger to let his gaze wander over her face. Every time he looked at her, she still took his breath away.

"Good morning, aşkım," she said, her voice thick with sleep. Her eyes were still closed, but she reached up and stroked his cheek, her fingers scratching through his thick red beard.

Eda liked to use different terms of endearment for him, always trying new ones to make him laugh. But for him, no word held as much love as her name did. "Good morning, Eda." The way his voice softened when he said her name felt like a physical caress. He leaned down and kissed her lips, and her smile grew wider. "How did you sleep?"

"Mmm." She kissed him again and her eyes fluttered open. She raised her arms over her head and arched her back, stretching. "Sooo good, Serkan." She turned her face into his chest and placed a kiss over his heart. "You're the best pillow."

He chuckled. "I'm glad." His hand smoothed down her side, over the dip of her waist, before coming to rest on her slightly rounded stomach. "And how's our little Muffin this morning?"

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Muffin is good. He let his mama sleep last night."

"He? I think you mean she." Serkan raised his eyebrows at her before he rolled her over onto her back and pinned her hands down on the bed above her head. He kissed her temple, her cheek, her ear, then moved down to her neck.

His lips moved over her neck, his tongue tracing patterns against her skin. Eda whimpered and tried to pull her hands free, but his hold was unyielding. He rubbed his beard back and forth over her skin and she giggled. "We'll find out at our appointment. I had to reschedule for today. Is that okay?" She craned her neck to the side, silently asking him to continue.

"Yes, it's perfect." His lips moved against her skin and she sighed. "What are we betting, Eda?" He raised his head to look at her. He let her hands go and rolled onto his side, raising himself up on his elbow to look down at her. Eda turned to face him and held his face in her hands, her thumbs stroking the smooth skin above his beard.

"Hmm. Let's see. If I'm right and Muffin is a boy, then you have to give me a massage whenever I want for the rest of the pregnancy." Serkan raised his eyebrows and nodded, impressed with her wager. Eda smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss. "What do you want if you win?"

Serkan turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm. "I have to make this a good one." He trailed his fingers down her arm lightly, making her shiver. He laced his fingers with hers and ran his thumb across her knuckles. "Okay. If Muffin is a girl...like I know she is..." his voice dropped low as he continued speaking. "Then I get to give you a massage whenever I want for the rest of the pregnancy."

Eda's eyes shone up at him. She had no idea what she'd done in her life to be given the gift of this man, but she appreciated him every single day. "Tamam. Let's shake on it." They shook hands to make it official, and he brought her hand to his lips to kiss it.

"What time is our appointment?" He kissed each one of her fingers in turn.

"I made it for 3 because I know you have class until 2. That works, right?"

"Absolutely. I wouldn't miss it."

Suddenly, Eda's eyes grew wide and her hands went to her abdomen, her mouth open in surprise. "Serkan! Give me your hand!" She took his hand and pressed it flat over her belly. "Can you feel that?"