Safe With Me, Baby(22)

I ordered dinner, and we picked it up on the way. Then I got her settled on the couch, made her take some Tylenol, and brought her food. Taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch, I lifted her feet into my lap and simply watched her. I’d set my food on the coffee table, but it remained untouched, I had no appetite.

“Baby,” I murmured and waited until she looked at me. “I can’t go through this again. You know I want you to do what makes you happy, but fuck, I think I’m going to have to put my foot down on this. No more field work. I can’t imagine my life without you, and I’d spend every day as a nervous wreck. It will put me in an early grave.”

She sat up and set her food on the small table as well, then crawled across the couch and into my arms. “No need for you to go all caveman, honey. I’d already made that decision when I left your office with your ring on my finger. I’m going to be a wife and mother; those things trump everything else. I don’t want to quit and helping you run the business intrigues me.”

I gathered her up even closer in my arms, careful of her shoulder, and kissed the crown of her head, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her silky hair. “I love you so fucking much, baby. I don’t know how I lived the last thirty years without you.”

“I love you too. And, I’m not sure how you survived without me either, I’m pretty fucking awesome.”

I threw my head back and laughed before kissing the fuck out of her. “You’re definitely a badass, baby. And it’s hot as fuck.”

She leaned in so her lips brushed the shell of my ear as she spoke. “Does that mean you get turned on when I threaten to kick your ass?”

“Fuck yeah.”

She bit the lobe, and a shiver raced down my spine, all the blood in my body suddenly surging into my cock. “I can’t kick your ass until the baby is born but… I’ll let you tie me up,” she breathed.

I didn’t remember how we got to the bedroom, but I remembered every single fucking detail of what happened after.





Epilogue





The sight in front of me was beyond adorable. So much so, I could barely concentrate enough to record it with my phone. My gorgeous baby girl twirled across the dance floor in her purple leotard and pink tutu. Her long, brown hair was pulled into a ponytail that whipped back and forth, and her dark eyes were lit up with laughter. She was always happy when she danced, but she was on could nine this time around because of the tall, dark-haired man following behind her. His hair was tousled as usual, and I could see the outline of his nipple rings through the purple T-shirt that clung to his sculpted chest, one our baby girl had picked out so she and her daddy matched. The shirt hid all his tattoos, including the two names inked right over his heart—our baby girl’s, Madison, and mine. He had them done the week after she was born.

He was hotter than ever, even while failing miserably at the dance moves he was supposed to be doing. Not that any of the moms in the audience seemed to mind. When I’d signed him up to participate in the Daddy & Daughters special event at the school where she took her dancing classes, Madison’s teacher had told me it would fill up quickly once word got out. Judging by the lack of empty chairs, it looked like she was right. I couldn’t blame them, though.

My husband was damn fine eye candy—extremely loyal man candy at that since he never seemed to notice the flirtatious glances so many women sent his way. I noticed each and every one, but I didn’t let them get to me since I knew that if any of them were stupid enough to try to get too close to him, I could easily kick their asses. I was a mommy, but that didn’t mean I didn’t keep up with my fighting skills once I’d received the clearance from my doctor. And the first place I’d put them to use was a no-holds-barred spar with Chad, where I’d pounded his ass into the mat. Whatever Xander had said to them in their meeting the morning after we’d found out I was pregnant had worked because his attitude made a complete turnaround. But that didn’t mean I’d forgotten the shit he’d pulled back when Xander and I first got together, and I made sure he knew it.

“Did you see us, Mommy?” Madison screamed as she ran towards me.

I knelt down to wrap my arms around her as she crashed into me. “I sure did, baby girl.”

“Daddy and me danced so good togever.” She turned to look up at him when he joined us. “Didn’t we, Daddy?”

“You were amazing, Maddiekins.”

I could almost hear ovaries exploding all around me. Mine would be, too, if I wasn’t already pregnant again. When we found out Madison was a girl, Xander had sworn we couldn’t have any more children because it would just up his odds of getting tossed in jail for killing teenage boys later in life. After her third birthday, he’d been bitten by the baby bug again. It had taken him less than a couple of weeks to knock me up, and he’d breathed a huge sigh of relief last week when the ultrasound had shown this one was a boy. Then he’d mumbled something about needing the extra backup since Madison was a handful like her mommy.