I won’t let the same mistake happen twice. We were both responsible for our pasts, but we are the ones who decide our future. I’m determined never to miss another chance for a memory with either of them. I feel her hands in my hair, and when I peer up at her, I see the silent tears rolling down her cheeks. The sight breaks my heart open. I need her to know, need her to understand that I’m in this. That I’m not going anywhere, and if I do, they’re coming with me.
Standing, I cradle her face in the palm of my hands. “I’m here, Cadence. I’m here, and this is exactly where I want to be. I’m not leaving you. I’m not leaving her. I don’t know what that looks like. There are so many things that we’re going to have to work out, but I want you.” I stare deep into her eyes, willing her to believe me. “I want both of you.”
Moving to stand on the tip of her toes, she presses her lips to mine. I can taste the saltiness of her tears, but that doesn’t stop me from tracing her lips with my tongue. I could kiss her like this every day for the rest of my life, and it wouldn’t be enough. No amount of time with her will ever be enough. When we finally come up for air, I grip her hips and toss her on the bed. She bounces a few times as the sound of her laughter fills the room.
“Is she a light sleeper?” I ask.
“Not at all. I read a book that said to keep doing normal household chores so that the baby will be used to sleeping through noises. We won’t wake her up.”
“Don’t move a muscle. I’ll be right back.” Rushing out of the room and down the hall, I grab my wallet from the coffee table and pull out the single condom that has been there for months. Not wasting time, I head back to her room and hold it up. “It’s been in my wallet for a few months.” I walk toward the lamp so that I can see the expiration date. “But it’s still good.”
Cadence shrugs. “It didn’t work out so well for us the first time.”
“What are you saying?”
“Just that they’re not 100 percent.”
“You telling me I can go bare?” I ask, my voice thick at the mere thought.
“Hazel isn’t ready for a sibling just yet.”
“But if it fails?”
She shrugs. “Then, she gets to be a big sister sooner than later.”
I nod. What I don’t say is that I would be perfectly fine with another baby. Fuck me. I want a house full of tiny humans that we create. I’m not a man who’s said he’s never getting married and didn’t want kids. I’ve just never found a woman I wanted to spend every day of forever with.
Until now.
Now I have two ladies in my life that I’m going to hold onto with everything I have and never let go. After ripping open the condom, I slide it over my length and climb onto the bed, settling where I belong—between her thighs. “We only have one. Unless….” I let the unfinished question hang between us.
“Then we’re going to have to make it count,” she says, draping her arms over my shoulders.
“We are definitely going to make it count.” My lips press to hers, and I do exactly that.
Chapter 7
Cadence
A crash from somewhere in the apartment wakes me up. I still and listen but hear nothing. Glancing at the clock, I see it’s after eight, and I never sleep this late. Hazel never sleeps this late. Shit. Hazel. I jump out of bed and race to her room. She’s not there. A deep throaty voice comes from the living room, and I follow the sound. Last night comes rushing back to me. Trevin “Hazel Eyes” is here. I tug at the hem of his T-shirt that I’m wearing, and the memory of him moving inside me causes my body to heat.
My racing heart slows as my mind realizes that it’s Trevin in my apartment with our daughter. Peeking around the corner, I see him sitting on the couch with Hazel in his arms. He’s shirtless, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs, with a burp cloth tossed over his toned shoulder.
“Daddy’s not too good at this yet, pumpkin. You need to bear with me. I promise I’ll learn how to take care of you. I watched Mommy do this yesterday and I think I’ve got it.” He tests a small drop of the bottle on his wrist. “I read this online last night that I should test the temperature here. I guess if Mommy was feeding you, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
He offers Hazel her bottle, and she takes it without issue. I can hear her gulps from here. Trevin smiles down at her, and there is nothing but love in his eyes.