CEO Daddy (Crescent Cove 6.50)

I sighed. Hawaii sounded really good right about now. Maybe for our honeymoon.

I got to the door and paused at the unfortunately flat singing voice of my fiancé. But what he didn’t have in talent, Asher definitely made up for in sweetness. Each of our girls had a different song.

He said he wanted them to always think they were special.

Dammit, he was always stealing my breath by saying stuff like that when I least expected it.

I leaned on the doorjamb, unwilling to disturb them just yet.

Our new baby daughter, Rose, was nestled in the crook of his arm. The thimble-sized nursing bottle looked like a toy in his hand, but he was so gentle with her. There was no fear in how he handled a baby now. Only a huge love that seemed to only get bigger with each day we were together.

He turned as his whispery and rumbly voice hit a high note that sounded just about perfect. He spotted me and smiled.

I went over to meet him and kissed our daughter’s cap of feathery dark hair.

“She’s finally asleep,” he whispered. “I wanted to let you get some rest. And I couldn’t resist coming in here.”

“And here I was trying to let you work,” I said softly. A little discomfort on my end was totally worth the wonderment in his voice.

He pulled me in a little closer and we both swayed for a few minutes. The little baby squeaks and grunts were only here for a short time. I wanted to remember them all.

But we were asking for trouble if we didn’t put her back in her crib. We had so few hours to sleep between feedings. He settled Rose back into her bassinet as I checked on Lily, whose crib was right next to hers.

Originally, I wanted Rose’s crib in our room for the first few weeks, but her older sister was quite insistent on getting her way when it came to sleeping arrangements.

Asher’s hand slipped up my back and tangled in my hair. I straightened up and cupped his face. In the dark, with our two girls sleeping, all my emotions bubbled up. “I love you.”

He curled his arm around me gently. My body still felt like one huge swollen bruise from giving birth a little over ten days ago. “I love you too, Hannah. I love you and our family so much. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found you.”

I rested my head on his chest and glanced down at the daughter of my heart with her arms up over her head. “We both lucked out that stormy night.”

I was pretty sure I’d have this little snapshot in my memory banks forever. And that was a very nice word that I was more than happy to have in my vocabulary these days.

Especially when it came to my little family. Something I never thought I’d truly have—or want—again. Yet here I was with not one, but two little girls in my life again and a husband-to-be.

And I wanted the three of them with a ferociousness I never expected.

All because of a winter storm that had originally made me feel so alone and hopeless. Now I had Asher and our two daughters that filled my life with laughter and happiness again.

I’d even given up the last bit of my past by selling my old house to Gabby, who was thrilled to have a space of her own for the first time.

As for me? I had everything I ever wanted right here.

* * *