Richard was surprisingly calm, although he had already sat with me and spoken at length about his daughter and what she meant to him. His expectations. I think I shocked him when I listed my own expectations of myself. I divulged my past and my still-unclear concept of family and how I would try to be everything she needed.
He had clapped me on the shoulder in understanding.
“You’ll sink or swim with this family,” he teased. “No one entering the BAM universe comes out the same as they went in. And they like you after the Christmas thing.”
“I want Grace to stay close to her family. The real one and the adopted one.”
He frowned and leaned close. “The adopted one is real too, Jaxson. Family isn’t a name. If anything, it’s even tighter because it grows from the heart.” His tone was serious. “You’ll understand when your child is born. You want them to know this sort of love.” He met my eyes. “You’ll need this sort of love.” He glanced down, his voice lowering. “I understand you more than you think, Jaxson. I didn’t know love until Katy. But once you know it? You will never be the same. Once family gets added, life gets even better.”
That was the moment that cemented our relationship. A shared understanding of the pain and loneliness we had lived before the women in our lives opened our eyes to another type of world. Taught us how much we were missing.
Not that we ever let on. It was too fun to wind each other up. But our phone calls and texts, his encouragement when I was worried about Gracie or the baby, were what got me through the pregnancy. And he had been correct. This family was amazing.
I eyed him watching Gracie come closer, now holding Kylie as she greeted people. I needed to make sure she reached me first.
Just because I liked him didn’t mean I wanted to give up baby time, though.
Gracie appeared in front of me, a wide smile on her face. She cupped my cheek, bringing me to her mouth, the heavy platinum and diamond ring she had once flung over my head now resting on her finger, marking her as taken. Marking her as mine.
I kissed her thoroughly, partially to bother Richard, partially to take the opportunity to slip Kylie from her arms, but mostly because I loved kissing my wife.
She eased back, her breathing fast. She shook her head at my maneuvers and chuckled. “I love you,” she murmured.
I kissed her again.
“I love you back, darling.”
Grace
I knew Jaxson was up to something, but I had no idea he had planned a party for me to celebrate passing the bar. He had made a big deal of making a reservation at my favorite place for dinner on the weekend, and I thought that would be our celebration.
Not gathering as much of my family together as he could. Adding in a few close friends and coworkers. Not flying my parents in to celebrate. Choosing the place we were married in to celebrate. I had been shocked walking in with Addi, thinking we were meeting a client.
I had found his intense stare across the room right away. Saw him holding our daughter with his large hands, cradling her head and holding her close in that protective way that made my heart beat faster. I had never seen a sight sexier than that. Or the expression he wore these days. I doubted he realized the way his lips were curled into a half smile most of the time. Or the gentle softness in his eyes when he was with me. And when he looked at Kylie, I melted. Pure, total love poured from his gaze.
When my mother took her away to bring her to me, I tried not to laugh at his woebegone expression. There was no doubt he and my father were quarreling over her again. They bickered about everything, but my mother and I were both aware of how deep their friendship had become. And we found their bantering amusing.
I made my way over, stopping to say hello to people, getting hugs and kisses, accepting congratulations. Jaxson’s kiss hello set my blood boiling. Simply looking at him raised my temperature most of the time. His mouth on mine was like a match to gasoline. Even if he used my distraction to slip Kylie from my arms and reclaim her.
Sneaky man.
“Surprise,” he whispered.
“It certainly is. How did you do this?” I asked.
He grinned, his dimple deep. “My secret weapon.”
“Ah.” I grinned back. “Your biggest fan. Jen.”
“What can I say? He loves me.”
My dad snorted. “Quit hogging my Kylie.” He took advantage of me being close to Jaxson and took the baby away. “It’s okay, baby girl. Grandpa’s got you,” he crooned. “Daddy is always useless when Mommy is around.”