People say I've gone soft since I married Milan. They don't know just how right they are. If anyone has a problem with the age difference between us, they're smart enough to keep it to themselves. I may be softer, but no one disrespects my wife without answering to me. She brought me back to life the day I met her. The day she agreed to marry me, she put the monster I was to rest for good. But I'd still kill to protect my family. Most people are smart enough not to test me.
Being at the top doesn't drive me like it once did. Having power and control no longer interests me. Destroying lives in my quest to be the best isn't justifiable. The only thing I need in this life is my family, and I will absolutely kill to protect them. The rest just doesn't fucking matter.
The funny thing about it? My business ventures are doing better than ever. Not long after Milan got pregnant with Julian, I teamed up with Jax Archer and Mac Sterling to turn some of my ranches into retreats for rich men who want to get away and play at being outdoorsmen. We have one outside of Yellowstone and another in the mountains in Tennessee. The Lost Falls retreats have done incredibly well, particularly with men nearing retirement age who want one last run at conquering the great outdoors and younger men wanting to escape the pressures of everyday life.
Life is good. Soon, it'll be even better. Milan and Ainsley are both pregnant again. Our daughter will be here in a few months. I can't wait to meet her. Neither can her brothers. We decided to name her Jillian. The boys call her their Jilly Bean. Milan is beautiful every day, but she's radiant when she's pregnant. She glows bright as the sun.
I'm a lucky son of a bitch.
"Come on, pretty baby," I murmur, scooping her up into my arms before she manages to fall asleep on me. Shep and Ainsley kept the boys this weekend so I could get their mama alone for a little uninterrupted pampering. We spent all day yesterday in the bed, making love, cuddling, and talking. Shep and I are building the kids a swing-set today.
"No," Milan says, drawing the word out. Her bottom lip pokes out into a pout I want to kiss off her gorgeous face.
"Sorry, baby girl," I murmur, carrying her toward the bathroom. "Shep and Ainsley will have our boys home soon."
"I love our boys," she says, her pout turning into a smile. "And Shep and Ainsley."
"I know you do."
She lets me set her on the vanity long enough to get the shower going. Once the water is heating, I pick her up again. Holding this woman will never get old. When she's in my arms, I know perfection. There isn't a single part of holding and caring for her that I don't love.
I rest one hand on her belly. Our daughter moves beneath my hand and then I feel her foot tap against it. As soon as I feel her little kick, my heart swells. "Morning, sweet angel," I murmur, tapping one finger against Milan's belly where Jill just kicked me. "You gotta behave today and not make mommy sick. Daddy has work to do."
Jill kicks me again. I chuckle and follow her movements with my hand until she settles down. She's always most active in the mornings. Sometimes, she spends hours kicking Milan. My baby girl never complains though. No matter how uncomfortable she gets when she's pregnant, she loves every minute of the experience.
So do I. I never imagined that fatherhood could be such a satisfying endeavor, but it is. When our boys come running to meet me at the door each day, I feel like a king. When Jayce crawls into my lap and pries my hand open before placing it on his head, silently demanding that I rub his head until he falls asleep, I feel the same way. When Julian runs to me to ask for help with his Lego masterpieces, I feel it then too. There have been thousands of little moments over the years that I wouldn't trade for anything. My pregnant wife in my arms while our daughter kicks me is another moment of perfection. I don't deserve it. But I'd die to keep it.
"I can't wait to meet her," Milan murmurs when the baby finally settles down.
"Neither can I." I brush my lips across her temple, carrying her toward the shower. The steam swirls around us as I close us in. The hot water hits Milan and she moans, melting in my arms like a Popsicle. I press her up against the wall, giving her a lingering kiss.
"Thank you," I whisper against her lips.
"For what?" She cracks one eye open to look at me.
"For being an incredible mother to our children. For loving us the way you do. For being you." I press my forehead to hers, overwhelmed with gratitude for her, with love for her. "For giving me this life. I never knew how badly I wanted it until you were mine."
"Oh," she whispers, bumping her nose against mine.
"Every damn day, I love you a little bit more."
"Me too, Justice. I love you so damn much. You're my daddy, my whole world." A watery laugh escapes her lips. "Now stop making me all weepy and give me more of those thank you kisses. I like them."
"You do, hmm?" I murmur, spinning to place her on the built-in bench. I drop to my knees in front of her, pulling her ass to the edge. "Then you'll love these kisses, baby girl."
"Daddy," she moans, throwing her head back.
I'm not wrong. She does love them. Twice before the hot water runs out.
Milan
"Maybe we should call a professional," Ainsley suggests, watching Shep and Justice as they try to figure out how to put together the playset Justice bought for the kids. It's in pieces all over the yard. The kids lost interest hours ago and ran off to play with their light sabers.
Julian and Scout, Ainsley's oldest little girl, are currently using them to try to cut down a tree. They're not getting very far, but they're content so I'm certainly not going to tell them they don't stand a chance. Jayce and Raven are playing in the dirty nearby. Raven doesn't say much, but Jayce babbles enough for the both of them.
It makes me happy to see how close they are. Even though Shep and Ainsley live a few hours away, we get together every chance we get. The boys love going to stay at their little farm. Julian isn't afraid of much. He gets so excited about riding the horses. Jayce doesn't much care what he's doing. He's always happy.
"We're fine," Justice says. He looks incredibly handsome with his sleeves rolled up and a scowl of concentration on his face. He's still as sexy to me as ever. His hair has a lot more gray in it now, but he still has more stamina and energy than I do.
Shep grunts his agreement. He's pretty handsome himself. He's tall and ripped and worships the ground Ainsley walks on. I love needling Justice about him and his brothers in the MC. They're all gorgeous. I like it when Justice gets all possessive when I mention how hot they are. It usually ends in orgasms for me. He's on to my game, but he hasn't called me out for it yet. I think he likes finding new ways to punish me for being a brat.
Ainsley looks at me with wide eyes, which makes me giggle. They definitely aren't fine. They're both capable of so many things. They're strong and gorgeous and bossy and could probably slay actual dragons. They're also both stubborn as hell. They have no idea what they're doing, but they refuse to admit defeat. It's kind of adorable how determined they are to do this themselves.
"Why don't men ever read the directions?"