Eight Months Later
“ICOULD SPEND all day watching you feed her,” Eagle said, leaning over the back of the rocking chair in our bedroom to get a better view of our two-month-old daughter, Maya Grace, as she nursed. With her father’s dark, wavy hair, my brown eyes framed by long, dark eyelashes, and the most adorable little lips ever, she was the perfect mix of us. My old-soul book-junkie husband had suggested the name Maya after Maya Angelou, promising that no one would ever cage our little bird. Maya’s middle name, Grace, was after Grace Kelly, the old-time actress. Our girl was going to be a classy, intelligent overcomer.
“That doesn’t sound stalkerish and creepy at all,” I teased, puckering my lips for a kiss.
Chuckling, he lowered his head and gave me what I wanted. We’d been married for just a little over four months, and were eagerly awaiting the day Maya was old enough to drink from a bottle and stay with her grandparents for a few days so we could have a proper honeymoon.
One with copious amounts of strong whiskey and rough sex.
This time we’d have to be careful, so we didn’t get another baby out of the deal. At least, not for a couple of years.
“You two almost ready?” Eagle asked, straightening. “Everyone’s out there waiting to drown us in shit for the house.”
We’d purchased an adorable two-story four-bedroom craftsman cottage with hardwood floors, crown molding, and a white picket fence (of course) about a month before Maya was born. The club had been itching to throw us a house-warming party since the day we’d moved in, but we’d managed to hold them off until I was well enough to get our new place in order. But judging by the loud noises coming from our living room, there’d be no holding them off any longer.
I unlatched Maya and Eagle took her. I couldn’t have held onto her even if I’d wanted to. Little miss had her daddy wrapped around her tiny fingers, and when he wasn’t watching me nurse her, he was holding her. He grabbed a clean burp rag from the top of the stack by the changing table and flung it over his shoulder. As he waited for me to pull my shirt down, he patted her back.
She burped for him. The little stinker always did.
For me, she usually waited until she had a big enough bubble stored up that she could upchuck all over me.
“That’s daddy’s girl,” Eagle said, grinning proudly.
“Just remember that when she starts dating.”
His face twisted up in horror. “Yeah, that’s never gonna happen, is it, Maya? You’re gonna be daddy’s sweet little angel forever.”
Letting him live in his dreamworld, I stood and joined them at the door, and then our little family of three headed out into the living room to greet our rambunctious friends before they broke all our furniture and made our neighbors call the cops.
Link and Emily were the first to greet us. Link was holding Jameson, my month-old nephew. Ignoring my brother and his wife, I homed in on their baby.
“Hi Jace,” I crooned, pinching his chubby little cheeks. He had his mom’s blue eyes and dark hair and his dad’s nose and strong jaw, promising to make him quite the lady-killer when he got older.
“It’s like we don’t even exist,” Link mumbled to Emily before kissing my cheek.
She was so busy trying (unsuccessfully) to get Maya away from her dad that she didn’t hear him.
“Em!” Link repeated.
“What?” she asked, not even looking up from my baby girl.
Link shook his head, chuckling. “Never mind.”
Havoc and Julia were next to greet us. Julia was a little late to the game, and her pregnancy was just starting to show. The two of them would be welcoming their first child in about five months, and I couldn’t be happier that all our kids would grow up together.
As I was saying hello to Julia, Dad swooped in and kissed my cheek. “Where’s my granddaughter?” he asked.
Margo was hot on his heels, giving Eagle her best pleading face. “Link won’t give up Jace, so we’re hoping you’ll take pity on us.”
Surprisingly, Eagle handed Maya over. Margo’s face lit with joy and she and Dad started negotiating how long each should get to hold her. Our baby girl was so loved it made my heart practically explode.
Eagle took my hand and held it up to his lips, brushing my knuckles with a kiss. “I guess I’m just gonna have to hold you, sweetheart.”
“Oh, so I’m your backup plan now?” I snarked.
“Never.” He tugged me to him and led me deeper into the house.
“You have to open my present first,” Wasp said, intercepting us to shove a wrapped box into Eagle’s hands.
