“Are you sure you didn’t know you liked that before me?”
Panting, I say, “Yes, I’m sure.”
Tugging her to me by her elbow, I lean down to kiss her. The faint taste of my cum is on her tongue, but that doesn’t deter me. I’ll kiss her no matter what.
“I love you,” I whisper against her lips. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you too.”
Her arms slide around my waist, and she rests her cheek against my chest. I hug her tight, not wanting to let her go. I will never let her go.
“Are you sure you’re happy here?” I ask.
Anastacia looks up at me, confused. “Very. Why?”
I shrug, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “I just like to make sure once in a while.”
Her eyes narrow, and I chuckle.
“Trust me, that’s all it is. I just need some reassurance. Is that okay with you?”
“Oh, so you’re not the big bad confident man you pretend to be?”
I roll my eyes and turn us so she’s under the water. I spend the next fifteen minutes washing her body and her hair. I take my time, loving that I get to take care of her like this.
When we get to the bedroom, I eat her pussy until she comes, screaming my name. Then we sleep for an hour before Dorothea wakes up. Together, we go into her room. Anastacia nurses her in the rocking chair, while I sit on the floor beside them, my hand on her thigh. My eyes fall closed, and I listen to Anastacia humming a tune she always hums while feeding Dorothea.
I have no idea what it is, but it brings me as much peace, it seems, as it brings our daughter. I don’t realize I fall asleep, but I’m being woken up by Anastacia, who is standing in front of me, alone. I blink a few times, my gaze going to the crib. Through the dim light of the room, I make out the small baby.
“You fell asleep,” Anastacia says with her hands on her hips and a smile on her lips.
“Sue me,” I grunt as I get up.
We get back into bed, cuddling so close we’re practically merged together.
“I would do anything for you. You know that right?”
“Yes, baby. I know.”
I run my fingers through her soft hair. “Anything you want or need. I don’t care what it is. I’ll do it.”
She nods, her head rubbing against my chest. We say nothing else, and then we fall asleep.
Chapter Forty-Four
Anastacia
Christmas morning is here and I can do nothing to hide my excitement. I’m up before the sun, ready to open all the gifts under the tree. Though, I’m equally excited about seeing everyone else open what I bought them—maybe even more excited.
I never got this as a child, but I always wanted it. I heard all the kids at school ranting and raving about how amazing Christmas was, but I never understood. I never got anything. For me, it was just another day—only worse. Christmas meant school vacation, which meant I was home more. Which meant less food to eat and more time with the woman who gave birth to me and treated me like dog shit. I won’t even call her my mother. She doesn’t deserve the title.
Last night, we were out late at the club, opening gifts with all the guys for their first annual Christmas Eve get-together. It was sweet and fun and felt exactly like a family gathering should feel. We laughed—a lot, because men do not know how to buy gifts for each other. Most of what was given were bottles of alcohol or bike parts. We’re going back again today for dinner, and for the first time, I’m looking forward to it. Not that I wasn’t before, but I was nervous and uncomfortable because I felt like an outsider. Now I’m fitting in more and I’m making friends.
With the rest of the house quiet, I carefully make my way into the kitchen to start breakfast. Dorothea has been sleeping longer after her two am feeding. She should sleep until about seven. It’s nice to not be woken up every couple of hours. My body is appreciating it. You don’t realize what sleep deprivation does to your body until you go through it. I felt like a zombie for a little while. Yet, here I am, wide awake and ready to go so early.
I open the browser on my phone and navigate to the recipe I saved for today. I’d added everything I needed to the shopping list, but that was the easy part. I’m getting better at cooking, but Grizz still helps me with a lot of things, so doing this all by myself is a huge deal. Of course I’ve made a feweasierthings by myself, like all those days I make chicken soup for Kelsey.
The French Toast Bake doesn’t look difficult, but it does look delicious. I start by cutting up the bread, then mixing the eggs, milk, cream, and vanilla into a bowl. I follow the instructions carefully, layering the bread and sliced strawberries the way it tells me to.
