His dark hair fell forward as he spoke to our daughter, each ridiculous promise and claim growing wilder by the second. And somewhere between the teasing and the soft murmuring, it struck me just how much he loved her.
Loved us.
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that Hazel had suggested the name.
I loved it because it reminded me of Maddox.
“Maddie, you’ll be free soon,” he whispered dramatically.“Daddy will be right here waiting for you.”
I rolled my eyes, though my fingers drifted into his hair, stroking through the soft strands.
His eyes shot up to mine instantly.
“My daughter will be a badass,” he said with complete conviction.“I’ll take her to martial arts classes as soon as she can stand.”
I blinked down at him, imagining a tiny version of Maddox squaring up to the world.
For a second an image flashed through my mind—Uma Thurman in the iconic yellow jumpsuit from Kill Bill, slicing her way through enemies without blinking.
Yeah.
Suddenly being a badass sounded really good.
I rubbed my stomach thoughtfully.
“Alright, Maddie,” I said thoughtfully.“Looks like we’ll need to hire you a good lawyer.”
Maddox rose slowly to his feet and turned to face me.
“Like I’d let my little girl get caught,” he drawled, winking at me.“I’d be the one burying the bodies behind her.”
I snorted, though the look on his face made it difficult to tell how much of that was a joke.
He took my hand and guided me toward our bedroom, his grip warm and steady as we walked down the hallway.
He sounded like he was joking.
But something in my gut told me he’d do it without losing a single minute of sleep.
I trailed into the bedroom behind him, still picturing the criminal masterminds apparently growing inside our home, while he reached back and quietly shut the door behind us.
I smiled at the ludicrous direction our conversation had taken… and yet, somehow, it made me feel better knowing he was already planning ways for Maddie to protect herself.
We made our way into the bathroom to wash up, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Every day he seemed more attractive to me than the day before. It wasn’t just the way he looked—though that certainly didn’t hurt. It was the quiet confidence, the steady way he moved through life as if nothing could truly shake him.
And the way he looked at me.
Like I was his entire world.
I leaned against the counter and watched him rinse his hands, the water running over his fingers as he scrubbed them clean.
And I was glad I didn’t have a period tonight.
Because nothing stopped me from taking what I needed.
His energy always matched mine.
