I nod, squeezing his fingers back. “I know. But sometimes it feels like the world is so much bigger than us, and I just—I don’t want to mess it up. Not for her.”
Before I can say anything else, The lawyer walks in, his briefcase in hand and his expression all business. “Let’s get this overwith, shall we?” He offers us a tight smile, but there’s a fire behind his eyes.
The meeting feels like it takes forever. The lawyer goes over all the details with us, making sure we’re prepared for what the other side might argue and for the possible angles they could try to undermine us. There’s talk about Aura’s birth mother and her history—things that make me squirm in my seat. Every time her name comes up, it’s like a knife twisting in my gut. I know it’s part of the process. I know it’s necessary, but I don’t have to like it.
“Her history won’t matter if we focus on the here and now,” the lawyer says, glancing between Gabriel and me. “What matters is the life you’ve created for Aura. You’ve given her stability, love, family, and everything she needs. That’s what the court will see. That’s what we’re going to focus on.”
I look at Gabriel, his jaw set with that quiet determination he’s had since we first met. His eyes are unwavering, and for a moment, I don’t feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I feel…grounded. Secure.
“Just a little longer,” he murmurs, kissing my head. I nod, trying to hold onto the peace he’s offering me.
A few weeks later, the stress starts to settle in my bones. I try to distract myself by focusing on the cafe, but the fear lingers. Even Gabriel, who’s usually the most calming presence, seems a little on edge these days. We’re both waiting for something to happen, and it’s hard to keep pretending everything is okay when it feels anything but.
The hearing is in a week, and one evening, after a long day of running the cafe, I’m in the kitchen, washing dishes. The sound of Gabriel’s footsteps startles me, but then his arms slide around my waist, pulling me against him. He’s always so steady, so present, and I need that grounding right now.
“Come here,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my ear. “I’m tired of worrying about next week. Let’s just be right here, right now.”
I turn in his arms, my heart fluttering in my chest. He doesn’t say anything else—he doesn’t need to. I’m lost in the warmth of his embrace, the feel of his lips as they meet mine, slow and soft, like we’re the only two people in the world. He pulls closer, and I melt into him, letting the tension in my body slowly slip away.
This is what matters. Not the hearing, not the paperwork, not the fear of the unknowns. Just us. Just our little family.
I break the kiss, resting my forehead against his. “I don’t know what I would do without you,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.
He smiles, his thumb brushing over my cheek. “You’ll never have to find out.”
Gabriel starts walking backward, pulling my hand as we walk from the kitchen to our bedroom. When his legs hit the back of the bed, I give his chest a push and he falls back. I lean over him, his hands land on my backside, a grown escaping as he kneads my cheeks.
“I love this ass,” he says, leaning up to swirl his tongue around my nipple. “These too. I’m so glad I have them in my life.”
I laugh. “They’re yours.”
He smiles, and I kiss him, all the worry about the hearing wiped from my thoughts. I kiss down his neck and stomach and keep going, my chest hovering over his cock. I lean in and slide him between my breasts, and his breath hitches. He perches up on his arms to watch. Cursing quietly when I push my breast closer around him. His head falls back as I rub against his leg again.
He flips me so he is on top of me. He slides his tip over my wetness.
“More,” I gasp.
He gives me more, little by little, pausing with something between ecstasy and pain in his expression.
I feel every sensation.
I lose my breath and all restraint and pull my legs up around him, wanting him deeper, all of him.
“You feel so good,” he whispers.
“Nothing has ever been better,” I tell him.
I flutter around him.
“Bumper, don’t make me come yet, baby,” he groans.
I smile, but he kisses it off me, playful nips until he starts to move, and his kisses begin to feel more like what he’s doing inside me.
I can’t take it. It’s too good.
“Gab,” I cry out.
He looks at me, and my eyes fade as he pulls slowly out and back in.
