My arms wrap around his neck, and I pull him in for a kiss. “Do you want me to drive the truck over here?”
“No, I’m fine here,” I say.
He trails a finger over my chilly cheek. “You could sit in the warm cab and still watch everyone.”
Yes, I might be a little cold, but it’s January in Colorado. It’s par for the course. I am perfectly bundled up. The baby is safe and sound.
“Linc,” I say in warning.
“Don’t ‘Linc’ me,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “I just don’t want either of you cold out here.”
I let out a breath, my features softening. Out of all my guys, Linc has worried the most during the pregnancy.
He thrives on being in control. This is one thing he can’t control at all, so he has put that energy into protecting me at all costs—even when it’s wholly unnecessary.
“Love,” I say, cupping the side of his face. I wait until his eyes meet mine. “I’m fine.” I grab his hand, bringing it over my bump. “We’re fine.”
I have told him the same thing a million times already, but I’ll continue to do so until this little one is in his arms if that’s what he needs to make him feel a little more settled.
“I just love you both so much. I don’t know how I can love someone I haven’t even met yet, but…” he says in a rare moment of total vulnerability.
“But it’s real,” I finish for him.
“Yeah.”
“I love you, too,” I tell him, kissing his cheek.
“You better,” he says, his regular demeanor settling back into place. He gently grips my chin. “Stay out of trouble down here.”
“I’ll do my best.”
With one more kiss, he’s stomping his way up the mountain toward where the boys are tackling each other in the snow.
Wyatt and Kane whiz by on separate tubes. They’re acting like they’re in a gold-medal race at the Olympics and not a fun family day on a random hill in the mountains.
My phone vibrates in my coat pocket. I twist to the side to pull it out. Seeing Leah’s name on the screen, I tap the green button to answer as quickly as I can.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey,” she says, and I already know she has good news. My shoulders relax a little. “He got six months.”
I let out a relieved breath. That isn’t nearly enough time for her horrible ex to serve for what he did to her, but it’s more than we thought he would get.
Have I mentioned that our justice system is majorly flawed?
“How are you feeling about it?” I ask, not really giving a shit about anything else.
“Relieved,” she says. “But also, kind of mad that it took so long.”
Leah is so sweet. She sounds guilty for feeling mad, even after that monster beat her so badly she wound up in the hospital.
“I’m mad, too,” I tell her. “But you aren’t alone.”
“I know I’m not,” she says. There’s a rustle on her side of the line.
“He will never lay a hand on you again, baby,” a male voice filters through the phone.
A grin spreads over my face. “Oh… is mister hottie cop man there with you?”
