Mine.
My chest tightens painfully.
“You’re staring again,” Taylor teases softly.
“I can’t help it.”
Her cheeks pink slightly, and my wolf practically preens.Five years together, and she still blushes when I look at her like that.
I reach over, resting my hand gently against her stomach.“You feel okay?”
Her expression softens immediately.“I’m okay, Reyes.”
I nod, though I still study her carefully.
Taylor laughs quietly.“You know women have been having babies forever, right?”
“And men have been worrying about their mates forever.”
She rolls her eyes affectionately before leaning over and kissing me again.“I love you.”
The words hit me just as hard now as they did the first time she said them.Maybe harder.
“Love you more,” I murmur.
“Impossible,” Ivy interrupts confidently.
Taylor and I both look at her.
She grins proudly.“Daddy loves us most.”
“See?”I laugh against Taylor’s neck.
“Shut up,” she sighs.
Rowan crawls between us, and I scoop him up in my arms.
“Hungry,” he says again, more alert now.
“All right, let’s get you some food.”
He smiles as I pick him up and carry him out of the bedroom.Ivy is right on my heels, and I smile as she darts around me and heads downstairs.
And just like every morning for the last five years, I pause for a second at the top of the stairs and let myself feel it.All of it.The peace, the warmth.
Five years ago, I stood alone on my porch every night, restless enough to crawl out of my own skin.I thought purpose came from protecting people.From missions.From staying alert every second of every day.
Then I found Taylor tied to that bed in the cult cabin.
I thought I was rescuing her; turns out, she rescued me right back.
“Daddy!”Ivy says impatiently.“Breakfast!”
“Coming, menace.”
She giggles wildly.
“Okay, guys.What should we have for breakfast this morning?”I ask, smiling as they argue over options.
