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"I wasn't planning on doing it on the picnic table."

She narrows her eyes, but a slow, devilish smirk pulls at the corner of her mouth. She takes a drink of her water, totally unaware of what I've got set up for later.

I have a plan. And it’s a damn good plan.

Goldie's spent the last few months saying she wanted to enjoy Frankie being a baby before we started trying for another one. I didn't push it, because she was the one who had to do all the hard work and recover from childbirth. But about a month ago, she casually mentioned she thought she’d be ready after Frankie’s first birthday.

I remembered. Of course I fucking remembered.

So yesterday, I booked us a room at The Saltaire for tonight. Colston’s taking Frankie overnight, and Goldie has no idea.

I slide my hand under the picnic table, letting my fingers trail up and down her bare thigh.

Her fingers tighten around the water bottle. The teasing banter from earlier drops away, replaced by a sudden, breathless awareness.

I stroke my thumb over the soft skin right at the edge of her bikini bottom, leaning in close so my voice doesn't carry over the noise of Dad and Pops at the grill. "You told me you wanted to wait until Frankie turned one before we started trying for another baby."

She swallows, her eyes locking onto mine. "I did."

"Well, she's officially one."

Her lips part. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying Colston's taking her overnight. And I booked us a room."

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Where?"

I just wait, letting her put the pieces together.

A soft, disbelieving laugh escapes her. "No. The Saltaire? You did not."

"I did. I arranged it with Colston a couple of weeks ago."

Her eyes widen. "You've been planning this for weeks?"

"I've been thinking about it a hell of a lot longer than that," I tell her, my voice dropping into a low rasp. I let my fingers drift down to her inner thigh and squeeze, letting the primal, possessive need I feel for this woman bleed into the words. "I'm taking you back to the exact same room where I put my first baby in you. And I'm going to spend the entire night filling you up until I give you another one."

A slow smile that means nothing but trouble spreads across her face. It’s one of my favorites. "You sound very confident."

"I went one for one last time. I don't plan on missing tonight."

She slides an arm around the back of my neck, her fingertips scraping lightly over my skin. “You know it might not happen on the first try this time around. We might have to practice. A lot.”

I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against my side. "I'm more than happy to put in the work. As many times as it takes."

She laughs softly against my shoulder, the sound vibrating straight down to my chest. "God, I love you."

I kiss her temple. "I love you too."

She pulls back enough to look at me. “Now eat something. You’re gonna need your strength later.”

Her hand slides onto my abs beneath the table, and the look she gives me makes it pretty damn clear what she means.

By the time everyone’s eaten, Frankie has demolished everything Goldie put in front of her and suckered bites off at least three other people.

Then Pops calls out from the other end of the pavilion. “Cake time!”

Colston carries Frankie over and deposits her into the portable high chair clipped to the end of the picnic table. She reaches for the edge of the plastic tablecloth, gearing up to yank the whole thing down.