“Can I be the flower girl?” Veronica asks.
“Of course you can,” I tell her.
“Why don’t you pick out one of your dresses, pretty girl?” Melody tells her daughter, who doesn't have to be asked twice before bolting inside.
“You’ve got an hour.” Jonas walks over toward me, giving me a kiss next. I smile against his mouth. I think an hour is one hour too long.
“You okay?” I lean into him as I look up at him. He wraps an arm around me.
“In an hour, I’m going to have everything I ever wanted. You and Jax are all I’ll ever need.”
“Hey! I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that,” Melody chimes in.
“I thought you wanted more babies,” I tease. Jax lays his head against Jonas’. Veronica clearly wore him out. I’m sure the ice cream he ate a little while ago will kick in soon and he’ll have his second wind.
“I’ll want all the babies you’ll give me.” With a husband like him I am more than happy to oblige. “Might have one in you already.”
“Okay. I’ll take Jax and check on the dress.” Melody holds her hands out for Jax, who doesn't look like he wants to leave his daddy anytime soon. “I got popsicles.” That has his head lifting up and arms reaching for her in no time at all for them to make their way inside. They leave Jonas and me alone in the backyard.
“Everything really okay?”
“How can it not be okay? I not only got you back, I got Jax. Nothing else fucking matters. We’ll work the rest out in time.” He is right. This is all that matters.
He lifts my hand from off his chest, slipping a ring on to my finger. When he first asked me to marry him, it was our first date. He pulled my hair from my ponytail and used the hair band to tie around my finger. I thought it was romantic but he insisted he would replace it the next day.
It wasn't exactly the next day that I got a replacement because we didn't get out of bed for a good three days after he’d put that temporary ring on my finger. I told him I didn't need anything big. Hell, I didn't need anything at all. All I wanted was him. But Jonas being Jonas went out and bought me a giant ring. He said it wasn't about the money. He just didn't want anyone missing it. From the weight on my finger I have a feeling this one is no different. I probably shouldn't find his possessiveness sexy, but I do. The man loves me so damn much he wants the world to know.
“Fifty-eight minutes.” I lift up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Then I’ll be your wife.”
“You’ve been my wife since the moment I put that hair tie around your finger. Now we’ll be a family.” He kisses me once more before I run like hell to get ready for my happily ever after.
Chapter 21
Jonas
The spring air smells crisp and the setting sun turns everything a golden color. Luca shifts in the chair next to me, silently puffing on his cigar. His sister, Gia, and Darby are over by the new pond we put in. It’s empty for now. Darby’s not sure what fish she wants to put in. Jax wants a turtle and a frog, and so the fish need to be compatible with those animals. We moved out of the penthouse a month ago into this three story five bedroom brick house. I told Darby that I wasn’t sure if it was big enough for the number of kids we were planning to have but she said if we had more than four, I’d have to get a new wife. I told her that four sounded like the perfect number of children. For now, though, we only have the one.
“Broken! Broken!” Jax yells. He runs up and deposits two large plastic pieces in my lap. I fit the blocks together and hand them back. He raises his toy in the air as if it’s a championship belt and shouts, “Yay! Yay! Daddy fix! Daddy fix!” and then he runs off.
“You put together two blocks and he looked at you like you just built the Taj Mahal,” marvels Luca.
“Kids are great,” I say with a self-satisfied smile. My gaze drifts toward Darby, whose hot as fuck figure is shrouded in a shapeless dress. I picked it out this morning when I remembered the Wards were visiting. There was no reason for Luca to see one curve of Darby’s lush figure since she’s mine and he needs to find his own damn wife. Darby’s stomach is flat but we’ve been working hard at getting her pregnant. Her monthly hasn’t come yet so our hopes for a second child might be coming true. If not, I’ll put in the hard work of fucking her over every surface possible. Oh, the task of being me. If the Wards weren’t here and Jax was with his nanny, I could bend Darby over the cushioned bench, ruck up the hem of that dress and have my cock inside of her steaming pussy in less than thirty seconds.
“Your shit eating grin tells me you aren’t thinking about kids,” Luca says, interrupting my fantasies.
“You’d be wrong.”
“Then you were thinking of making kids and it doesn’t count.”
I lift the snifter of brandy to my lips to hide a smile. “You should think about making your own instead of coveting my family,” I reply over the rim of the tumbler.
Luca puffs on his cigar for a few moments before answering. “It’s hard to believe I had Darby in my home for two years and I couldn’t convince her that life with me was better than the one she lived over my garage.”
My fingers tighten around the crystal, the sharp edges of glass digging into my palm. “It’s good that you didn’t. I would’ve hated to put your sister through an unnecessary period of mourning.”
“You would’ve put me in the hospital?” Luca jokes.
“The grave,” I say in total seriousness.
Sensing my lack of humor, Luca jerks his head around to look at me. “You’re not serious.”
“Completely.”
He shakes his head. “You’re crazy then. There’s no woman out there that is worth going to prison for. Even if I wanted a family, and I’m not saying that I do, one woman is the same as the next. You give her nice things, compliment her a few times, and she’ll be willing to do whatever you ask. There’s no need to go overboard.”
“I hope you’re just posturing, Ward. Or you’re going to be a miserable bastard.” I don’t even have to imagine what life would be like without Darby and Jax. I lived it for nearly three years. It’s a soul draining experience that leaves you feeling like a robot.
He stubs out his cigar and shifts in his chair, putting on an earnest expression. I lace my fingers behind my head and lean back against the cushion. Darby is walking toward me.
“Jax now thinks you are the greatest builder of all time,” she teases and settles in my lap.
I press a kiss into her rose-scented neck. “And I’m not?”
“No, of course you are,” she giggles.
I nuzzle her some more because I know her neck is sensitive and women, unlike men, can be in a constant state of arousal and no one would know it. She pinches my thigh, but I ignore it, trailing my nose from her neck to the hollow of her collarbone that is exposed by the wide neckline.
Someone clears their throat. I roll my head in the direction of Luca and arch an eyebrow.
“I just wanted to remind you that you weren’t alone.”
“More’s the pity,” I sigh.
Darby pushes at my chest and I allow her to move an inch away from me. “Behave. Dinner’s almost ready. I’m starved.” She pats her belly. “How about you Luca? You hungry?”
“When am I not?” he says drily.
“Then come sit down at the table. The chef will be out soon.”
Still holding Darby, I get to my feet. Luca follows suit. We all convene at the table, except for Jax, who is still happily running around in circles, waving his bricks in the air. Gia sighs. “It’s so nice here. Maybe I should move.”
“That’d be awesome,” Darby claps her hands.
“Wait until the cold sets in and you’ll be glad you’re home where snow is just a thing you import for parties,” Luca says. The chef appears and serves up the steak along with about a hundred sides. I split open Darby’s baked potato and fork in butter and sour cream along with a generous helping of cheese.
“You’re always welcome,” I
tell Gia. “Jax, come on over and get some potatoes.” I’ve got a bowl of mashed ones along with his favorite vegetable—carrots. I cut up some tiny bites of beef for him and larger pieces for Darby.
“Thanks, honey.”
“My pleasure.” And it really is. These small things that I get to do are the reason I get up in the morning. At one time, my life was ruled by Willits—how could I make it bigger, stronger, wealthier. All those things left me empty. Now I have my family and it’s given me a purpose in life I didn’t know existed. Darby may have been the one to lose her memory, but I think I had lost my way. Thank fuck I figured it out or maybe I would have lost her, too. I’ve been given another opportunity with Darby and I won’t ever mess that up. I think it’s okay to lose your memory so long as you give yourself—and your heart—a second chance.
Epilogue
Darby
5 years later
I stare out the window watching the pool company inspect it one last time before they leave. They came out two days ago to uncover it early. We get to open ours earlier than most. Jonas has gotten us a heated pool. We had to let it set for a couple of days while the water heated and the treatment to the water kicked in.
The kids were all about to come out of their skin waiting. I have to admit, I feel the same way as they do. I always get excited for this time of year. Thankfully Melody stopped by an hour ago to take all of them out for ice cream to hold them over a little longer. It was extra warm today, making it the perfect day to swim. If I didn't know any better I might have guessed Jonas had issued an order to the sun to make sure it came out for us. He would try to do anything to make us all happy.
One of the two men out by the pool gives me a thumbs-up, letting me know it’s ready to go. I am going to sneak out and enjoy a few minutes of the sun before chaos gets back here. It would be beautiful chaos but chaos nonetheless. I love them all but a little mommy time sounds good right about now.
I grab my towel, ditching my robe as I go. I already have my bikini on. I swear I am almost as bad as the kids with my excitement. I didn't sleep in my swimsuit like they did, but that was because Jonas has me naked soon after he slips into bed next to me each night. I know better than to wear too many clothes to bed. Jonas has a habit of ripping things when he’s trying to get at me.
I hurry out of the patio door, putting my things on one of the chaise lounges. I adjust my bathing suit that I absolutely love before I head for the steps. I dip my toe into the water, almost screaming because it’s still a little chilly. I decide to just bite the bullet and immerse myself into the water. As soon as my small bump gets halfway in, I feel a kick from my little girl. I smile down at my stomach.
“You better stop. Your daddy will be mad he missed that kick,” I whisper down at my belly. I’ve started showing sooner with each baby we have. I told Jonas this was going to be our last. The twins kept our hands full but now that they are off and running, I had begun to get the itch again. I made Jonas promise me that this time it would be a girl. I don’t know how he did it but he pulled through. I am having my little girl. Finally, I will have someone to face all these boys with.