Epilogue
“And you made sure that the justice of the peace knows it’s husband and wife and not man and wife, right?” Lydia asked Rex for probably the twentieth time in the last two weeks.
He nodded. “Yes, dear.”
“I won’t have any of this patriarchy, I’m your property, you stay a man but I become a wife bullshit at my wedding.”
“Yes, dear.”
“And you double-checked that the word obey is not in the vows at all, right?”
“Yes, dear.”
“And you—”
He grabbed her from behind, where she was busily chopping vegetables for dinner, spun her around and promptly took her mouth with his.
That shut her up.
But she was still holding a knife, so he needed to tread carefully.
Their baby in Lydia’s belly kicked him, and they both grinned through their kiss.
Not removing her lips from his, she blindly set the knife down on the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss.
Their kid kicked even harder.
He or she was going to be just like their mother. Fierce, strong and with their daddy wrapped around their pinky finger the moment they were born.
And he was A-fucking-OK with that.
After a few moments, Lydia broke the kiss, her eyes glassy and her smile gentle. “That’s not going to shut me up, but thank you.”
He busted out the dimples.
“Put those away.” She turned back to the counter and went to pick up her knife, but he wasn’t letting her get away that easily. He scooped her up, and she squealed as he carried her over to their couch.
With the baby on the way, they’d decided a few months ago to get a bigger place. And it perfectly coincided with Chase and Stacey’s move to the new home they built on Prospect Lake. Rex and Lydia just moved into the townhouse his brother vacated. The townhouse was owned by James and Emma, so it was the easiest move Rex had ever done.
Eventually, he and Lydia would like to own their own place, but for now, the townhouse was perfect and more than enough space for their growing family.
He fell onto the couch first, bringing her into his lap.
She was all sexy grins, and her arms looped around his neck, but then her smile drooped and she gently traced a finger over his head. “Need to put some more aloe on that burn. We don’t want it to peel and have you looking like a leper in the wedding photos.”
He shrugged casually. “I’ll just wear a beret if it starts to peel.”
That earned him exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for.
Her hazel eyes went dinner-plate wide, and her bottom lip dropped open. “No berets in my wedding.”
“Our wedding, dear. Remember?”
She nodded. “Right. Sorry. Our wedding.”
The baby kicked him again, and their gazes fell down to Lydia’s belly. She was six months along now, and although the pregnancy had come as a surprise to both of them, he could not be happier to be having a baby with the woman he loved.
“Did you have a coffee today? Little Bug is a wild thing.”
She shook her head, eyes sparkling as she rubbed her belly affectionately. “The baby gets like this when they hear your voice. They love their daddy.”
That made his heart soar.
“You ready to find out what we’re having?” she asked excitedly.
Lydia had known for a full day now, and was champing at the bit to tell him. But Rex remained on the fence. Boy or girl, he’d love the baby no matter what. Did it really matter knowing ahead of time? Wasn’t that part of the surprise?
She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a black sash. He eyed it curiously. “What’s that for?”
She nibbled on her lip. “I’m going to blindfold you.”
Unease wormed through his belly. He still didn’t like being tied up or blindfolded—not that they did it on the regular—but for her, he’d do anything. She had his complete trust now and forever. If there was anyone he would let tie him up or cut off one of his senses even temporarily and in good fun, it was Lydia.
He allowed her to fasten the sash around his eyes, blocking out the light and everything else, while he inhaled deep to calm his nerves.
She shifted slightly in his lap, her wiggling against his crotch not at all unpleasant.
“What are you doing, woman?”
“Just give me a minute. I’m big.”
“You’re sexy.”
She plopped an unexpected kiss to his mouth, then resumed her wiggling, which was accompanied by a few grunts as well.
“Ready?” she asked, the giddiness in her tone so real he could probably reach out and touch it.
He made a “Mhmm” noise.
She reached for his blindfold, pulled it free from his eyes and he blinked a couple of times to allow his pupils to readjust.
She sat there grinning at him while wearing a hot pink bra that showed off her luscious, full, pregnant lady tits.
Pink.
A pink bra.
Pink for …
“A girl?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “We’re having a girl?”
She blinked through tears and nodded, still smiling brighter than the sun. “We are. We’re having a little girl.”
Boy or girl, he would have been ecstatic for either one, but if he was being entirely honest, he was secretly hoping for a little girl maybe five percent more. He saw the way his brothers were with their daughters and how strong and fierce Zoe and Thea were growing up to be, and he wanted to be part of that. He wanted to help the next generation of women grow up to be powerful and rule the world.
As Stacey often pointed out, if women ran the world, there would be fewer wars and people would be more taken care of. Women were nurturers, but they got shit done.
And he fucking believed it.
He’d been raised by such a woman.
He was getting ready to marry such a woman.
“Are you happy?” she asked, her gaze wary but hopeful.
Emotion clung heavy in his throat like a sticky wad of peanut butter. “So happy. We’re having a baby girl.” He was going to raise a warrior princess. A warrior princess who would befriend the dragon rather than slay it and rule the world with her iron fist of compassion and strength.
He kissed the mother of his child hard, feeling her smile against his lips.
She chuckled and broke their kiss when the baby kicked again.
He placed his hand next to Lydia’s, and they watched her belly move, their foreheads instinctively migrating until they leaned against each other and watched their daughter stretch and move like a healthy baby should.
“Can you believe we’re getting married in two days?” she asked. “And that in three months we’re going to be parents. This is all so surreal. I’d hoped for all of this to happen in my life, but the fact that it’s actually coming true is … like a dream.” The last three words were said on a sigh, and she closed her eyes for a moment.
“I’m over the fucking moon, babe. Life is on the upswing, and we’re going to ride it all the way to the stars.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him sideways, one brow lifting on her forehead. “Waxing poetic now, are you?”
He shrugged. “Hard not to when life is this good. You have your dream job, thanks to James.” James the millionaire, decided to make Lydia’s dream come true and provided her with the start-up funds for her own preschool.
“Thanks to James for the money, but you for believing in me,” she replied.
“I’ll always believe in you,” he said. “Forever and always.”
Her smile made him feel like he was floating.
“We’re getting married. We’re having a baby. Life is perfect.” She smiled and pulled her head away from his, removing her hand from her belly and cupping his cheek instead. “Thank you. Thank you for fighting for us. For demanding a second chance and for our amazing life and the amazingness yet to come.”
He shook his head. “I’m the one that should be thanking you. You gave me a second chance when I didn’t deserve it, and now you’re giving me a baby girl to love and a perfect life with a woman I’m crazy about.”
She blinked back at him with fresh tears forming in her eyes. “You’re going to make the hormonal pregnant lady cry, Rexthalomew. Not cool.”
But her smile was illuminating, and even though when she pressed her lips against his and her salty tears dripped down, mingling with their kisses, he knew she was happy.
She pulled away and used the hem of his T-shirt to wipe her eyes. “I suggest you take your wife upstairs to our bedroom, get naked and limber up that tongue, because when you say such wonderful things, all she wants to do is ride you bareback like the virile stallion you are.”
She had him tossing the dimples at her again with full force.
“Now you’re throwing those things at me? You know I can barely contain my orgasms at this stage in the pregnancy as it is. I sneeze and I either pee or come. Put them away or get naked.”
He scooped her up again, making her squeal, and he made his way toward the stairs. “I choose option B.”
She held on tight to his neck and kissed his cheek. “Good choice.”
“I’m listening to my gut.” He started to ascend the stairs. “Won’t make that mistake again.”
Then he laid his wife-to-be down on their bed and made love to her, because any other choice would have been going against his gut and frankly, just plain stupid. If the last two years had taught them anything, it was to trust your instincts and not let go of the good.
And Lydia was all good.
And he was never letting her go.
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