His father pursed his lips. “Was it?”
“Pop!”
Ron chuckled. “It was to give you all a break from the kids. I’m glad you’re taking full advantage of it.” He turned to Greg and grabbed the younger man’s shoulder. “Let’s go, Greg, before the kids pick out a lopsided tree. We can’t have that.”
“Can’t have that,” Greg parroted. He shot a last wave at them through the window. “Bye! Bye, Marc! Bye, Lee!”
“Bye, Greg,” they both answered at the same time.
“See you at the parade!” Greg shouted as Ron escorted him away with a firm grip on his shoulder.
Once they both disappeared into the trees, both Marc and Leah breathed easier.
“Hurry up and close the blinds so we can get out.” Leah glanced around. “Where’s the cock ring?”
“I dropped it in the water.” He stood up, the water sluicing off him, and pulled the blinds.
“Oh, thank goodness! I had this nightmare of Ron seeing it sitting on the edge of the tub.”
“Me, too. And that would be my luck. Open the drain.” He climbed out of the tub and held out his hand to her to help her out. “I’ll grab the wet vac since we flooded the bathroom.”
“And while you do that, I’ll make you breakfast. What do you want?” She stepped out of the tub and he held onto her since the tiles were wet.
“You. Across the kitchen table.”
She paused in front of him, tapping his cheek. “You’re very ambitious today.”
He dropped his head until their lips were almost touching. “Trying to make the most out of the time we were given.”
“I appreciate that, but your kid needs food.”
He released a dramatic huff. “Fine. We’ll eat first and then if we have time, I’ll take you on the kitchen table.”
“Or I’ll take you.” She said, giving him a quick kiss and pulling away.
He grabbed her wrist and stopped her from leaving the bathroom. “Hey.”
She paused and glanced over her shoulder. “What?”
“Thank you for putting up with me.”
She stared at him for the longest time, her face unreadable.
“And my family,” he quickly added.
“I only put up with you because you come with them,” she teased. Her face went soft. “But they’re my family, too. I can’t imagine life without them.”
“I could.”
She laughed and he watched his beautiful, naked, pregnant wife walk out the door.
Chapter Three Matt & Carly
Carly turned over and her hand went out.
Nothing.
Matt’s side of the bed was empty. Shit.
She shot up in bed, willing her eyes to focus.
Had he had a nightmare again and disappeared?
Her gaze landed on his cell phone on the nightstand. Shit.
She couldn’t even ping his location. He wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without it. He had agreed to that. This way if he went into a dark headspace, she’d at least know where he was and if he was safe. She’d have some way to track him down. Or have a location to send one of his brothers to find him.
They had agreed.
Especially after he’d disappeared when they first lived together. When he had checked himself into a mental health facility for a month without a word.
He’d been so good about keeping his phone with him. She hoped he wasn’t slipping.
Not now, not when...
She glanced at the digital clock. 4:02.
She’d been up half the night because Levi had been fussy. She listened carefully and didn’t hear a baby crying or a man moving around the house.
It was too quiet. But then their bedroom door was closed. She never closed it so they could hear Levi in the room directly across the hall.
She shoved the covers off and slid out of bed. She padded barefoot across the room, out of the bedroom and was surprised to find the nursery’s door closed. Had she closed it automatically in her exhaustion?
She quietly opened the door and peeked into the dark room only lit by a nightlight. It was bright enough that she could see them perfectly.
Her husband sitting in the rocking chair, holding Levi against his broad chest, giving the baby a bottle. His head was dipped down and he was talking in a low, soothing voice...
Telling Levi a story Matt was making up as he went.
Her heart swelled and she put her hand over her mouth as the first tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to disturb them, but she couldn’t not watch the two bonding.
Father and son.
Levi had downy hair, as dark as Matt’s, and right now had blue eyes. Hopefully they would remain blue, just like his birth mother’s. Just like Matt’s.
She wiped away another tear that ran down her face. She had worried about him, but she had no reason to. He had stepped in to take care of Levi without her asking.
To Matt, having a baby didn’t come naturally and he had to work at it. But he was willing. He was willing to do whatever he needed to do to give her her dream of having a child.
And that right there caused another tear to fall.
His deep, smooth voice tapered off and he continued to stare at Levi for what seemed like minutes, when it was probably seconds. Lifting his head, he spotted Carly standing in the doorway.
“He was fussy again,” Matt whispered, carefully rising to his feet, the baby tucked in one arm, the empty bottle in his other hand.
He placed the bottle on the changing table, carefully moved a sleeping Levi to his shoulder where he had a towel draped over it and gently patted the baby’s back until he let out the smallest burp. Matt grinned and laid Levi in his crib on his back.
“Does he need to be changed first?”
Matt stared into the crib and murmured, “Already done.” He nodded, like he was assuring himself that Levi was fine and he could leave him. With a last look, he turned and approached her, still stuck in the doorway.
“You could’ve woken me up. You have to work today, I don’t,” she reminded him.
“I know. But I wanted to help. He’s my
