by LeAnn Ashers
He nods. “I always wanted a baby, and I have the space and the means to take care of him.” This is very true. Aiden has mentioned to me before that he has always wanted to be a dad, and I have a feeling that we aren’t going to find this baby’s family.
“Aiden, why don’t you come home with me, and we can help you for a few days until you get the hang of it? We have a guest room.”
Aiden nods. “That would be great. I know Bailey can help me.” He steps closer to me and I give him the baby, who is fast asleep. My heart is fucking hurting at the sight of him. He is so fucking tiny and innocent, and if we hadn’t gotten here when we did, everything would have been so different.
Lane grabs the man from the couch by his hair and drags him outside. “Me and you are going to have a talk. I want to know everything.”
“Let me call Bailey, we need to grab some stuff for the baby,” I tell Aiden, and he nods.
She answers after a few rings. “Hey, baby.” I hurry and explain the situation, and I hear her sniff over the phone. I know this shit is hitting close to home because of Gabby.
“She is texting me a list of the basics, we can always grab the other stuff whenever,” I tell Aiden.
“I want to thank you, man. This means a lot to me.”
“It’s nothing, it’s what family is for.” I smack his shoulder and drag him outside with me. The air has a chill, and the baby starts crying immediately.
“Travis, can you grab me my jacket out of my saddlebag?” Aiden asks me. I grab his jacket and hand it to him.
A prospect drives up in a truck, and Lane looks at Aiden. “Here is your truck, and we had a car seat installed in there.”
“Thank you, Lane.” Aiden walks over to the truck. I open the door for him, and Aiden puts the baby inside the car seat. He sets his jacket on the seat beside him. I show Aiden how to properly secure it.
“I will follow you to Myra’s and then the store.” We need to make sure he is okay. Aiden gets in the driver’s seat and I get on my bike.
Aiden’s entire world just changed, and I know he is going to be an amazing fucking dad. We are all good dads. I just never realized how much I wanted it until Gabby.
Bailey
From the moment I got that call from Travis, it has not left my mind: trafficking? I know things like this happen, but for it to happen here, right under all of our noses?
That is a huge wake-up call. I can’t even fathom the mentality of someone who would do something like that. I clench my eyes closed. I don’t want to think of things like that.
Travis texted me around twenty minutes ago, letting me know they are leaving the store and heading home. I know they took the baby to Myra.
I hear a motorcycle pull up outside, and I walk to the front door and step out onto the front porch. Aiden gets out of the truck, and Travis opens the door and takes out a ton of bags. I guess they got what I told them to, and a lot more. Aiden shuts the door, carrying a small bundle.
I step aside, holding the door open for him. “You need me to help you carry, Travis?” He shakes his head with a faint smile.
Aiden smiles at me. Okay, Aiden has this sexy geek thing going on. He is completely sleeved out, and his hair is dark brown, gelled slightly to the side but messed up enough to give him that ruffled undone look. Travis sets everything down on the living room floor and goes back outside; my guess is that he’s going out for another load. Aiden sits down on the couch with the baby.
“He is beautiful,” I say softly.” I am itching to hold him. “I miss Gabby being this small.” There is nothing better than snuggling with a baby.
“I don’t know what to do,” he confesses. I laugh.
“I didn’t know either, but it eventually becomes second nature. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s so worth it.”
“I think that’s everything.” Travis groans as he carries in the last bag.
I spot the baby bathtub. “I think he needs a bath, some pajamas, and food,” I tell Aiden. I search the bag, finding the supplies needed. Travis carries the bathtub into the kitchen, and as I fill the tub, I make sure to show Aiden the correct temperature. Travis is helping him get the baby out of his clothes.
“He needs a name.” I can’t continue calling him Baby.
Aiden tilts his head to the side for a few seconds. “How about Reid?”
I smile. “I love it.” I explain to Aiden everything he needs to know, and I drag Travis out of the kitchen, leaving him on his own.
I sit down on the couch, and Travis plops down beside me. “What a day, huh?” I rub my tired eyes.
Travis yawns. “That’s for sure.”
I bend down and begin taking everything out of the bags. I grab the formula, bottles, and baby food. “How old is he?” I ask Travis.
“He is five months, from what Myra can figure out.”
I shake my head. He is so small. “He is underweight, isn’t he?”
Travis nods. “Yes he is, but not as bad as she would have expected. She sees nothing wrong with him, but she did do tests. She gave us a special formula to help bring his weight up.”
I stare down at the tiny clothes, my heart breaking. “It’s so sad, Travis,” I whisper, and I lean against him.
“I know, baby.” He kisses the side of my head. I let out a deep breath and grab the formula and the bottle. I want to get some food in him as fast as possible.
Aiden looks up as I walk in. “I am afraid I am going to hurt him.” Reid is staring up at Aiden like he is trying to understand who he is. He yawns and starts sucking on his hand. How precious.
“You’re doing perfectly fine. Is he ready to get out?” I ask.
“I think so.” Aiden takes a towel from a pile on the counter, and he takes Reid out of the water. Reid cries from being cold. “Shh, I have you.”
My poor little heart. I can’t wait to see Travis with his own baby. I want to have a bunch of kids with him.
Travis comes into the kitchen and puts his arm around my shoulders. We stand together watching Aiden, making sure he doesn’t need anything. It’s really amazing that he would take Reid without hesitation, and I love the fact that you don’t have to be in a relationship to be a parent. He is taking on a huge role, and he will be fine.
Aiden finally gets him lotioned, diapered, and dressed, and he tucks him against his chest, smiling. “I’m in love.”
Yeah, I understand 100 percent where he is coming from. “Do you need me to help you with the bottle?”
He nods. “Thank you.” I lead him through the process and hand him the bottle. He takes it and walks into the living room, and he sits down in the recliner. Travis and I follow and sit down on the couch.
“We need to put together the bed.” I tell Travis.
“How about I do it, and you can help fix the room up for Aiden?”
I grab the bags and set the bottles, formula, and water on the table so he can easily grab it tonight. I fix a makeshift changing table, having everything at the ready. I put Reid’s clothes and blankets in the chest. Then I fix Aiden’s bed for him; he will need as much sleep as he can for the next couple of days until he gets into the swing of things.
I head back downstairs. “Don’t forget to burp him every few ounces.” I learned that the hard way with Gabby. Travis has Reid’s bed set up. It’s a simple pop-up one. When Aiden goes home he can get a crib.
Reid starts crying, and Aiden pats him on the back, gently rocking. He is a natural! Travis gets up, carrying the small bed. “I will be back.”
I yawn and turn on the TV, and I relax on the couch. Travis comes back and pulls me into his lap, and we watch TV together. From the corner of my eye, I watch Aiden and Reid, but Aiden seems to have it down pat.
“I think I am going to lay him down and sleep myself. Thank you all for everything.” Aiden smiles.
“It’s nothing, that’s what family is for, right?” Travis speaks often of the MC being a family, and I feel like I am a part of that now.
�
��That’s right.” Aiden nods and walks up the stairs.
I close my eyes, snuggling into Travis. “Let me clean up the kitchen, and I will be ready for bed.” I stare at the baby things, including the little bitty socks. Travis comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.
“You miss it, don’t you?” he asks.
I nod. “Yes, I do—a lot.”
He turns around, looking serious. “Let’s have a baby.”
My mouth opens. Did he really just say that? “What are you trying to say?”
He smiles, that achingly beautiful smile. “Let’s have a baby. I know you’re it for me, baby. Why not start now?”
Do I want this? Do I want a baby now with Travis? I throw caution to the wind, and for once I do what I want. “Okay,” I whisper. He kisses me hard on the lips. It’s sudden, but I can’t help it. He has taken over my whole life; I have never felt like this before. I want to experience everything with him. I want Gabby to have a brother or a sister. I want to see Travis hold our baby and Gabby.
“Let’s hurry and clean this up so we can get to the baby making,” he says in a very country accent. I laugh loudly and wipe everything down while he empties the tub. I stop thinking do I really want to do this? What if something happens and I am alone again? I close my eyes thinking, if worst comes to worst, I can take care of two children myself—but I don’t think that will ever happen. We clean everything up, and Travis follows me up the stairs holding my hand.
Travis shuts the door quietly and locks it. I am already taking off my clothes, no longer ashamed to do so. He leans against the wall, his eyes dark, watching my every movement. I turn around, bending over at the waist, slipping my panties down my legs. “Fuck.” I hear him groan, and I grin and turn around, taking my hair out of my bun and letting my curls fan around my face.
One second he is leaning against the door, and the next, his hand is in my hair as he kisses me. Finally. It’s like coming home the second his lips touch mine. The world stops—everything stops—and it’s just me and him. Kissing him, being with him, is such an amazing feeling. It’s a good-for-your-soul feeling, and I know this is right where I am meant to be. He is what I have needed my whole life, the missing piece to the puzzle.
I grip the bottom of his shirt, and he breaks the kiss long enough so I can pull it over his head. He hands rest on either side of my neck. My eyes connect with his. “We are really doing this?” I whisper. It’s really sinking in that this is happening.
His right hand glides up from my neck to my face, cupping my jaw gently. “I’ve always wanted to be a dad, and Gabby made me want more kids. I feel like Gabby is my own, and I want her to have brothers and sisters to grow up with.”
Whatever part of my heart didn’t belong to Travis is gone in a split second. His admitting that he feels like Gabby is his is everything to me. She needs and deserves someone like this in her life.
I press my face into his chest. I just want to hold him for a few seconds. He kisses the top of my head. I pull back and unbutton my pants.
“Get on the bed, baby.” I climb on the bed, and he pulls his pants down. I am shaking in anticipation of everything that’s going to happen; my world is changing so fast. I wouldn’t change one thing.
He is so handsome—the way he carries himself and the way he looks at me. He treats me like I am a precious jewel that needs to be protected at all costs. I have never felt so free—and just happy—in my life.
He climbs onto the bed, kissing me deeply. I shiver and lean back into the bed until I am lying on my back. His lips trail to my neck, and I grip the back of his head. He nips, kisses, and licks his way down my body. He grips my hips and, all of a sudden, I am lying facedown. He bites into my ass cheek, and as I look back at him, he looks me in the eye. “Oh god,” I moan as his fingers move between my legs. He slips his thumb inside me, and I open my legs wider and tilt my hips toward him.
“Is my Momma hungry for me?” His words are deep, raspy, and oh so sexy.
“Always.”
Smack! I jump, my ass stinging from the smack. “On your knees.” I do as he asks, and his hands wrap around my thighs, spreading my legs further apart. “Mmm, this is all for me.” He groans, and goosebumps break out across my skin at his dirty words.
“Only for you.”
He growls. “That’s fucking right,” he says and his tongue circles my clit, this angle different but oh-so-good. I grip the blankets, burying my face into the pillow, trying to hold myself together. “Mine,” he says before sucking hard. I cry out, slamming my hand into the headboard.
“Yours,” I breathe out and bite my lip.
“What is it you’re wanting, Momma?” he says between licks.
“You.”
He stops. I feel him moving behind me, and I look back to see him holding his dick in his hand. How is he so freaking sexy? “You have me,” he whispers in my ear, his breath causing me to shiver. He slowly presses himself inside me. “Fucking made for me.” He groans, kissing his way down my back. He moves slowly, letting me adjust, before he moves faster. The way he feels without the condom is pure bliss.
He moves faster and faster. My legs are shaking at this point, on the verge of giving out. His hand slides up my back before gripping my hair, and as he pulls, I arch my back. He hits a different angle. I freeze, and his other hand reaches under me and strokes my clit. My arms give out, and I fall face forward on the bed. I scream into my pillow, and he pounds harder, prolonging my orgasms, before he spills himself inside me.
He gently lies down on my back, and I let out a deep breath, trying to regain control of my shaking body. He kisses my shoulder, his breathing just as labored as mine. I think he attempted to kill me in that moment.
“You alive?” he asks, smoothing my hair over my shoulder.
“No.” I say, my voice muffled by the pillow. He laughs, his body shaking against my back.
“Momma, you’re beautiful.”
“Sorry, I can’t answer you. I’m dead.” I close my eyes, just wanting sleep.
He laughs again. “I didn’t know the dead could speak.” He pinches my butt but I don’t make a sound. “Oh is that how it’s going to go?” he taunts. He gently slides out of me and picks me up off the bed. I stay completely limber. He turns on the shower and immediately steps inside, the cold water hitting my back. I squeal and he laughs, turning around so the spray is hitting his back. I lock my legs around his waist.
“That was just mean.” I pout, and he kisses my puckered lip.
“Poor baby.”
I mock glare at him and he throws his head back, laughing at me. “You’re beautiful.” He kisses me, and I kiss him back because that is just something I can’t control. The water is now warm, steam filling the bathroom.
“I bet you’re exhausted.” I can see it on his face.
His expression softens. “I am fine, baby. Today has been long, and we have to deal with the trafficking again. This is not the first time, and it won’t be the last.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “I know things like this are real and it happens every day, but to actually see it?” I close my eyes, thinking of Reid.
“It’s fucking sick and we have to stop it. Justice doesn’t always come from the police.”
I open my eyes and look at him for a moment. “That is sometimes the best thing that can happen.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s get cleaned up and get in bed. Gabby will be up early.”
I sigh. That is so true. The moment the light is shining through her window, she is up and at it. “She has gymnastics tomorrow morning.” I totally forgot about it until this moment.
“We will take her together.” He sets me down. I love that he wants to be there for the little things. That means a lot, and I know that is everything to Gabby.
The Next Morning
I turn over and look at the clock; it reads seven o’clock. I slide out of bed and put on a pair of Travis’s sweats. Time to start breakfast and get her stuff ready
for gymnastics. She learned the basics at her gym in Hawaii,
She loves it. She comes alive the moment she steps foot into that gym, and I want her to experience everything she loves. I want to give her the opportunity to live her dreams.
I put on a single breakfast of eggs, bacon, and some toast. I look at the clock, and we need to leave in an hour. When I walk up the stairs to wake her up, I look in my and Travis’s room—he’s not there.
In Gabby’s room Travis is lifting her out of bed, her face tucked into the side of his neck. “Someone’s sleepy, Momma,” Travis whispers, rocking side to side. I smile at both of them, savoring this beautiful moment.
“What’s for breakfast?” I can barely hear her voice. Travis gives me a look that says how cute is she? She really is the most adorable child ever.
“Bacon.”
Her head whips around and she looks at me. “Bacon?” Her tiredness is gone in a split second. I nod and she wiggles, wanting down.
“Go sit at the table, sweetheart,” I say as she runs off.
Travis laughs, “She is precious, Momma.”
I nod. “She really is! Should we ask Aiden if he wants any breakfast?”
Travis knocks lightly on his door before opening it. “You want any breakfast?”
“I will be down in a few,” Aiden says, his voice lighter from sleep.
We arrive at the gym. Gabby looks so cute in her little leotard. I have her hair plaited in two braids.
We are sitting in the parents’ room, which has a large window so we can watch her run around on the mats. The coach bends down to tell her something, and she takes off, doing a front flip–at five years old! The coach’s eyes light up. I want to run out of the room screaming, I am so proud of her. Travis is standing up looking out the window. “She is amazing.”
The other mothers are staring at both of us. Travis is the only guy in this room full of women.
Even with the little training she’s had, Gabby is already better than the other kids her age. She’s always practiced, even outside the gym. I bought a mat for our living room, took out all the furniture, and let her practice as much as she wanted. She is a fast learner, and she won’t stop until it’s perfected.
