by LeAnn Ashers
He reaches for me, and Wilder sets him on the bed next to me. Mason lies down with his head on my shoulder. God, moments like this I will cherish forever. Wilder kisses my temple. “Thank you for giving me this life, sweet girl.”
I touch his cheek. “We did this together.” He touches his forehead against mine, before both us turn back to the screen.
Babies Number Two and Three
Wilder is sitting in a chair next to the bed, and Cole and Harlan are asleep on his chest. They were born a few hours ago, and I just woke up from a much-needed nap.
Having two babies instead of one is a lot harder, as you can imagine, and I am just drained. Darla, Tristan, Travis, and my dad just left., and everyone else isn’t going to visit until tomorrow,
“How are they?” I ask, and Wilder looks at me then at our babies.
“They are perfect,” he whispers, kissing the tops of their heads. Someone stirs at my feet, and I look down to see Mason waking up. He sits up, his hair messed up on one side.
Mason is two years old now, and when Darla attempted to take him home with her, he clung to Wilder, crying, and Wilder wouldn’t let him go. Wilder is a very protective father, and he understands that sometimes Mason doesn’t want anyone but his parents holding or touching him. Honestly, I am the same way.
Mason crawls up the bed until he is lying against my legs. “I wanna snack.” Wilder gently lays the babies down in their beds, opens the diaper bag, and grabs Mason’s snack.
“Wilder, do you think Travis would bring us some dinner?” We never expected Mason to stay, but dinner is coming up soon.
“Yeah, I am sure.” He takes out his phone and shoots Travis a text.
The babies start crying, and Mason looks at them curiously and smiles that slobbery smile. Wilder hands me the huge boppy pillow I bought; then he hands me Cole and Harlan. This time my milk managed to come in, allowing me to breastfeed.
I cover my breasts with a small throw blanket. Wilder helps me situate the babies, and they both latch on.
“This is going to take some practice.” I laugh, my hands resting on their backs.
“I will be here to help you, sweet girl.” He releases my hair from my messed-up bun and fixes it for me.
“I bet we have a girl next time.”
Wilder’s head snaps up, his eyes narrowed. “We are not having a girl.” He scoops Mason off the bed.
I smile because I just know we are having a little girl.
Pregnancy Number Three
I stare at the monitor on the screen in pure happiness and glee, because I just knew it!
I am pregnant with a girl.
After three little boys, I now have a girl!
Wilder turns pale, looking like he is about to throw up. He has said over and over how afraid he is of having a little girl and putting her in this fucked-up world. What he does not realize is that she will be surrounded by people who will protect her with their lives. Also he can barely handle me, and he’s freaked out by the thought of another me, which I love.
But bless my heart because I have three Wilders running around. They look like mini versions of him, but they have my eyes.
Darla is watching all three of them for us, which she begs to do on a daily basis. Every day a member of the club is over, fussing over them, which they eat up. They are little angels to us, but they give each other hell.
Wilder face plants into my boobs—of course he would land there. I pat the back of his head. ''It will be fine, Sweetheart.”
He raises his head looking pissed off. "It is not fucking okay,” he grumbles, which just causes me to laugh loudly.
"She is going to be just like you." He stares at the wall, thinking, then looks at me. “She looks just like you.” He covers his face, whispering, “Fuck me.”
I cover my laugh. “I will later,” I whisper back, so only he will hear. He drops his hand and winks at me. We have an appetite that not many have. I am ready to go all day and all night, and he is right there with me.
''I will just hide her away at our cabin." He nods, talking to imself, and goes back to thinking once more. I can’t stop the laughter this time; he is just so cute. He just glares at me, his arms folded across his chest.
I decide he has been tortured enough. “Don't forget she has three older brothers.”
He smiles. “That is fucking right. She also has all of her cousins and, boy, does she have a lot of them.”
Baby Number Four
Many Hours of Labor Later
The door opens revealing Darla and my three boys. Wilder is sitting on the bed next to me, and he gets up the moment he sees them. Mason, Harlan, and Cole. Mason is five, Harlan and Cole are three, and now we have Olivia, and I can tell right off the bat she is going to look a lot like me.
She is our little princess. Wilder has stood by her side like a sentinel since the moment she was born, and he will only let a few people hold her.
All three of them run to me, barely glancing at Wilder, and Mason helps Cole and Harlan on the bed. “Easy, don’t hurt Mommy,” Mason says.
Wilder turns his head to hide his smile; they are miniature Wilders. “I won’t hurt Mommy.” Harlan pushes Mason’s shoulder and gently sits down beside me, smiling. Cole sits on the other side, and Mason sits beside Harlan.
“Want to hold Olivia?” I ask Mason, who nods. I lean over, settling her in the crook of his arm. Wilder walks over to help him.
“Hi Olivia, I’m your big brother Mason,” he whispers. So cute! I smile and run my hand down his face, and he touches her little cheek.
Harlan leans over, kissing her forehead. “I’m your broder,” he tells her. Her little hand reaches out of her blanket, and Harlan looks at me in pure amazement. Cole touches her hand. “Wittle hand, I your brother too.”
Wilder holds my hand as we watch all of our kids together. I can tell they are going to be amazing brothers to her. She is one blessed little girl.
“No more,” I say.
He laughs at me, because I was stuck on four kids and we have that now. I didn’t want to stop until I had a precious little girl.
Our family is complete.
Two Years Later
Can these kids become any more like Wilder? We are at the grocery store, while Wilder is at the clubhouse, getting their snacks for school.
It starts like this.
“Why are you staring at my mommy?” Mason asks, and I turn around to see him looking at a man standing behind us.
Olivia pipes up, “Yeah,” in her sweet little voice. I was right about her being my spitting image, and I love torturing Wilder with it to this day. Harlan and Cole walk over to me and hold on to my shirt.
The guy looks at Mason in pure shock, then at me. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I said why are you staring at my mommy, my daddy does not like when people do that and I don’t think I should either.” He folds his arms across his chest.
Oh my God!
Did that actually just happen? My seven-year-old boy is confronting a man for looking at me. Mason is Wilder’s twin right now, his arms across his chest.
“I was just looking at her,” the guy whispers.
Mason glares at him. “Well, wait until I tell my daddy.” He tries to deepen his voice, and it takes everything in me not to burst out laughing.
“Tell daddy what?” Wilder is walking up the aisle to us, and Mason nods at the man. I am once again struck by how much he reminds me of Wilder. “This guy was staring at Mommy.”
Olivia swings her little legs in the buggy. “Yeah!” she says again.
Wilder stands next to his son, his arms crossed just like Mason. “Staring at her, huh?”
The guy swallows, taking in Wilder, sweat pouring off his face. “I… I…”
Mason points his finger. “It is not nice to stare at mommies.” My heart grows a little more for this sweet little boy.
Wilder looks down at Mason proudly. We are not the most conventional family, but we are extre
mely protective of each other because of all the shit that went down with the cartel, which ended a long time ago.
The guy turns around and runs out of the aisle, and Mason fist bumps Wilder. Harlan and Cole are still pressed against my sides. Mason is the most vocal one, and the twins are silent observers.
“Daddy!” Olivia squeals and reaches her arms up. He smiles at her, lifting her out. “Hello, beautiful.” He hugs her.
Can he get any hotter? It should be a crime for a man to be this hot and, throughout the years, he has gotten hotter, if that was even possible.
A hand slips into mine, and I tear my eyes away from Wilder to look at Mason.
“I got you, Mommy.”
Do not cry, Joslyn! I repeat over and over. Every day they do something to still my heart, over and over.
“Can we have burgers?” Harlan asks.
Wilder rubs the top of his head. “Sure, son.” Harlan smiles and Cole jumps up and down excitedly.
“Sounds good,” Mason says, pretending to be all grown up. Wilder looks at me, amused.
Olivia starting Kindergarten
“She is not ready to go yet!” Wilder says for the tenth time this morning. We are outside Olivia’s classroom. Mason and the twins left us to go to their classrooms.
“Baby, she has to go.” I touch his arm, and he shakes his head and picks her up. She clings to him, which does not make it easier.
Travis walks around the corner with his daughter, Sophie. She is the same age as Olivia. Olivia sees her and wiggles her way down.
I bend down to Olivia. “Ready to go class, beauty?” She nods, grabbing Sophie’s hand.
Wilder looks at me like I just betrayed him, and I roll my eyes. He is extremely protective of her; I knew he would be because she is his little girl.
Do not let her fool you. She looks like an angel, but she has a temper that can rival his and, of course, he thinks it’s cute.
In the end she has to be tough, because she has three older brothers who just love picking on her. Just this morning she poured salt into their juice because Cole had hidden her Barbie doll from her. It has been like this since the moment she got old enough to retaliate. It’s a full-blown war now, and I will never admit that I find it hilarious.
She waves at Wilder. “Bye, Daddy. Can we go fishing later?”
His face transforms. “Sure, baby girl.”
She waves at me next. “Bye, Mommy.” She walks into her classroom with Sophie following her.
“Don’t think for a second I will forget this, Joslyn,” Wilder growls, smacking my ass right in the middle of the damn school.
“Wilder, someone could have seen! A child.” I move my butt out of his reach.
He just grins that cocky grin that has enabled him to get away with a lot over the years. “I checked to see if anyone was looking, it’s my ass anyway.”
I turn around and strut my ass out down the hall. Wilder follows, laughing the whole way, and an idea forms in my head. “This means the kids will be gone eight hours of the day,” I whisper.
He grins, picks me up, and runs out of the school. I laugh loudly, ignoring all of the looks from other parents.
* * *
My phone rings, waking me up from my nap. “Hello?”
“Mom, you will not believe what Olivia has done!” I cover my face because I almost don’t want to know. She has turned into a prankster and lives to torture her brothers.
“What did she do?”
“She put a fart bomb in my bag and when I opened it, it exploded.”
“Oh my goodness,” I whisper, praying to the Lord I don’t laugh.
Mason huffs into the phone. “It was a good joke.”
I laugh this time because he knows she is good at pulling pranks, and he does the same.
“Wait until I get home.” He hangs up and Wilder lies down on the bed next to me. “Fart bomb?” he says.
I nod, laughing, and Olivia looks into our bedroom as she walks by. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Daddy.” Her voice is sugary sweet but the little shit is faking it.
Wilder voices my thoughts. “Such a little shit.”
* * *
Mason gets home and runs up the stairs; my guess is that he’s going straight to Olivia. We follow as he throws open her bedroom door, tosses two fart bombs into her room, and shuts the door.
She screams and tries to open the door, but he holds it closed. He smirks. “Payback is a bitch.”
Mason is now seventeen, the twins fifteen, and Olivia twelve. Harlan opens his bedroom door and looks at Mason. “You just fucked up, man.” He slams the door shut, not even giving me a chance to scold him.
She quits banging on the door, and Mason opens it to be tackled by her. She puts her knuckles on top of his head, rubbing. “How does that feel!”
He stands up, grabs her ankles, and lifts her off the floor. He shakes her up and down. “I will get you back for this! It may not be now, but it will happen.”
“Game on, little sis.” He throws her onto her bed and slams the door.
* * *
Olivia Eighth Grade
“Dad, I really don’t want to go today. Everyone has a date to get stuff from for Valentine’s Day, and I won’t have anyone.” Real tears fill her eyes, breaking our hearts.
“Sweet girl, you have to go. You have a test.”
She ducks her head, walking outside. Mason is giving her a ride to school. Her brothers scare away every guy around. Keep in mind she is thirteen.
Wilder is on his phone and glancing out the window, watching them leave. Why do I have a feeling he is up to something? He sees me looking at him, and he throws his phone on the couch, throws me over his shoulder, and takes me to our bedroom.
A Few Hours Later
My phone is ringing, and I see it’s Olivia. Oh no. I pick up my phone. “Mom, you will not believe what just happened.” I put the phone on speakerphone and set it on the coffee table. Wilder and I are lying on the couch, binge watching a TV show.
“I was at lunch and two delivery guys walked into the lunch room, they had two dozen white roses and a huge teddy bear. Guess what happened next?”
“What?”
“They brought it to me! I have a secret admirer or something.”
I look at Wilder, who has not made a peep the whole time. It must be him because, if it weren’t, he would be pissed.
“We better not tell Dad, he might get mad,” she whispers and Wilder winks at me.
God, can he be any more perfect?
“Bye, Mom, here is Mason.” She hangs up.
Not even a minute later, Wilder’s phone is ringing and I look over to see it’s Cole. “Dad, some fucker gave Olivia flowers and shit.”
I cover my face with a pillow, and Wilder is barely able to contain himself—his face is red with laughter.
“What? Find out who it is,” he growls into the phone and hangs up, bursting out laughing.
This is epic. She will forever remember this moment. Wilder is the sweetest and most thoughtful man I have ever met, and he continues to surprise me.
Mason
Twenty-Four Years Old
“Mom, I finally met her.” Mason sits next to me on the couch. He is grown up and not my little boy anymore.
“What is her name?” I ask him, not even bothering trying to hide the tears on my face. I am getting old, I’ve raised three boys, and I deserve to cry.
“Meadow.”
Hold the fuck up. “Meadow as in Liam’s daughter?”
He nods, smiling happily.
Dear sweet baby Jesus. “WILDER!” I scream and he runs into the room. “Our son has fallen in love with Meadow.”
Wilder laughs. “Fuck, kid, you picked the one girl with a crazy fucking dad.”
Harlan walks into the room with his boyfriend, Zeke. “What’s going on?”
“He wants Meadow.” I point an accusatory finger at Mason, who is calm. My son is a mean motherfucker too—I have seen it firsthand—but that does not mean it will
be easy dating Liam’s daughter.
“Oh fuck, man. Well, we better call Lane and tell him war is happening,” Cole says, sticking his head in the room.
I burst out laughing and everyone joins in. Olivia walks into the room. “I think I got you beat, bro,” she says.
That wipes the smile off my face.
“What the fuck are you saying?” Wilder growls. She just sits down on the couch next to Mason.
“Greyson.”
Oh my goodness.
“When did this happen?” I ask incredulously.
She smiles. “He has been asking me out for a month straight, and I finally agreed.”
Greyson is the son of Kyle and Chrystal of the Devil Souls MC. Kyle was the president of the Devil Souls up until two years ago, and Greyson took over.
Let’s just say it seems that all of the kids took our badassness and doubled it. These kids make us look tame.
“He better stay the fuck away!” Wilder yells and Olivia just smiles
We all know Greyson, and we all say the only person who could give that kid a run for his money is Olivia—and let’s not forget my son dating Meadow, whose dad is just badass in a way that makes Butcher tame.
I look at Wilder, who is staring at the ceiling like his heart is broken, but in the end we all want our kids to be happy.
But oh boy, here we go.
THE END
After a long wait
Liam is coming next!
Acknowledgments
To my readers, thank you so so so much from the bottom of my heart! You guys are the best! Without you guys I wouldn’t be here today. <3
Lydia, my wonderful publicist and PA, thank you for everything you do for me! I would be lost if you wasn’t around to keep me sane!
My Review Team and my Reader Groups: You guys are my biggest support system and push me to be better with every book. You also never hesitate to give me words of encouragement.
About the Author
