Ford’s hands move to my belly, and his palms cup me there. “One or twenty, honey. Don’t matter to me, not as long as all y’all are healthy.”
“I love you, Ford Matthews.”
His eyes crinkle in the corners at my words. “Love you more than you could ever know, Mrs. Matthews.”
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles, knowing that I don’t care to be called Mrs. Matthews, mainly because it makes me think of his mother and ages me about ten years in my opinion. I stay astride him, his softening cock inside of me as I look down into his beautiful face.
He lifts his hands, both of them cupping my breasts, feeling their heavier weight no doubt. “Love you, honey. Happiest man in the world right in this moment with you.”
Smiling down at him, I lick my lips. “Thank you for loving me through my… well, my everything.” I shrug.
“Nobody is perfect, Stephanie. Thank you for coming home to me.”
We don’t say anything else about it. Slowly, he shifts out from beneath me, and I lie back down in bed. Ford covers me with the sheet and comforter before he makes his way to the bathroom. I hear the shower start just before I close my eyes.
This has become our morning routine. He wakes me before he goes to work for the day, we make love, then he lets me sleep and I get up a few hours later, make breakfast and call him in to eat with me.
I love this simple life and even after a year, it’s better than I could have ever imagined it. Ford was worried I would grow bored, but I know that I won’t. I’ve had the bright and shiny life. I’ve had the parties and constant attention and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Being on this ranch, visiting the greenhouse every morning, checking on the garden, and getting fresh eggs from the chicken coop, this is what I was missing, I just didn’t realize it. Not just the simple life, but the love of the man that was meant just for me. The family that we could have, the beauty of the world around me.
This is exactly what I have always wanted and didn’t know. It was right in front of my face, but I had to leave to make a few mistakes to appreciate it and now I do. There is no doubt about it, I appreciate every single part of this adventure with Ford.
FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER
FORD
I debate calling him.
I know he’d probably want to know, but I also know that Stephanie isn’t part of any of that anymore, thank fuck. Deciding to just do it, I take my phone out of my pocket and find his name.
“Baryshev,” he rumbles.
“Stephanie is pregnant again,” I announce.
My lips turn up into a smile just saying the words aloud. We weren’t sure if we should go down this road again. I’m almost thirty-eight and by the time the baby arrives, Stephanie will be thirty-seven, but fuck, I can’t deny that I’m on cloud nine at the thought of bringing another life into the world.
“Give her a hug for me, congratulations, papa,” he crows softly.
“Thanks, Kirill, I just figured you’d like an update.”
He chuckles. “I do, Ford. I appreciate it. Family is important and so is happiness. Is she happy?”
My eyes lift to the sight right out the back window. Stephanie has Josette, our one-year-old’s hand, she’s still wobbly on her feet, but Stephanie leans down and helps her pick a wildflower. I can hear her laugh as the wind carries it over to me.
Damion is sitting next to them on the grass, his husband at his side and their new baby in his lap as they watch my girls. Stephanie thought that when they no longer worked together, that they would drift apart, but they haven’t.
Damion and his husband were married out here on my ranch, a big gigantic to-do that I bitched about at the time, but once it was here, seeing their happiness, it made all the headache worth it. I would do anything to see my wife smile, fucking anything.
“She is, Kirill. So fuckin’ happy.”
“That’s what I wanted for her the moment that I saw her. I knew that Sebastian, that the life she was living, it didn’t make her happy. I could see it in her eyes, but you, Cowboy. You made her happy, just the thought of you.”
I don’t know what to say to respond to that, and thankfully Kirill doesn’t push me to say anything. He ends the call abruptly and I’m completely okay with that. Taking the two cups of water in my hands, I use my boot to open the door and allow it to slam closed behind me.
My girls look up at me, both smiling widely. “Dada,” Josette squeals as soon as she catches a glance of me.
Her feet try to move faster than she realizes, and she falls back on her diapered bottom in the dirt. Jogging closer to them, I hand Stephanie the water and pick up my girl, who is now sporting a wobbly bottom lip as her blue eyes fill with tears.
Damion gasps, I can hear him from across the yard. I let out a chuckle as I scoop Josette up in my arms.
“Don’t cry darlin’,” I coo.
Stephanie laughs softly, her head tilting back to look up at me. I take the opportunity to dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers. “How you feelin’?” I ask for the millionth time.
“I’m good, Cowboy,” she rasps against my lips.
Reaching out, I touch my hand to her still flat stomach. Lifting my arm, I slide it around her shoulders and tuck her close to my side. Facing the back of my property.
“My girls, my land, good friends, a man couldn’t be happier,” I state as I guide us back over to Damion and his family.
The land, there is no end in sight now. I bought that fifty acres of land adjoining mine, I added another forty on the other side, and I’ve just closed escrow on an additional twenty. In total, we own well over five hundred acres of land.
“You couldn’t? What if this baby was a boy? Would that just seal the deal on your happiness?” Stephanie asks.
Damion snorts. “Girlie, this man would be happy no matter what.”
I shake my head, still looking out on my expanse of property, damn proud of the life that I’ve built for myself and for my family.
“Damion’s right,” I agree. “Wouldn’t matter to me, honey. Boy or girl, don’t give much of a fuck as long as you and the baby are healthy.”
Stephanie lays her head on my shoulder with a sigh. Josette slaps my chest to remind me that she’s still there. Josette, named after my mother. Something that Stephanie suggested. I couldn’t tell her no, both of our parents are gone, it’s nice that she wanted to keep a bit of them alive.
“This one you name after your parents. However you want to do that, I’m good,” I murmur.
“Okay, Cowboy.”
Turning my head, I touch my lips to the top of her head. I inhale her sweet scent mixed with Texas dirt and I close my eyes, still in awe that all of this is mine—is ours.
THREE YEARS LATER
WYATT
I hear my son let out a cry as he starts to toddle toward his big sister. “Harlan, you wait right there, boy,” I shout.
He looks back at me, grins, then continues to run. I hear Rylan let out a guffaw of laughter. It’s easy for him to laugh, his youngest is six and Brooks is a sweet girl, just like her mama and always listens.
Harlan, well I think he got more of the Lindsay blood in him than anything else, in simple words, he’s a hell-raiser.
“Just let him be,” Channing calls out. “Reese, you keep an eye on Harlan, don’t let him get into any trouble, okay?”
“Yes, Mama,” Reese calls out.
At eight years old, he’s more mature than most kids his age. But he’s a good kid and I don’t know how it happened, but neither one of Rylan’s kids are giving him payback for his youth, instead I’m getting it, and I wasn’t even a bad kid.
“You should have had one more,” I mumble as I make my way over to Rylan.
“And tempt fate? No thanks. I got a good boy and a sweetheart of a girl. I’m not chancing that shit,” he chuckles.
We’re all out at Ford and Steph’s place for dinner, though I’m not sure why they insisted we come out here. I mean, we like
it and everything, but it was Beaumont’s turn to host, Stephanie was insistent though.
It hits me. Lifting my eyes, I find her and narrow my gaze. “She’s pregnant again,” I grunt.
“Who?” Rylan asks.
“Stephanie.”
Channing and Exeter are standing with her, they’re helping her put all of the food out on the picnic table. It used to be no big deal for all of us to get together and grill dinner, but now, with all the kids. We have to plan and prepare to feed the army that we’ve created.
“No way.” Beaumont snorts as he joins us. “She’s our age.”
“Guaranteed, she is.” I chuckle.
We watch the kids run around, my lips twitch into a smile at the sight of them all. Fourteen in total so far. A wild mix of boys and girls, all different ages, but all close enough that they will grow up together the way me, Beaumont, Rylan, Ford, and Stephanie did.
The sleepy town of Gallup isn’t ready for this brand of wild, but they’re going to have to buckle up, because this bunch of wildings are on their way.
Ford makes his way toward us, carrying his younger daughter, Shelby. She’s almost one year old and named after Stephanie’s mother. Their three-year-old twin boys are off with Louis and Tulip’s almost three-year-old twin daughters.
The four of them have some kind of twin bond thing happening, we all just kind of let them do their own thing when we’re all together. None of us really understanding them.
“Havin’ another baby?” I ask Ford.
He grunts, then lets out a sigh as his eyes flick between all of us men. Louis has just joined the group and I hear him cough.
“Another one?” he asks. “That’ll make five, brother. You almost got a baseball team.”
Ford rolls his eyes to the sky, then flicks them back to us and his lips curve up into a huge smile. “How’d you know?” he asks.
I shake my head with a laugh. “Didn’t for sure. But the fact that y’all insisted we come over, it just seemed like that could be it.”
“It’s the last one,” Ford announces. “No more.”
Louis laughs. “That’s what I said last time.”
“Louis?” I ask.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Told her it was just gonna be another girl, but honest to fuck I’m okay with that. Four girls, sounds like the kind of chaos a man like me can handle.”
Beaumont whistles. “I have two, I can’t imagine doubling that. My house already looks like it throws up tulle and lace. The fact that I know what that means is mildly disturbing as well,” he mutters.
“Face it, boys, our lives definitely aren’t what they were ten years ago,” I say, a smile on my lips, one that I don’t think a damn thing could wipe away.
“They aren’t, thank fuck,” Rylan chuckles.
“Two more babies to the mix,” Beaumont murmurs.
“Couldn’t think of anything better,” I point out.
Rylan lifts his arm and slides it around my shoulders. “Fuck no. Nothin’ is better than this, cousin.”
SIX MONTHS LATER
FORD
“We have to take the baby out now. I’ve already called in the anesthesiologist and ordered the operating room to prepare for her.”
The doctor’s words, they rattle me. We knew the risks, we knew there could be complications. Hell, we’re both over forty. Bottom line is that Stephanie probably shouldn’t have even gotten pregnant.
We weren’t trying, it just fucking happened, and we both weighed our options, in the end, we knew we had to have him. There’s no way we couldn’t.
She’s had all the tests, damn near weekly visits, too. Everything has been normal. That is, until now. Her blood pressure is too fucking high, the doctor is afraid that we could lose her, or the baby, or both.
Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through my hair. “Okay.”
Leaving him, I make my way in to talk to her. She’s got tears running down her cheeks, her bottom lip is trembling, and she nods her head.
“C-section, right?” she whispers.
Walking over to her, I wrap my hand in hers and I give her a small smile. “Yeah, but it’s okay, honey. He’s ready to meet us, it’s time for our family to be complete.”
Her lips tremble in a small smile, but the tears continue to flow. Four babies, even the twins, she never had to have one, she’s scared, I know she is. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m terrified too. Every time she’s been in this hospital, I’ve been downright fucking scared.
I can’t lose her, couldn’t live this life without her, never could. Leaning over, I touch my mouth to hers. I ignore the taste of her salty tears and press my forehead against her own.
“I love you, honey. It’s time for Sawyer to meet his mom and dad, his brothers and sisters too. No more after this, Stephanie.”
“No more,” she breathes. “No more.”
The doctor doesn’t take long. He comes back in and I stand to the side helplessly as they prep my wife for surgery.
They’ve been monitoring her blood pressure and Sawyer’s heart rate, it’s time for him to meet us. It’s a little soon, but the doctor is convinced he won’t have to stay even a minute longer than Stephanie, that we’ll all be able to go home together.
I watch as they wheel her away, taking her back to the OR. They get me cleaned up and prepped as well, then finally reunite us. I stand to the side, in the small cramped room, holding my wife’s hand and watching as the doctor cuts into her belly.
“You’re doing great, Stephanie,” the doctor murmurs, his voice soothing and gentle.
Looking down, Stephanie’s eyes are on me and she’s got tears sliding down her temples. I squeeze her hand just as the doctor tells me to look over at him. I watch as he pulls my son out of my wife’s body.
I didn’t think it’d be as beautiful as when our others were born, that somehow a C-section took away some of the magic of childbirth. It doesn’t. It’s fucking breathtaking. I watch as they clean him up a little, I can’t take my eyes off of him.
“Is he okay?” Stephanie asks.
Lifting up the camera, I take as many pictures as I can. “He’s perfect,” I cry out.
The nurse brings him to me, all wrapped up. Thankfully, she takes the camera from me. Smiling at her as she takes a few pictures, then I dip down and show him to Stephanie. We smile for the camera, but mostly she cries as she looks at our new bundle.
“He’s perfect,” she cries.
“He really is.”
I’m ushered out of the room a few moments later, baby in my arms, and am forced to leave Stephanie behind. I hate it. Every fucking minute of being away from her.
After Sawyer is checked completely out. I hold him and wait for Stephanie. It seems like seconds later she’s wheeled out of the operating room and they inform us that they can do skin to skin contact.
I watch, completely mesmerized by everything in front of me.
This is it.
This is the life that I always wanted, that I dreamed about and it’s a reality. Twenty-three years ago, I didn’t think that I would have this with her.
I thought this dream would never come to fruition. That we’d never be married, never have a family and now? It’s all right here in front of me, and every chaotic moment of it is perfect.
“Thank you, honey,” I whisper as she holds our newest baby against her chest, both of them sleeping soundly.
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About the Author
As an only child, Hayley Fai
man had to entertain herself somehow. She started writing stories at the age of six and never really stopped.
Born in California, she met her now husband at the age of sixteen and married him at the age of twenty in 2004. After all of these years together, he’s still the love of her life.
Hayley’s husband joined the military and they lived in Oregon, where he was stationed with the US Coast Guard. They moved back to California in 2006, where they had two little boys. Recently, the four of them moved out to the Hill Country of Texas, where they adopted a new family member, a chocolate lab named Optimus Prime.
Most of Hayley’s days are spent taking care of her two boys, going to the baseball fields for practice, or helping them with homework. Her evenings are spent with her husband and her nights—those are spent creating alpha book boyfriends.
Acknowledgments
I always say a special thank you to my husband, my best friend, truly he is the man who supports every single dream of mine and works to make them all come true.
My mom is everything. She’s the kindest, most loving, and most supportive mom in the world. Thank you, Banana Boots.
Ellie McLove, this book would not be without you. This cover is the BEST. The content clean and crisp. Thank you so much for being my friend, Jeremy’s sister, and for generally being a badass.
Rosa Sharon, thank you so much for proofreading, you always add that finishing touch that makes my books sparkle!
Celia one of my biggest fans and supporters. You’re the best. Thank you for always being there for me.
Tammy Cole, thank you for always being there for me. I truly appreciate our friendship! Thank you for alpha reading for me!!
Crystal Snyder, thank you for being a friend, always, and for alpha reading for me!!
COWBOY (Unfit Hero Book 5) Page 29
