by Hope Ford
I follow his gaze from where I’m standing in the kitchen and watch as he goes straight to where Ellie is sitting in her highchair. She’s only one year old, but already she has all the men in the house at her beck and call. She didn’t want to wait for everyone else and is feeding herself tiny noodles.
Lane and TJ come barreling in the back door toward the dining room. “Stop. Wash your hands first.”
They both grumble, but they do as they’re asked. Soon we’re all sitting around the dinner table eating.
“So tell me about your day,” I tell the boys. They’re used to our nightly ritual. It seems as the kids get older we’re busier and busier. Lane, who is eight years old now, takes art classes downtown, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to follow in Trey’s footsteps. He loves spending time at Savage Ink and watching him work.
TJ is two and a half now and is already taking swim lessons and doing his best to keep up with his big brother.
Both boys grumble around big bites of spaghetti, talking about the fish they caught down at the pond today. I try to hide my disgust when TJ goes into graphic detail about putting the worm on the hook.
“Okay, son, that’s enough. Let’s talk about it after we’re done eating,” Trey interrupts with a laugh.
TJ laughs because he knew exactly what he was doing with his story. He knows I don’t have a stomach for it. There’s no doubt he’s his father son. I look between the two and watch them smile conspiratorially at each other. Once Trey Junior was born, I had the DNA test done to show Trey that he is indeed his. Not that I needed to. Trey never doubted me, it seems, and even seemed offended when I handed him the envelope. I get lost in thought thinking about it. We were sitting in the living room when I handed it to him.
“What’s this?” he asked me.
“Proof that TJ is yours.” I’d held my hands up when he tried to hand me back the envelope. “I just don’t ever want you to doubt it.”
He looked at the envelope and then back at me before he ripped it in two. “I don’t need proof. I know he’s mine.”
And that had been that. Neither one of us brought it up again.
Lane rolls his eyes at his brother. “Mom’s a girl. She doesn’t like to talk about worm guts and stuff.” As soon as he says it, he smiles real big at me and then his dad and brother.
Oh, these boys. They’re going to keep me hoppin’.
“What about you girls? What have you been up to today?” Trey asks, trying to change the subject.
He reaches over and uses his napkin to wipe some of the spaghetti off our daughter’s face. My pregnancy with TJ was a little rough on all of us, but Trey and I both decided we wanted a little girl. We went back and forth on all our options, but it all worked out one night at work when a woman left her baby in the nursery and said she didn’t want her. I called Trey from work, he came down, and after a lot of paperwork and a little help from Jax Walker, Aiden’s uncle, we brought little Ellie home. First we were instant foster parents, but now the adoption is final, and she is officially ours.
“We worked around the house today. Finger painted, went to the park... you know, girl stuff.”
The rest of the meal is loud and boisterous as everyone talks, but it doesn’t bother me. I love the sound of our family being all together.
After dinner, the kids are in the living room playing and watching TV while Trey and I clean up the kitchen.
“Hey,” he says as he wraps his arms around me from behind.
“Hey,” I answer, smiling as I lean back against him.
His large hands trail up and down my sides, and I welcome their warmth. I turn around, and he leans me back against the counter. He bends down and brushes his lips across my cheek and whispers into my ear, “I missed you today.”
Heat travels through my body at lightning speed. “I missed you too. Actually, I was hoping that you and I could spend some time together.”
He nods, grunts, and lifts his pelvis against mine. I can feel his hard length digging into my stomach. “Fuck, I’d give anything for that. Anything.”
I put my arms around his neck. “So what would you say if I told you that I have Jamie coming to pick up the kids in twenty minutes? They’re going to the park and for some ice cream. She’s been told to keep them out at least two hours.”
He pulls back wide-eyed, tongue wagging and looking like a man that is dying of hunger... hunger for me anyway.
“I’d say that I didn’t think I could love you anymore than I already do, but I do.”
He moves his hips toward me back and forth. It seems like forever since we’ve been alone, just the two of us, and I need this.... almost or as much as he does.
Trey pulls back and searches my eyes. “I’m not joking, Katie. You saved me that day you came into the shop to get your tattoo.”
I playfully pat him on the chest. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one that saved Lane and me that night.”
He grabs on to my hand and holds it against his chest. His heart is beating rapidly under my palm. “I’m not joking. You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted. I love you and our family.”
I watch him closely. I think I’m the only one that sees him like this, soft and vulnerable. He saves this side of him for his family and a few close friends. “I love you, Treyton Cree.”
He smiles and pulls me up into his arms and sets me on the counter. I widen my legs so he can fit between them. He kisses me, and it’s then I hear the kitchen door squeak on its hinges and then Lane hollers, “Oooooh, they’re kissing again.”
Trey and I break apart, both of us laughing.
“Twenty minutes, huh?”
I shrug. “Probably fifteen now.”
He lifts me off the counter and sets me on my feet. “Go get ready for me. I’m going to be standing in the driveway with the kids ready to go when Jamie gets here.”
I nod and have to stop myself from racing out of the room. I walk upstairs as I hear Trey tell the kids, “Everybody up. Aunt Jamie’s coming to take you to the park and for some ice cream.”
I can hear their cries of excitement, but there’s no doubt no one is as excited as me.
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About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Hope Ford writes short, steamy, sweet romances. She loves tattooed, alpha men, instant love stories, and ALWAYS happily ever afters. She has over 100 books and they are all available on Amazon.
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