Chapter Four
B raelynn
“Merry Christmas, baby,” Legend murmurs against my neck as his strong arms come around me from behind.
I lean back into his warmth, a smile tugging at my lips as I continue making Ryder’s bottle. “Merry Christmas to you too.”
It's strange how right it feels being here with him on Christmas morning. Never in a million years had I expected things to play out last night the way they did. To be truthful, I thought Legend would balk at learning about Ryder and demand a paternity test before he’d hear me all the way out. But, like it always seems to be the way with him, he surprised me.
Sorta like how he’s acting right now. Sure, we've known each other for a couple of years, but things like this—waking up together and starting our day together—were never a part of our normal operating procedures.
We spent most of our time apart, and if he happened to be in Jacksonville, he’d stop by and we’d spend a few hours in bed, then he'd leave again.
Yet, here we are, in uncharted territory.
“Boy eats like a horse,” he says, his chin resting on my shoulder as he watches me heat up the milk I pumped last night.
I laugh, my head nodding. “Yeah, he's just like you.”
Legend chuckles, the sound rumbling against my back. “I guess he gets it honest.”
I can't help but smile at that. “You both have quite the appetite.”
His hands slide down my hips and he turns me around to face him.
“Speaking of appetite...” His eyes are dark, making my breath catch in my throat.
“Nico,” I warn, though there's no heat behind it. “Ryder will be up any minute.” I’m a little surprised he has any energy left. Several times throughout the night, he reached for me until finally, after the third round, we both passed out from exhaustion.
He grins. “Better make it quick then.”
Before I can utter a word, his lips are on mine, hot and demanding. I melt into him, my arms winding around his neck as he grips my bottom and lifts me onto the counter. “You’re so bad,” I giggle against his lips.
“And you love it,” he growls as his hands slide under my tee to fondle my naked breasts.
He’s right.
I do.
Just as Legend grips the bottom of my shirt and starts to tug it over my head, Ryder lets out an angry cry from the other room.
“No…” I whine as Legend groans, his forehead falling against mine.
“Cockblocked by my own son,” he mutters, but I can hear the amusement in his voice.
I laugh and gently push him away. “Go get him, Daddy. I'll fix his bottle.”
He lifts his head and steals one more quick kiss before swaggering down the hallway to the bedroom. And me? I sit here, watching him go and admiring the way his sweatpants hang low on his hips as he swaggers away.
It should be illegal to be so damn sexy.
Not even a minute later, Legend strolls back into the room with Ryder in his arms, and I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my face. Our son is wide awake with his tiny fists waving in the air as he fusses.
“Someone's hungry,” Legend says, crossing the room.
I hop down from the counter and grab the bottle I was fixing before Legend got handsy. “Here, I'll take him.”
Legend’s eyes come to me, and he shakes his head. “Nah, I got this. You sit down and relax.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Having someone to help with Ryder isn’t something I’m unaccustomed to. “Are you sure?”
He nods, already moving to sit on the couch. “Yeah, I want to learn how to do all of this shit.” We’re going to have to work on his cussing, but I’m so happy that he’s going out of his way to prove that he’s all in.
Following him to the couch, I sit down beside him and show him how to position Ryder and the bottle. “Make sure to keep the bottle tilted so he doesn't suck in a bunch of air,” I advise.
Legend’s face is a mask of concentration as he situates Ryder in his arms, but quickly changes to surprise when Ry lets out an angry grunt before latching onto the nipple. “Jesus, son. Nobody’s gonna take it from you,” Legend chuckles, amusement evident in his voice. He then glances over at me, his brows raised. “He don’t play around with his food, huh?”
Legs folded under me, I lean into Legend’s side and smile. “I told you. He’s a little porker.”
Legend’s body shakes as he continues to laugh at our boy. “I can't believe I could have missed all of this.” The words are spoken under his breath, but I hear them. He’s been clear about his regrets, but we can’t go backwards. If he’s serious, which I believe him when he says that he is, we have to look forward.
Placing my hand on his arm, I give a gentle squeeze. “You're here now, babe. That's what matters.”
He turns to look at me, his blue eyes intense. “Yeah. I’m here now.” The sincerity in his voice makes my throat tight.
We sit in silence, both of us lost in our thoughts as Ryder finishes his bottle. When he's finally done, Legend hands him to me to burp while he takes the empty bottle to the kitchen.
“So,” I say, patting Ryder's back, “what's the plan for today? It is Christmas, after all.”
Legend comes back into the room and leans against the doorframe. “Well, the club's having a Christmas dinner later. I want you both with me so I can introduce you and Ryder properly.”
I bite my lip, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. His club is his family. “I don’t know, Nico.” I grew up in foster care, bouncing from one group home to the next. If my own family didn’t want me, why would his?
He shoves off the wall, comes around the couch, and squats down on his haunches in front of me so we’re eye to eye. “What did I tell you last night?”
I shrug.
His eyes narrow. “You and Ryder are mine. I know this is all happening at light speed, but baby, we're a family now, and I want my club to know that.”
He’s saying all the right things, but a lifetime of experience is making it impossible to shake my nerves. I’ve always wanted what he’s offering but… “What if they don't like me?”
Legend's face softens. He knows my history and how hard holidays are for me. “They're going to love you, baby. And even if they didn’t—which they will—it wouldn't fucking matter. You're mine, and that's all there is to it.”
I nod, wanting to believe him. “Okay.”
He grins, leaning in to kiss me softly. “Good. But first, presents.”
My eyes widen. “Presents? Nico, I didn't get you anything. I didn't even know if I'd find you.”
He waves off my concern. “Don't worry about it. Having you and Ryder here is the best gift I could ask for.” Ignoring my freak out, he rises to his full height and heads towards the closet by the front door. “It’s not much, but I wanted you both to have something.”
Tears pool in my eyes as I send up a prayer of thanks to the gods. The last twenty-four hours have been beyond my wildest dreams and not at all what I expected.
Drawing in a deep breath to center myself, I watch as he pulls out a few wrapped packages, then swaggers back and sets them on the coffee table. “When did you have time to do this?”
“Sent one of the prospects out last night after you fell asleep,” he smirks, dropping down beside us. “Didn't want our little man's first Christmas to go by without presents.”
My heart melts into a puddle of goo. “Nico...”
He shrugs, looking almost embarrassed. “It's not much, but next year?—”
I lean forward, Ry wedged between us, and cut him off with a kiss. “It's perfect. Thank you.”
The next little while is spent opening Ryder’s presents. Even on such short notice, our son now has a Christmas outfit to wear today, some adorable boots that look just like his daddy’s, a few changes of clothes, and a couple of toys. But the thing that Legend seems particularly proud of is the tiny leather vest with the Miami Saints logo on the back.
“How in the world?” I tease, holding it up.
Legend grins. “Gotta represent, baby.”
“But how?” Seriously. How in the hell did someone have the time to make this tiny version of Legend’s cut? We’ve been in Miami less than twelve hours.
“Kierra, Viper’s old lady, had them made after their son, Xavier, was born.” He grins. “Now, there’s a box of them in Sparrow’s office at the clubhouse.”
I have to admit, they are incredibly cute. I’ll have to remember to thank her for letting Ry have one.
Legend slips onto the floor and shakes a rattle. Ryder’s face lights up as he tries to reach for it. The whole thing is so domestic, and I’m struck by how normal this all feels.
“What?” Legend asks, catching me staring.
I shake my head and smile. “Nothing. This is nice.”
He returns my smile, his eyes soft. “Yeah, it is.”