Epilogue
Five Years Later
The early morning light slanted through our bedroom window, casting a golden glow on Eden’s freckled shoulder.
Three years married and eight months pregnant with our first child, and fuck if she didn’t still call to me like a siren.
I eased into her from behind, one hand cupping the curve of her belly. Her skin was warm beneath my palm, stretched taut where our daughter kicked against me.
Something primal surged through me—protective, possessive, and so fucking grateful. How the hell had I ever lived without this? Without her?
“Morning.” Eden’s voice was soft with sleep as she started to move against me. “You feel so good, Jake,” she moaned, tilting her hips to take me deeper.
I buried my face against her shoulder and pressed forward in one long thrust that had both of us gasping.
Her hand drew back to clutch at my hip, her body pressing into mine. “Jake.”
I kissed the back of her neck, my teeth scraping lightly across her skin. “That’s it, Eden. You take my cock so well.”
I slid my hand to her breast, plucking her dusky nipple as I drove deeper. “You’re so fucking beautiful like this, your pussy stretched around me.”
I watched the spot where we were joined, the sight of her cunt slick with the evidence of her desire, making me insane with need.
Eden had told me I didn’t need to be careful, that she could take it, but still, I held back.
“More,” she gasped. “Harder, honey.”
A growl rumbled low in my throat. Christ, this woman.
I gripped her hip tighter with my free hand, giving her exactly what she asked for—deeper, rougher strokes that had her writhing against me, her body clenching around my cock like she never wanted to let me go.
“Love you,” I whispered, my hips moving faster now.
“Love you more,” she panted, tightening around me, her breath catching as I dragged another long moan out of her.
I tugged at her nipple one last time, then slid my hand lower. My fingers found her clit, slick and swollen, and I circled it with fast strokes, just the way she liked.
“Oh god,” she whimpered. “Just like that, Jake. I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m—” Her nails dug into my flank as she let out a long wail.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” I rasped, my hips snapping forward.
She shattered with a cry, her pussy clenching around me, dragging a raw groan from my throat.
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I drove deep one last time and spilled inside her, filling my wife with everything I had.
I groaned against her neck, holding her flush against me, making damn sure she took every drop.
Mine. All mine.
I stayed buried for a moment, catching my breath, my heart slamming in my chest. Then I eased out with a soft exhale, already aching to be back inside her.
I rolled her gently onto her back, her auburn hair spread out like a halo against the pillows, her body flushed and radiant.
I slid my hand between her thighs and watched, mesmerized, as my cum dribbled out of her.
“Look at that,” I whispered, catching it with my thumb and pushing it back in as she shuddered with aftershocks.
“Jake,” she gasped, her hips lifting, her body clenching down.
“Can’t help it,” I murmured, circling her clit with my slick thumb. “You make me crazy, baby. Could fuck you full of my cum all damn day.”
She let out a breathless laugh. “I’m already pregnant, cowboy,” she teased, her voice breathless.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to give you more,” I growled, leaning down to suck her nipple into my mouth as my thumb worked her higher.
Her laugh turned to a moan, her thighs falling farther open.
“That’s it,” I murmured, kissing down her belly. “Come for me again, sweetheart. Let me feel you fall apart.”
It didn’t take much—her body was already strung tight. A few more circles, a soft suck at her clit where I tasted myself, and she broke with a keening cry, her hips rocking helplessly against my mouth.
I licked her through it, not stopping until she was boneless and trembling, her breath coming in soft pants as she twined her fingers through my hair, giving it a soft tug.
When I pulled back, she let out a weak laugh. “If your plan was to keep me in bed all day, mission accomplished. My legs are jelly; I’m not sure I can even make it to the shower.”
I grinned and kissed the curve of her belly on my way back up her body, my heart so full it ached.
“You think I’m gonna let you walk after that?” I murmured, brushing a kiss to her lips and climbing off the bed. Before she could protest, I slid an arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, hefting her against me.
“Jake!” she squealed, her arms flying around my neck.
I tightened my hold on her. “Humor me. I like having you in my arms.”
She laughed again, that sweet sound wrapping around my heart and settling in my bones, as I carried her toward the bathroom.
After her shower, I helped Eden pull on one of my old t-shirts and a pair of soft, stretchy maternity leggings. She looked beautiful with her hair still damp, not a drop of makeup on her face, and her cheeks flushed from the steam … or maybe from the way I couldn’t keep my hands off her.
By the time we made it downstairs, the sun was fully up and the house smelled like bacon, courtesy of our kid.
“Morning,” Cole called from the kitchen table, not looking up from whatever game he was playing on his phone.
“Morning, bud,” Eden said, leaning over to kiss the top of his head.
He ducked away, grinning. “Careful, Mom. You’re gonna squish her.” He nodded toward her belly.
Eden just laughed and ruffled his hair. “Your sister’s fine.”
I poured her a glass of juice—no more coffee, doctor’s orders—and pressed it into her hands. “Feet up after breakfast,” I reminded her.
She arched a brow at me, her lips hooking to the side in a saucy smirk. “Yes, sir.”
Cole looked up, pushing his phone aside. “You two are gross, you know that?” he said, but there was a smile in his voice and a warmth in his eyes that still damn near leveled me every time I saw it.
I’d known Cole would welcome Eden into our duo with open arms, but I hadn’t anticipated just how enthusiastic he’d be about expanding our family even further. But Cole was Eden’s biggest fan, and some days I wasn’t sure who was more protective of her—me or him.
“Better get used to it, kid,” I said, setting a plate of eggs and toast in front of Eden with a wink. “This is your life now.”
He smirked. “Already am. But once the baby’s here, I know you’re gonna be even more annoying.”
“Can’t help it,” I said, sliding an arm around Eden’s shoulders. “When you’ve finally got everything you ever wanted, you can’t help but show it.”
My wife’s smile was soft as she leaned into me, her head on my arm.
Cole shoveled a bite of eggs into his mouth, then pointed his fork at Eden’s belly. “Pretty sure she’s gonna be a total daddy’s girl.”
I arched a brow, grabbing my own plate. “Yeah? What makes you so sure?”
“‘Cause she’s already got you wrapped around her little finger, and she’s not even out yet.”
Eden laughed softly and reached for her juice. “He’s not wrong.” Just then, her face lit up with surprise and delight. Her free hand immediately moved to her belly. “I think someone’s agreeing with you, Cole,” she said with a smile.
I glanced between my wife and son, my expression softening as I watched Eden’s hands rub a soft circle over her swollen stomach.
“She’s gonna have you wrapped around her little finger, too. Just watch,” I told Cole. “Like you said, she’s not even here yet, and you already love her more than your old man.”
Cole shrugged, but the tips of his ears turned pink. “I guess she’s all right.” Then, after a beat, he added, “As long as she doesn’t puke all over me like Benny’s little brother did to him, we’ll get along just fine.”
Eden grinned. “You’re going to be amazing with her.”
He rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
I watched them—my wife, my boy, and the daughter we’d soon meet—and felt something settle in my chest. A kind of peace I hadn’t known I was missing.
Eden turned to me with that soft smile that always undid me. “What’s on your to-do list today, cowboy?”
I reached for my coffee, leaning back in my chair. “Not a whole lot, actually. Gage and Colt have everything under control, so I’ll be in your hair all day.”
“In that case, can you help me hang those paintings I picked up last week in the nursery?”
“I’d say that sounds like a mighty fine way to spend my day,” I said, pushing back from the table. I reached for Eden’s empty plate and mine, stacking them as I rose. I dropped a kiss on the top of her head before carrying them to the sink.
Over my shoulder, I added, “Long as you promise not to boss me around too much.”
She hummed. “No promises.”
“What time’s Uncle Gage getting here?” Cole asked, pushing up from his seat. “I’m supposed to help him repair some fence lines.”
I checked the clock on the wall over his shoulder. “He’s swinging by in about an hour,” I said. “And he’ll probably complain the whole time you’re out there how I’ve gone soft in my old age.”
Cole grinned. “He’s probably right.”
I laughed. “Don’t forget you’re on breakfast cleanup duty. And garbage duty. Come to think of it, all the duties.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said, already pushing back from the table and gathering the scattered napkins.
He moved around the kitchen with efficiency, loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counter.
For all his teenage eye-rolling, he’d stepped up since Eden got pregnant, taking on more household responsibilities without being asked.
“You do the crime, you do the time,” I snarked.
Two weeks ago, his best friend Benny had spent the night. After Eden and I had turned in for the night, the two had snuck out, meeting up with a couple of friends down by the pond to go skinny dipping. Colt, having had the same idea, found the kids frolicking under the light of a full moon.