“Aww…see, he loves her. I told him to protect her, and he’s taking his job seriously,” Ellie said, lying back down on the bed.

I looked over at her, and my mouth dropped open. Motherfucker. She had on a white silk nightgown, and I could see her n**ples through the lace.

“Jesus, Ells, are you trying to kill me? You heard the doctor. No sex for six weeks,” I said, trying really hard not to jump on her.

She slid under the covers and smiled at me. God, how I love this girl.

“I’m sorry! It’s just…well, when I tried it on to see if it fit, it did, and I got excited. I want to feel sexy again, Gunner, and this makes me feel sexy,” she said as she rubbed her legs together.

“Good god, Ellie. You’re going to kill me. Do you know that? I’m not going to be able to wait six weeks, baby. I want you now.” I got under the covers and rolled over next to her.

“Touch me, Drew,” she whispered in my ear.

Fuck me. Where the hell do I touch her?

“Ellie…sweetheart.” I slipped my hand under her silk nightgown. I felt her body shiver as I moved my hand up and down the inside of her leg.

“Oh god, Gunner,” she said in between breaths.

She was breathing so hard I could barely stand it.

“Ells…I love you so much.”

I moved my hand up, taking her nightgown with it. She sat up a little as I slipped the gown over her head. I pulled the covers away from her, so I could see her entire body. She was perfect. No one would ever know that she had just had a baby. She was beautiful, and the stretch marks from being pregnant with Alex just turned me on even more. I needed to make her feel loved and wanted…at this very moment.

“Shit, Ellie...your body is so damn beautiful.” I traced one of the stretch marks with my finger.

She let out a moan that traveled through my whole body. If she were to touch me right now, I swore that I would come.

“I need to feel you up against me, Drew. Please…let me feel you.”

I flew out of bed quickly, and I almost tripped as I tried to take off my shorts. After I pulled my T-shirt over my head, I got back into bed. Pulling her toward me, I took her nipple in my mouth as I moved my hand down her stomach to between her legs and then into her panties. I knew she was still sore and bleeding, so I only touched her clit.

She jerked her h*ps and grabbed my dick. The moment she started moving her hand up and down, I knew I wouldn’t last.

“Gunner, I’m so close. Oh god, I’m so close.”

I leaned up and captured her lips with mine. As our tongues started moving together, she let out a long, soft moan. When I moved my thumb faster on her clit, she held me tighter in her hand.

I pulled away slightly from her lips. “Jesus, Ells. I’m gonna come, baby.”

And just like that, we both called out each other’s names at the same time.

There was nothing I enjoyed more than making my wife have an orgasm.

Her orgasm seemed to last forever. By the time she came back to me, her breathing was moving her chest up and down. I placed my hand there to feel her heartbeat.

She’s mine. This incredible woman who just gave me the greatest gift in the world…is mine. “I love you so damn much, Ellie.”

She smiled at me, and my world stopped. I’d do anything for that smile.

“Drew, I love you more than life itself. I’d be lost without you,” she whispered as she put her hand on my face.

Just then, Alex started moving around, barely letting out a cry.

“That’s my girl. She waits until Daddy gets his lovin’ before she wakes up!” I leaned down and kissed Ellie on the nose.

“And so it begins…the late-night feedings.” Ellie giggled.

I reached down and picked up her gown from the floor. After I helped her put it on, I slipped on my shorts and T-shirt, washed my hands, and then walked over to my little bear. Gus sat up and watched as I leaned down and picked up Alex. I moved to the changing table to change her while Ellie went to heat up a bottle.

I figured Gus would have followed Ellie because he never left her side, but he didn’t. He sat next me, watching my every move.

I lifted up Alex and walked into the kitchen with her in a full-blown screaming cry.

“Shit, I think she’s pissed ‘cause I changed her first!” I smiled at Ellie.

She was testing the milk on her arm with a frown I knew she was upset that Alex hadn’t taken to breastfeeding. Ellie had been looking forward to that. She had talked about it the whole time she was pregnant. When we had ended up having to bottle-feed, I thought Ellie was going to break down and cry. She was a trooper though, and she’d made a joke out of it, saying I had no excuses now to not get up in the middle of the night.

Alex was still crying, so I pulled out the little binky blue thing the hospital had given us. I put it in her mouth, and she sucked on it five times before she spit that bitch out. I swore that it flew halfway across the kitchen. I looked up at Ellie as she started laughing.

“Beautiful and smart!” Ellie said as she handed me the bottle.

When I put it up to little bear’s mouth, she went to town.

“Holy hell, this girl likes her milk!” I said as I followed Ellie into the living room.

I sat down on the sofa, and Ellie curled up next to me. Gus practically sat on my feet with his head on my legs, just watching my every move.

The next thing I knew, he slid down my legs and began snoring. My beautiful bride was sleeping next to me, and the most amazing little girl in the world was looking into my eyes while she ate.

“Life doesn’t get any better than this, baby girl.”

Then, I thought about Josh and Heather. We’d gotten a text from Amanda earlier, saying that Josh didn’t remember Heather…and something about him thinking he was still in college.

When Alex stopped drinking, I looked down at her, and she was just staring back at me. I smiled at her and said a prayer for Josh, hoping that someday, he would be looking down at his little girl while Heather slept peacefully next to him.

“I love you, baby girl. I love you so much.”

Chapter Eight

As I opened my eyes, I saw the light shining through the window. I rolled over and looked toward Alex’s bassinet. Gus was gone, so I was guessing that Gunner had gotten up to feed Alex. I had to smile as I thought about how Gus was now following Alex all over the place. Damn, I love that dog. It was driving Gunner nuts, which made it all the more fun.

I sat up and stretched as I remembered the two times Gunner had satisfied me last night. God, I’m so horny but also so damn sore. Six weeks…shit.

After I brushed my teeth, I made my way toward the kitchen. I stopped when I heard Gunner singing. I slowly walked up to the kitchen entryway and peeked around the corner. I smiled when I saw Gus following behind Gunner as he walked around the kitchen. Gunner was singing “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams as he held Alex in his arms. My heart started beating so fast. He’d sung that song to me when we danced on the beach during our honeymoon.

Oh. My. God. This man is beyond perfect. How can one person give so much love? I felt a tear slide down my face. Gunner loved her unconditionally. Alex would always feel loved and wanted.

“I’d die for you and your mama, baby girl. I’ll protect you from all those disgusting, evil little boys who will break your heart. Their parents might be upset when I break their faces, but that’ll be their problem.”

I tried so hard not to giggle as I imagined how he would scare away every boy who would come to our house. Gus must have heard me because he looked right at me and wagged his tail.

When I stepped into the kitchen, Gunner’s back was facing me. When he started to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” I had to stop and grab on to the kitchen island. My heart was pounding as the ache between my legs grew. His voice was amazing.

Alex let out a little sound, and Gunner laughed.

“You like that song, baby girl?”

“She likes you singing to her, just like I do,” I said as I finally got my legs to move.

Gunner turned around and smiled that drop-dead gorgeous smile of his.

How is this man mine? I am one lucky-ass girl.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep good?” he asked as he winked at me.

I walked over to him and reached up to give him a kiss. “I did, thanks to you and your magical fingers.”

Gunner threw his head back and laughed.

“How did you sleep?”

He yawned and then handed Alex to me. “I tossed and turned all night, thinking about Josh.”

“Shit. I need to call Heather. The last time I talked to her, they had brought Josh back from some scans, and she said he had been sleeping for four hours. I can’t believe he doesn’t remember her, Gunner. How could he forget her?” I put Alex in her bouncy chair and then started to make coffee.

Gunner let out a sigh as he sat down. He ran his hands through his hair and then down his face. “I don’t know. I can’t even imagine how Heather’s feeling. I wasn’t going to say anything, but…” He stopped talking and shook his head.

“What? Don’t stop mid-sentence and leave me hanging like that!”

“Well, Josh was planning on asking Heather to marry him after the Christmas party. Jeff and I had gone with him to pick out the ring.” Gunner looked up at me with such sad eyes.

No…

“Oh, Gunner. Oh no. Why is this happening? Oh god…poor Heather. Like she hasn’t been through hell and back enough times. Does she know he was going to ask her?”

“No. I’m not even sure his parents knew.” Gunner stood up and grabbed a coffee mug out of the cabinet. “Listen, Jeff is heading back into Austin today to go see Josh. I’m going to follow him in Heather’s car since Jeff drove her to the hospital. I know Brad and Amanda are coming out to visit, and—”

I spun around and looked at Gunner. “Oh. My. God! You need to kick Brad’s ass!”

Gunner gave me a confused look. “What? Why?”

I shook my head, remembering Heather’s text to Ari and me.

Heather: Amanda’s pregnant, like four months along, and Brad told her if she didn’t give the baby up for adoption, he was leaving. And he told her she had to hide it from his parents. It’s like someone snatched the real Brad and replaced him with this a**hole. This dickwad also told Amanda he had lied to her about wanting kids because he was afraid she wouldn’t marry him if he said he didn’t.

“He lied! Never wanted kids…she’s pregnant, and he’s talking crazy…hide the pregnancy! Adoption? Psht!”

Gunner stood there, just staring at me. “Wow…somehow, I think I understood everything you just rattled off.” He sat back down. “Okay, so let me get this straight. Amanda told Brad she was pregnant, but Brad doesn’t want kids. So, he told her she had to give the baby up for adoption? Ellie, that doesn’t even sound like Brad. He’s never once told us he didn’t want kids. As a matter of fact, when Ari was pregnant, he told Jeff he couldn’t wait to have kids!” Gunner said, running his hand through his hair.