“Sometime in the future,” Riley stressed, as if she knew what he was thinking.
“All right. I love you, Ri. You’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be. And every day my happiness increases exponentially.” He knew he was being cheesy, but if he couldn’t be cheesy on the day his son was born, when could he?
“Same,” Riley said, before yawning huge.
“Get some sleep,” he ordered.
“Wake me up if they bring Charlie in,” she mumbled.
Oz smiled. Of course he would. It wasn’t as if he could nurse their child. But instead of teasing her, he simply agreed. “I will.”
As his wife fell asleep in his arms, Oz closed his eyes in contentment. If someone would’ve told him several years ago that he’d have five kids in the near future, he would’ve laughed his ass off. Now he couldn’t imagine his life any other way.
Three Years Later
“I can’t believe you finally let me talk you into marrying me,” Doc told Ember. They were in Los Angeles at the Four Seasons honeymoon suite. Their one-year-old little girl, Jemila, was currently being spoiled rotten at her grandparents’ house. As much as Doc loved his child, he was definitely ready for some alone time with his wife.
Ember was one of the hardest-working women Doc knew. Her gym back home, The Modern Kid, had over four hundred kids attending now. There were classes from eight o’clock in the morning until nine at night. And while Ember didn’t teach all of them, she insisted on spending more than her fair share of time at the gym.
One of her greatest achievements to date was when one of her older kids, a Black boy who’d started with her program three years ago, shortly after she’d opened, qualified for the junior national championships for the modern pentathlon. Ember had been so proud of him, of how much he’d learned and improved.
She’d taken her fame and used it for good, just as she said she would. Her social media was famous now, not for selfies or for hawking products, but for helping to find missing people. The press had attributed her posts to finding fifty-three so far, as of this month. There were so many more men, women, and children who needed finding, but as of now, there were fifty-three people who were no longer missing, which Doc found amazing.
He’d asked Ember to marry him three months ago. Jemila was nine months old and they’d been together for more than three years. Neither of them had been in a hurry to get married. They loved each other, and that had been good enough.
Until one day three months ago. He’d woken up…and just knew it was time. He wasn’t content to be Ember’s boyfriend any longer. He wanted more.
So he’d asked, she’d said yes, and now here they were in Los Angeles.
Her parents had organized a low-key and beautiful ceremony on their property. They’d thankfully behaved, not going overboard with the huge reception he and Ember both knew they’d wanted. But they’d splurged on getting them this hotel room for the night.
They’d just made long, slow, sweet love for the first time as man and wife, and were lying snuggled together on the bed when Ember’s phone vibrated with a text. Because Jemila was with her parents, she immediately reached for it.
“Is it Jemila?” Doc asked anxiously.
“No. It’s from the photographer. She sent me the picture I asked her to send as soon as she could,” Ember told him. Then she turned the phone so he could see the screen.
Doc sucked in a breath. The photographer had captured the exact moment Ember had walked into the yard, and he’d seen her for the first time. Of course, the photo was taken from behind him, so his face wasn’t in the picture.
It was exactly the picture of their wedding he’d promised she could post on her social media, once upon a time, but even better…because Ember was carrying their child in her arms.
His wife looked absolutely beautiful. She’d lost a little of her muscle tone over the years, and having a baby had filled her hips out a bit more, but to Doc, she was even more beautiful than she’d been when they’d first met.
Doc rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her belly as they lay together in the luxurious bed. “Are you going to post it?” he asked.
She pulled her head back to catch his gaze. “You think I should?”
“Absolutely. Your followers will love this.”
“But it’s not who I am now. I don’t post selfies anymore.”
“This isn’t a selfie. It’s a picture of a mature, beautiful woman about to marry the man she loves. Jemila’s face is turned away from the camera, so our rule of never posting pictures of our kids still applies.”
Ember nodded, and she immediately began clicking on the screen of her phone. It didn’t take long. She once again turned the screen to face him, so Doc could read what she wrote.
She’d posted the picture with only one word. Bliss.
Doc reached for the phone and practically threw it on the table next to the bed, then he rolled on top of Ember and smiled as she giggled.
“Something wrong?” she sassed.
“No. Something’s right. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said immediately.
Doc knew the real world would intrude soon enough, so for now, while he had his wife to himself, he was going to enjoy every blissful minute.
Four Years Later
“It’s beautiful,” Lefty’s mom breathed.
Lefty was in Paris with Kinley and his parents. They’d loved his wife on sight, which he knew they would, and the feeling was definitely mutual. This was their second trip to the City of Lights, and his mom was just as excited this time as she’d been the first.
They’d been standing in front of the Eiffel Tower for the last five minutes. Both his mom and Kinley were simply staring at the structure. They hadn’t said much, were just taking it in.
Lefty’s dad nudged him. “How long do you think they’re gonna stand there?” he asked.
“I’m guessing at least another five, ten minutes.”
“That’s what I thought.” His dad leaned over and plucked Lefty and Kinley’s son out of his stroller. “I’m gonna go on a walk with this guy. I’ll be back.”
Lefty wasn’t surprised. His dad doted on Dominic. And his son loved his grandpa. Lefty would have to be careful not to let the boy get too spoiled.
Jerking in surprise when he felt an arm wrap around his waist, Lefty looked down at Kinley. She’d stepped away from his mom, who was still studying the tower.
“Hey,” Lefty said softly.
“Dominic’s gonna be so grumpy this evening,” she said, not sounding too upset about it.
“But he’ll be tired. Which means he’ll go to sleep without any issues,” Lefty said.
“True.” Kinley smiled up at him. “Which means we’ll have more time to ourselves.”
He smiled back. “Yeah. We will.” His mind was already racing with all the things he wanted to do to his wife when he got her in bed later.
Kinley smirked as if she knew what he was thinking, and she probably did. She most likely had ideas of her own. They were well matched in just about every aspect of their lives. They simply fit.