My men make me happy. I love to watch the pair of them together. And I told C’vest that we might need to make another merged copy of ourselves. I’d like a little girl this time, and I told C’vest so.
With a sexy glint in his eye, he’d backed me up to the bed, saying he would do all he could to make me happy.
It’s his motto. Two years after we were married, local laws were changed in regards to women’s rights in this region of Traxia—largely in part thanks to C’vest’s (and my) lobbying efforts. The ruling gained enough popularity to spread to other areas, and women here are finally starting to have a voice and legal protection.
If anything happens to C’vest, I won’t ever be put in the position I was. And if we ever have a daughter, she will be safe too.
“Sir? Ma’am?” Fuzzy, our foreman, calls. “We’ve got a bum calf. Just dried him off.”
“This is the only time an orphaned calf is exciting news,” C’vest comments.
Fuzzy sweeps his hat from his brow and bangs it against his pant leg, dusting it off, his weathered face smiling in agreement.
“Come here, Kaspian.” C’vest lifts him from the water. “We have something to show you.”
When Kaspian starts to fuss, sad to leave the river, I feel it’s worth ruining the surprise. “It’s time for you to meet your baby cow!”
“Cow?” Kaspian repeats with disbelief, flailing on his father’s palms in shock.
C’vest raises him onto his shoulders, fitting our son’s shiny-scaled legs on either side of his neck. “That’s right, Kas. You get your own Nfurian cow.”
Kaspian loves cows. When I told C’vest to prepare himself for owning a dog—because what child doesn’t want a puppy?—our son proved me wrong by endlessly asking us for his very own bovine.
C’vest said as long as it isn’t in the house, why not let him raise a steer?
Anticipation thrilling him, Kaspian giggles in excitement, hands on top C’vest’s head, enjoying the world from the vantage of his father’s broad shoulders as we prepare to meet his newborn pet.
C’vest holds his hand out for mine. I clasp it, stepping into my sandals at the river’s edge and touching my shoulder to C’vest’s arm as we walk the path to the barn.
“What will our daughter want to raise?” C’vest asks with a naughty tilt of his brow.
Ahead of us, Fuzzy calls out, “Horses,” not having a clue that C’vest is mentioning our future daughter as a way to flirt with me.
He also could have no idea how effective the endearingly inexpert attempts to woo me are.
“Probably horses,” I agree, smiling and secretly playing out how the next two hours of our afternoon will go: Kaspian will bliss himself out bottle feeding his new calf, and after spending our day off swimming, he’s bound to crash hard at naptime—wherein C’vest and I will get some quality alone-time. Maybe enough to make Kaspian a baby sister.
“I’m watching your brain’s activity,” C’vest warns me under his breath, his hand squeezing mine. “It’s arousing my senses.”
I squeeze his fingers and smooth my free hand up his arm, leaning into him, biting my lip. “That’s good. I’m preparing to take advantage of you when we have a moment to ourselves.”
“Only a moment?”
I toss a mischievous look up at him. “Think you’ll want more?”
Face serious, eyes earnest, C’vest brings our joined hands up until we’re cupping my face. “Stella, I want forever with you. I always will.”
My smile for him is soft and tender. “I love you too.”
His eyes flare. “I don’t think I can wait. Maybe Fuzzy can watch Kaspian.”
I grin. “We can’t miss out on our son feeding his first ever pet.”
C’vest’s eyes turn circuitry-blue and his gaze turns inward. “I’ve never tried it, but perhaps I can locate a sleep-switch in our offspring’s brain.”
“Don’t you dare.”
C’vest’s hand curls tighter around mine and he cuts me a glance. “I wouldn’t. But I am wishing I wasn’t so against the idea of creating a child alcoholic. Half a dram of whiskey and--”
I disengage our hands and whack him on the arm.
Watching it happen from his perch, Kaspian squawks down in surprise before giggling, and Fuzzy glances back at us and shakes his head. He calls, “If you two are going to keep getting sweet on each other, I can keep an eye on Kas. Y'all could slip into the barn office to do some ‘paperwork.’”
“And that,” C’vest declares, “is why you’re getting a raise.” He slings his arm over my shoulders and tugs me against his side.
I slide my hand under his shirt intending to lightly pinch him, but he shies away from me like a nervous stallion, making Kaspian cackle and clap with glee.
C’vest shoots me a sideways glance and taps low on his skull. “I saw this spot light up on you again. You always get dangerous when you have activity here.”
“Since you’ve escaped me, what’s lit up in my head now?”
“Amusement.” His eyes heat. “Arousal,” he adds, mouthing the word.
I let him catch me at the doorway of the barn. And when Kaspian’s calf has taken in half of a bottle and Fuzzy gives us a knowing nod and a good-natured smirk, I let C’vest drag me into the office where the thin walls require the use of his hand clamped over my mouth.
As my body shudders in pleasure under his, he whispers in my ear, “I love you, Stella.”
THE END