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His lips slowly curve up. “No,” he says.
“No what?”
“No, we’re not going to have sex.”
“What, never?”
“For a while,” he clarifies. I blow out a breath, and he chuckles. “I don’t want to make love to you and have to worry about hurting your ribs.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, you will be, because we’re not doing it.” He looks at Leia. Her eyelids are drooping. I remove the teat from her mouth, and James says, “I’ll do it.” He sits up and lifts her, and she snuggles up to his shoulder.
I watch him as he rubs her back.
“Don’t sulk,” he says.
I poke my tongue out at him.
He grins and kisses Leia’s head. “Everything I knew about babies were horror stories from movies and other dads about screaming and bad smells and getting no sleep. But nobody mentioned this part. The feeding in the night. The quiet cuddles. How damn beautiful she is.” She gives a big burp, and he laughs. “That’s my girl.”
I smile as he lowers her back between us. He leans across to turn out the light, then settles down.
We look at each other in the moonlight.
“How long is a while?” I ask.
“A few weeks.”
“Weeks!” I stare at him, aghast.
He tries not to laugh. “I’m not going against the doctor’s advice.”
“What does he know?”
He chuckles. He’s obviously determined not to give in.
Hmm. I’ll have to see what I can do about that.
He lifts a hand, touches two fingers to his lips, then presses them to mine. “Go to sleep.”
I know nothing’s going to happen tonight. But tomorrow is a whole new day.
Dutifully, I close my eyes, and I sleep soundly for the rest of the night.
Chapter Thirty-Six
James
The next day, Gaby comes over in the morning and stays with Aroha while I go to Ethan’s office. I meet Blue and his lawyer, Terry, there. Blue has a large bruise on his cheekbone where I hit him. He meets my eyes, and I smirk. I don’t speak to him, though, and he doesn’t say a word either. The two lawyers talk, we sign the document, and then I transfer the money over to Blue’s account on my phone. When it’s done, Blue walks out without another word.
I feel a wave of relief, and a lightening of my heart. He’s gone, and I doubt I’ll hear from him again. I shake hands with Ethan, who informs me that we should hear about the Parenting Order soon, and then he’ll help me start the adoption process.
I walk out of the office a new man.
In celebration, I decide to take the following week off work—the first time I’ve done so for ages. Tyson and Henry are back from the conference, which went great, and as the guys are there to cover, and the rest of January will be quiet in the office, I know I won’t miss much.
It’s not just to look after Aroha and Leia. I feel the need for a break. I need to really deal with Maddie’s death before I put it behind me. And I also need to get to know my new wife and child. It’s a huge change for me, and a big adjustment in the way I view my life. I’m no longer James the bachelor, the playboy with no ties. I’m a married man with a baby, and I haven’t had the preparation that most men have—of watching their wife get pregnant, of seeing their child born. Leia is starting to wind her way around my heart, but I know I need time for love to sink in.
