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“I don’t know…”
“I retract my statement. I want a boy.”
“Really?” she asked. “Why?”
“If we had a daughter, she’d be beautiful like you…and I’d never let her leave the house.”
She chuckled. “You never let me leave the house, so I believe you.”
“A boy would be easier.”
“Even if we have a boy now, we could have a girl later.”
“We’re having more kids?” I asked in surprise. “How about we focus on this one for right now?”
“We can’t have just one.”
I didn’t mind knocking her up, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted the outcome. “How many are we talking here?”
“How many are you willing to go for?”
Both of my eyebrows rose.
“How about four?” she suggested.
Jesus Christ. “You want four kids?”
“Yes.”
“Four?” I repeated.
She chuckled. “Yes, Crow. I want four.”
My parents only had three, and they felt overwhelmed most of the time. “Any reason why?”
“I want a family. I was in foster care, and then I was by myself… I’ve always been alone. There’s not a single person on this earth who shares my DNA. You have Cane, but I don’t have anyone.”
I’d never thought of that before. I did have a special bond with someone that couldn’t be severed. It didn’t matter how much he pissed me off. He was my brother—and I always had his back because of it.
“So I want to make my own family. I want to hear their voices in the hallways. When they’re adults, I want to have them in this beautiful home for every holiday.”
I would give my wife anything, but I wasn’t sure if I could give her that. “Let’s start with two and see how it goes…”
She smiled at my compromise. “Thank you.”
My hand moved into her hair, and I treasured the feeling of her soft skin. She was the perfect addition to this bed, the perfect complement to my life. Other women had slept where she slept, but they never left their ghost behind. I hadn’t taken Button into the playroom since we’d been married because I had no urge. What we had was more than enough. “I can’t wait until I’m back on my feet.”
“I know lying around all day is going to be hard for you.”
I got another chance at life, and my wife was already glowing with the life growing inside her. I didn’t want to lie in this bed all day, my injuries wrapped up and healing. I wanted to make love to my wife—over and over.
* * *
I sat up in bed and looked out the windows that led to the patio. It was a warm day despite the winter chill. The sun was shining, and the vineyards were vibrantly green. There was work building up on my desk at the vineyards, but I was unable to attend to it. Without having a purpose, I felt lazy.
It made me want to drink.
I couldn’t have alcohol with my medication, so I had to skip the scotch. I was drinking a lot of water, and I never realized just how bland it was until I had to consume a lot of it. I was getting my meals in bed, and Button was tending to me like a nurse. She didn’t seem to mind, but it made me feel emasculated.
Button walked through the door, her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. It showed the contours of her face, the beautiful slenderness of her neck. “You’ve got company.”
“I don’t have any friends.”
Her mouth smiled, but her eyes narrowed. “Not true. Cane and Adelina are in the hallway. Can I bring them in?”
I was bored out of my mind, so why not? “Sure.”
She grabbed a shirt from a drawer and tossed it at me. “Put this on.”
I caught it and couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.
“What?” she asked as she placed her hands on her hips.
“You don’t want Adelina to see me shirtless. You really are a Barsetti.” I pulled it on and leaned back against the headboard.
She strutted out of the room, her ass shaking in skintight jeans.
Damn, I couldn’t wait until I could move again.
Button returned with Cane and Adelina. Cane was dressed like he was heading to work even though there was no longer a business to run. He wore all black with a leather jacket, and a pistol sat in the holster at his hip. Adelina was in black jeans and a gray sweater. She looked a lot better than the last time I saw her. Her face was free of bruises, and she wore a smile instead of a tearful face.
Cane walked to my side of the bed and looked down at me. “Still being lazy, huh?”
I didn’t rise to the insult because I knew it was a joke. “Unfortunately.”
“You look good, though.” He clapped me on the shoulder, showing me more affection than he usually would. “Your eye looks a lot better. Don’t look like a pirate anymore.”
