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“Time is a thief, Princess,” he said quietly, sliding his arm around my waist and pulling me into his side, joining me in watching our daughter sleep.
As she’d grown, she’d developed my olive skin and her dad’s deep red hair, plus the most perfect hazel eyes, a mix of my gold and Cal’s green, making her the most beautiful baby in the world.
Today was her first birthday, and I couldn’t believe we’d already had her for twelve months. The days before she came into our lives are a dull gray blur, and everything after was as vivid as a full color, 4K, seventy-inch TV screen.
I certainly had never planned on being a mother out of wedlock, but Cora was the best thing to ever happen to me, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything.
Cal was the cherry on top. He has been my rock through everything from morning sickness that lasted well into my second trimester, gestational diabetes, and being on bed rest for the final four weeks until Cora was born. I’d never planned on him, either, but I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.
Some days, I couldn’t even believe I could say that, couldn’t quite wrap my brain around the fact that Calvin Ryder wasmine. I’d fully expected to hate the man forever, but that summer had changed both of us in ways I was still learning.
“Come on,” Cal said, curling his fingers around my hip and pulling me toward the door. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
“But—” I tried to protest, but Cal placed his index finger over my lips, effectively shushing me. And when we stepped into our bedroom, and his mouth replaced his finger, and I let him make love to me until my limbs were deliciously wrung out and I fell easily into a dreamless sleep, straight until my alarm blared at eight on the dot.
And by alarm, I meant Cora, chattering away in that barely intelligible baby way of hers to the lone stuffy we let her sleep with—a downy soft bumblebee that Chloe had given me the day she was born. Her sweet voice filtering through the monitor in the morning was my favorite way to wake up.
“I got her,” Cal said, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder before throwing the covers off and rising.
I knew he’d bring Cora in before we got up and faced the day, so I rolled over and scrounged around on the floor, coming up with Cal’s haphazardly discarded tee and throwing it over my head just as he entered the room, our baby in his arms.
And let me tell you something—if I thought my man was attractive before, it was nothing compared to seeing him hold our daughter. My ovaries exploded every time I saw the two of them together. He looked at her like she was the center of his universe, and Cora looked at her dad as though he hung the moon.
We were very lucky girls.
“Mama!” Cora shouted, and I grinned. That had been her first word, and I’d never tire of hearing it—just like I’d never tire of reminding Cal of that fact. We might be deeply in love and in a committed relationship, but we were stillus. We still endlessly needled each other and pushed each other’s buttons.
The upside now was that he made it up to me with his beautiful mouth and perfect cock at the end of the day.
Have I mentioned I’m a lucky girl?
“Happy birthday, peaches!” I said when Cal handed her off to me, peppering her plump cheeks and chubby little neck with kisses.
“Birtday!”
“Yes, honey,” Cal said, sliding into bed next to me and gathering both of his girls into his arms. “It’s your birthday! We’re going to have a big party later to celebrateyou.” He punctuated his final word with a littleboopof her nose, and Cora’s giggle filled the room.
“Speaking of,” I said, craning my neck to look up at Cal. “I guarantee my mom will be calling any second, wondering why we’re not already at the Villa getting set up.”
“The party doesn’t start for another five hours!”
I raised an eyebrow. “You remember my mother, right? Tall, cloud of dark brown hair, obsessed with her grandchildren?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell,” Cal said, and I poked him in the side.
As if on cue, my phone rang, the creepy Siri voice informing me it was none other than my mother calling.
With a groan, I handed Cora off to her dad and rolled toward the nightstand, swiping my phone up right before it went to voicemail.
“Mom,” I said by way of greeting.
“Where are you?” she asked, and I shot Cal ayou see?look.
“We just woke up,” I said.
“Well get your ass in gear, Mar. I’m not setting this up all by myself.”
“There are five hours until the party, Mom,” I said with an eye roll. “How about you let me have my baby to myself for a few hours before you steal her from me for the rest of the day?”
