My cheeks heat briefly before I answer. “For loving me.”
“Hey, that is one thing you never need to thank me for. Beauty, do you even have a clue to how much I love you?” He shifts, moving so that he can pull me against his side. I rest my head against his chest while one of his hands wraps around my shoulders, holding me close and his hand resting against my belly. “Melissa, I tell you daily—many times—how much I love you. Knowing that you’re my wife, that the perfect little boy asleep down the hall is my son because of you, and these little angels are a gift our love made… Those are just some of the things you have given me that makes my life worth living.” He pauses, removing his hand from my stomach long enough to lift my chin up so he can look into my eyes. “You never need to thank me for loving you, Melissa. You make it effortless.”
I close my eyes, letting the tears that had been pooling tip over and run down my cheeks.
“God, Baby… Don’t cry. There isn’t anything in our lives that warrants those tears. As far as I can tell, we’re about one step from perfect. Once Lillian and Lyndsie get here, there isn’t much of anything that could make our world any better. That is, unless you want to give me more babies.”
I smile at his attempt at bringing the crazy hormones back down. “Do you ever worry? Things have been going so well that I’m almost afraid to believe that it’s finally time for us to have our happily ever after.” He snorts, and I know that he’s thinking about all the books I always have my nose stuck in. “Don’t you make fun of me, Greg Cage.”
His laughter quiets, and he looks down into my eyes. “There isn’t a damn thing in this world that can keep us from our happily ever after,” he vows before kissing me sweetly. “Sleep, Beauty. Tomorrow’s going to be crazy enough, so you need to rest while you can.”
I cuddle as close as I can get, letting the sound of his heartbeats lull me to sleep.
Chapter 7 – Greg
Of course, the one day I promise Melissa that I won’t do anything work related, I get a call from Axel about an issue at the office. A damn ‘issue’ is the last thing I want to deal with today, especially knowing that it more than likely has to do with Mrs. Hutchins, our newest and most aggravating client.
Mrs. Hutchins first came to us about a month ago, convinced that her older husband was sleeping with every female around. She calls constantly. She stops by the office daily. There isn’t a damn thing we can say to convince the woman that her husband is very much faithful. She doesn’t believe it. I’m starting to get the impression that she is only comes around because she has her eyes on Asher.
During the first meeting we took with her, she all but offered to pay Axel and me to sleep with her. Even if I weren’t the happiest damn married man around, there isn’t a check large enough that would convince me to sleep with her. She has something evil scratching the surface, and I want that as far away from me as possible.
If only Asher could see things the same way. I know that he hasn’t yet, but he’s thinking about it, and I know that if he sinks into that woman, she will leave him with something he can never wash off.
Shaking off the creepy-as-hell feeling Mrs. Hutchins always leaves me with, I jog up the stairs in search of my wife. I can hear her and Cohen’s laughter coming out of our bedroom and head that way.
“Why do my angels have a party when they’re still in your belly? They can’t open any presents when they’re in your belly. Do you think we’ll get cake? I love cake. Will Dilbert be there?”
I smile, walk over to Melissa, and wrap my arms around to rest against her swollen belly as Cohen continues his random questioning.
He finally stops talking and jumps off the bed. Without even a word, he takes off running out the bedroom door.
Melissa and I both laugh at the tornado that is Cohen Cage. Damn, I love that kid.
“Sometimes I wonder if he just talks because he likes the sound of his voice. You know, almost every time he starts on his twenty questions, they end in him running off without even having one answer.”
I laugh because she isn’t wrong. But Cohen is a boy full of energy, and if asking a million questions and fighting imaginary villains is what it takes, then hey, I can work with that.
Melissa turns with her smile beaming. I thought I was being careful to mask my expression, but she must have noticed that my mood was off because her smile slips and she looks at me with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Beauty…” I start.