He winks and turns to answer the door.
“Merry Christmas!” Raven’s voice comes from behind Rex along with the sound of back-pounding guy hugs. “Oh my gosh! Your tree is awesome.”
Rex smiles at me.
I move across the room to meet them, and Raven swallows me in a hug. Jonah’s next, but he limits his hug to the one arm variety since his other enormous arm is cradling Sadie.
“Aww, look at her.” I tweak the tiny red bow that’s wrapped around a sprout of shiny black hair. “She looks like a little Christmas angel.”
“Yeah, well, she’s all yours. I’ve been holding her so much I miss holding my wife.” He gently places Sadie into my open arms and kisses her tiny hand. “You be good for your Aunt Gia, princess. Daddy here needs some momma time.” He gives me a chin lift and moves to his wife.
I hold the tiny baby to my chest. “Hey, pretty girl. You’re getting so big.” Not comfortable negotiating the slick concrete floors in my heels, I move to the couch. “There we go. We’ll be safer here. Auntie Gia’s a mess in heels.” I slide my finger into her hand and she grips my finger tight. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” She coos and I kiss the tiny dimple on her cheek. “You’re okay. I’m here.”
The feeling of eyes on me lifts my head to find Rex staring. He’s not far from the couch, totally ignoring Jonah and Raven, his gaze boring into mine.
“You okay?” I mouth the words meant only for him.
He blinks and nods then comes to me, dropping into the space next to me on the couch. He leans in. “Watching you over here, it makes me think you’re going to be an amazing mother.”
My breath catches in my throat. I pull back to see his face, and there’s nothing but love and pride reflecting from his eyes. “I’m not mother material. I’d just screw a kid up.”
Before I finish talking, he’s shaking his head. “You’re going to make a fantastic mother when the time comes.” He runs his fingers over Sadie’s tiny baby head. “I hope our kids have your red hair.”
“Rex”—my pulse rockets in my ears—“I’m not ready.” Just a month ago I was in a coma from a drug overdose after I shacked up in a house full of bikers. If anything screams do not reproduce, it’s that.
“I’m not either. Fuck knows I’ve got a lot of shit to work through before I could even consider fatherhood.” He hooks his fingers beneath my chin. “But make no mistake, Gia McIntyre, I’m going to make you my wife.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “Or am I going to make you my husband?”
“Either way, I’m happy.”
“Merry Christmas, mo’fos!” We look up to see Blake, Layla, Axelle, and Killian strolling through the door.
Layla’s eyes find me and she shuffles over to us. “Hey, Rex.”
He kisses my head and stands to give Layla a hug. “No baby yet, huh?”
She rolls her eyes and waves him off. “Ugh . . . No.”
Blake fist bumps Rex. “I keep tellin’ her the more we”—he looks over his shoulder at Axelle and Killian, who’ve made their way to the desserts with Raven and Jonah—“have sex, the better chance she has of going into labor, but she says four times a day is enough.”
Layla slaps Blake’s stomach. “Oh my gosh, Blake, TMI.”
“Mouse, baby, everyone knows sex induces labor. It’s in every pregnancy book I’ve read.”
“I realize that, Snake, but we’re already doing plenty of that and it’s not helping.”
Blake snags her and pulls her to him, his hands going to her belly and his lips to hers. “You call me Snake again, I’ll throw you down right here and induce something else altogether.”
Sadie squeals and gets the attention of the room.
“Ha! You hear that, Slade?” Blake’s grinning wide. “Your wife and your daughter find me fucking hilarious.”
“Blake! Language.” When will Layla learn a guy like Blake might change his colors, but they’ll never fade?
He throws his arms out to his sides. “What’d I do?”
I laugh and look at Rex to find his eyes on me.
A slow smile curls his lips.
People come and go throughout the night. Even Emma stopped by to say Merry Christmas, stating that she’d planned on staying for a short time, but when Rex introduced her to Caleb, they hit it off and spent most the night talking.
Looking around the room, I swallow back the lump that forms in my throat. We came from nothing and here we are with more than anyone deserves. So much that a lifetime would never be enough time to enjoy it.
Family, friends, babies.
A future.
Pure, abundant peace.
*
Rex showed out the last of our guests, and I’m leaning against the kitchen counter, sliding off my shoes. My feet went from achy to painfully numb, and I long for the comfort of my boots. I yawn and take in the mess in the kitchen. Better get a start on the clean up before I curl up in a ball and fall asleep on the floor.