Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I rubbed my stomach as I thought about the three bedrooms downstairs and the two upstairs that were going to serve as the master and the nursery. It was a perfect set up, and I smiled as warm arms encircled me. Ryder covered my hands with his and kissed my neck gently. “Are you happy?”
“So happy. This place is beautiful.” I could see many happy memories made here.
“It pales compared to you, love.”
I turned in his arms and slipped my arms around his neck.
“I hope our daughter looks like you.”
“I was kind of hoping she’d look like you.” We found out the gender a few days before and were both thrilled. I knew that baby showers were in the works and almost groaned at how much pink would be in my house before too long.
“Whatever the case, our girl will have a lot of people protecting her.” The team was a big family, and any kids were guarded closely, both by fathers and older brothers. It got a little crazy at times, but I was learning to deal with it. I kissed him slowly and let the feel of the room surround us.
I’d reached out to my father when we knew about the baby and the house. I called my aunt first, and we cleared things up before discussing him. She agreed that he should know what was happening in my life and make a choice from there what he wanted to do. We had so many things to talk about, and though I was scared, I thought it would be a good thing.
My father and Diana were coming to Christmas dinner, along with Ryder’s family. Everyone would be meeting for the first time, and chaos would ensue but that felt right to me. I was living my best life and happy beyond my wildest dreams and nothing would change that.
“I love you,” I told him, staring into his eyes.
“I love you. This family of ours is going to work out, Elyse. Mark my words.”
“I know. I’m just nervous about Dad and Diana and then meeting your family for the first time. I hope I’m not a hot mess.” I rested my head against his chest, and he stroked my hair.
“You are not a mess at all. You’re a rising talent in the art world, and you’re going to be my wife and the mother of my babies. You are the perfect woman, and I love seeing the smile on your face when you look at me.” Ryder held my eyes, and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. “My family is going to love you, and we’ll do our best with your side. If they want to see the baby, they need to work with our rules.” He was willing to try for this but also honest about not letting anyone hurt our daughter or me. “Either way, you’re mine.”
“Caveman,” I mumbled against his mouth before kissing him. We had Tori and Justin coming over in a while to help us unpack, but we could make good use of that time.
Ryder slipped his hand into mine and led me upstairs as I grinned, knowing he was going to give me everything that I wanted.
***