I was shaking slightly at the thought. Nathan, my husband, was asking me, begging me, to have a family. How could I deny him when I could feel how much he wanted it?

My mind drifted back to a long ago dream at one of the worst times in my life. In it, we had three children, and our lives seemed to be filled with nothing but happiness. A warmth spread through me at the romantic ideals my subconscious had come up with.

Yes, I did want the dream. I was afraid, very much so, but that warmth, the love, overpowered the doubt.

“Okay,” I said in a low voice, then tried again. “Okay, let’s make a family.”

His face broke out into one of the most brilliant smiles I had ever seen. He took my face in his hands and brought my lips to his in a heated kiss.

“Thank you.”

CHAPTER 8

Nathan

Waking up in paradise was bittersweet. It was the last day of our honeymoon, and we were heading back to Indianapolis in a few short hours. Lila was snuggled into my side, naked, as the sounds of the ocean filled my ears and the warmth of the sun coming through the windows heated my skin.

A part of me wanted to stay. If we were two thousand miles away, Marconi would never know what transpired a week ago. Going home meant the possibility, a very good one, of him finding out about Lila. No matter how much I tried to beat back the fear, it still sat in the back of my mind—the beast prowling in his iron cage. He knew and tore at my insides to remind me. My chest tightened at just the thought of it all.

I stroked my fingers up and down her arm, staring at the white gold band on my hand, still in awe that I’d done it.

“Fuck. Me,” I whispered as I watched the ring on my finger while my hand drifted up her side.

She twitched, but otherwise she kept still and was completely relaxed as she continued to dream.

I smiled—even while she was out of it, she was still so damn beautiful.

I ran a fingertip down her arm and watched the flesh turn from pale to a light pink.

It took me back to the moment when I decided to ask Lila to marry me. The second morning she woke in my arms after officially moving in with me was when it hit—I wanted to be with her every day for the rest of my life.

Just like today, we had woken up together, but there was something surreal about that moment. It wasn’t her place and my place. It was our place—our home. Lila’s clothes took up residence in the master closet hanging opposite of mine. Her furniture and décor filled the rooms. The spare bedrooms were no longer empty.

I was no longer empty.

I sighed and looked at her face. She was still sleeping—my mild attempts to wake her didn’t work, but I wasn’t trying that hard.

She was mine, and I was hers.

And I wanted everyone to know it.

I blew across her skin, smiling as the goose bumps rose. Her face scrunched up in annoyance and she snuggled deeper against me.

I loved Lila, and I never wanted to be without her.

With her, I was reborn.

I lightly ran the tip of my nose across her temple and inhaled the scent of her hair.

“No more hiding for us. We were never very good at that anyway, but that doesn’t matter now. None of it does. What matters is I’ll always be here for you. Through the upcoming trial…” My gut twisted. Would it break her to live through all those f**ked up memories of Adam she’d buried so deep? In some ways it was good that he came after her. It made me realize exactly how much I loved her and needed her in every way. “No one will ever hurt you again, and we won’t ever be separated. I promise.” I kissed her shoulder and released a soft breath across her skin. “I’ll protect you with my dying breath. You’ll always be safe from now on.”

I stared out the open window, watching the palm fronds sway in the breeze and listening to the waves crash against the shore. Every day should have this kind of peace, but my memories wouldn’t shut off, and neither would my fears that she might be a target now.

There was a smile on her lips as she slept, one I’d put there. I wanted to see her dreams, but I was content knowing she had peace and happiness.

Anything. I’d do anything to make her happy. My lips passed over her forehead. She was my missing half.

A high-pitched squeak accompanied her body stretching against mine, her mouth open in a long yawn. I chuckled to myself, looking over her well-sexed body. It was complete with multiple bite marks to let everyone know she was taken.

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at me. “Good morning.”

“Morning.”

“What time is it?”

I peered over to the nightstand. “Just before eight.”

“Were you talking to me a little bit ago? I was dreaming you were whispering in my ear, making me all sorts of promises.” She hummed for a minute.

I simply grinned. “What kind of lawyer makes promises to someone who’s unconscious?”

“One who’s up to no good.” She rubbed her eyes.

“Mmm… Good point.” I chuckled. “I guess I was trying to take advantage of every moment we have here together.”

She thought on that for a moment, probably doing the math of how much time we had left. Her lips moved to a pout. “We don’t have time to take a last swim, do we?”

I shook my head. “But, if we hurry, we can take a last walk on the beach after breakfast. We’re mostly packed.”

She nodded. “It’ll only take a few minutes to finish up.”

I leaned down and nipped at her shoulder, earning a squeak and a smile. “And we can save time by showering together.”

Her gaze narrowed on me. “I don’t know about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll still f**k me in the shower.”

I nodded. It was nothing new. “Exactly. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed on my chest. “Shower now or after breakfast?”

I looked her over and licked my lips. “After.” She sighed. “What?”

“You just want everyone to see that I’m well f**ked.”

“And?”

She shook her head and sat up all the way. “Once a possessive perv, always a possessive perv.”

“You should be used to it by now. It’s not going to change anytime soon. I like marking what’s mine so f**kers know.”

She tried to give me a look of disapproval, but she couldn’t pull it off. There was no denying it—she loved me claiming her. The world would know she was desired, wanted, and loved.