Page 9 of Redbird

“You sound worried. Are you already pregnant?”

“No,” I say quickly. “I’m still taking my birth control. I just want us both to be sure before we start trying.”

He rumbles in his chest, like he’s pleased. His palm rests on my back.

“Do you want another baby?” he asks.

I nod, chewing on my lip. His other hand comes up and cradles my thigh, holding my body over his. I love laying on him like this and soaking in the warmth of his body. He’s always so calm and I feel it seep through and slow my heart.

“Let’s make another baby then,” he says. “I meant it when I said yes.”

My stomach swoops and I push myself up to rest my chin on his chest. He’s gazing up at the stars, their pale light in his eyes.

“Just like that?” I whisper.

He glances down and a smile ghosts over his mouth. “Just like that.”

I can’t hold back my laughter. It’s pure joy and it bubbles up in me. Overflowing. God, that feels so good.

“I love you,” I whisper.

He gives me that look—the one that’s pure longing and admiration all at once. The first time I noticed it was when I caught him staring at me in the cabin, all those years ago. When I’d asked him what he was looking at and he said, “Just you.”

He says that a lot. I’ll catch him staring and it’s not for any reason. He’s just looking. One time I pushed him for a real answer and he took off his hat and slapped my ass with it.

“I’m just looking at what belongs to me, redbird,” he said.

I drag myself back to the present, knowing I’m going to have my fill of my husband later tonight.

“Did you take your pill today?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I thought maybe you’d say yes.”

He rumbles, a quiet laugh. “You’ve turned into a woman who knows what she wants.”

“I just know you.”

“You know me and you know what you want,” he muses.

I’m getting uncomfortable with being in his spotlight. “What do you think Cash will think about being a brother?”

His jaw works. “It depends. I think he’ll like it overall.”

I furrow my brow. “I hope we don’t have adjustment problems.”

“There will always be problems,” he says. “We’ll figure them out.”

I nod, tracing my finger over the buttons of his Henley. Enjoying how firm his chest is, how it feels like a warm slab under my touch. It was one of the first things I noticed when he fucked me the night he saved me from the fire—how big and broad and warm he was against my body.

“What do you think it will be?” I muse.

“Maybe a little, redheaded girl. It’d be nice to get a child with your sweetness, redbird.”

“Cash is sweet,” I scold. “At least, when he chooses to be.”

“He’s bullheaded,” he says. “I’ve got my eye on him.”

“What if we get a redheaded girl who’s just like you?”

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