Page 33 of Breath By Breath

“Is it a secret?” I tease. He pulls his gaze away and sticks his tongue out at me. “Give me six weeks,” I toss out.

“Lena,” he growls, and my grin grows.

“Come on, Daddy, let’s hear it. What name are you thinking?”

His eyes go back to our son. They’re soft and dreamy. It’s the look he saves for me and our boys, and it melts my heart every damn time I see it on his face.

“Conrad.”

“Oh! That wasn’t on my list, but I love it.” I repeat it over in my head, and I know instantly that it fits.

“Yeah?”

“Conrad Riggins. It’s perfect.” He starts to fuss in his daddy’s arms. “It's about time for him to eat.”

“Yeah. Let me wrap him up. This I am definitely a pro at,” he says with a chuckle. “You can feed, and then I’ll bring the boys in to meet their new little brother.” He stands and wraps Conrad back up in his blanket and places him in my arms. It takes Conrad a few minutes to latch on, but he finally does.

“I love you, Conrad Riggins,” I say softly. He stops eating and starts to fuss a little. I hold him closer, trying to soothe him, but his little face is still scrunched up like he’s ready to let loose a wail any minute. I pat his bottom, but that doesn’t seem to be helping either.

“Hey, buddy, what’s going on?” Stanley, who is sitting on the bed next to me with his arm around my shoulders, reaches out and wraps the other around our son so that we’re both enfolded in the safety of his arms.

Instantly, Conrad quiets, and he latches back on.

“He just needed his daddy’s touch,” I whisper.

“Touch by touch, I’ll be there for all of you.” Stanley kisses my temple, and tears well in my eyes. How is it possible to be this happy? To have this much good in your life? I give all the credit to the man beside me.

Call it magic. Call it luck. I don’t care what you call it, because whatever it is, it’s also love. So much love, my heart can hardly contain it.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Stanley

We’ve been married for nine years today. My mother-in-law took Conrad, and my parents took Royce, Owen, and Grant. At first, Lena didn’t want to let them go. She wanted to celebrate our nine years of marriage with the evidence of that love—our sons—but I convinced her that a few hours of “just us” time was what we needed.

With four boys aged seven and under running around the house, it’s hard to find adult time, but we make it work. Obviously, we’ve got our four boys as proof that it can be done. Trust me, we’ve gotten creative.

“How long has it been since we’ve sat to eat breakfast together, just the two of us?” I ask, taking a sip of my coffee.

“Royce is seven, so…” Her voice trails off as we both chuckle.

“It feels like yesterday when we first brought him home from the hospital,” I reminisce.

“They’re growing up so fast.” She clears her throat. My wife gets choked up whenever she thinks about how quickly our boys are growing up. When they tell you not to blink because it goes by in the blink of an eye, it’s the truth. I can’t believe we have a seven-year-old.

“I’m stuffed.” Lena pushes her plate to the side. I made biscuits and gravy—one of her favorites—after our parents picked up the boys bright and early. They’d planned to go out for breakfast, all of them before they split ways. “It was delicious, as always. Thanks for cooking.” She stands to clear her plate, but I stop her by gently placing my hand on her arm.

“I’m not full yet.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll make you another plate.” She shifts slightly to go back to the kitchen, but my gentle yet firm hold keeps her from moving.

“Nah, only you’ve got what will fill me up.” I tug gently, and she falls into me. Before she knows what’s happening, I push my plate away and lift her to sit on the table in front of me.

“Stanley. We eat here.” She’s laughing and trying to scold me at the same time. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care.

“That’s what I’m doing.” I push open her robe, and my wife automatically spreads her legs for me. There’s no use in fighting it. I want her, and we’re kid-free; time is of the essence. Besides, I can see the need in her eyes. I can hear it in her voice. She wants this just as badly as I do.

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