Page 55 of Burning for the Truth

“Babe, let’s not think about my brother right now.”

He pulls me to another blanket laid out and kneels before me again. He presses a kiss to my lower abdomen. “Hi, baby, it’s me, your daddy. I don’t know if you can hear me yet or not, but I love you…so, so much. You and your mommy are my everything.”

A tear runs down my cheek as I run my hands through his hair, listening to him talk to our baby. This is a dream I’d never expected to come true. He looks up at me with tears shimmering in his eyes too. “I love you, Briella.”

“I love you too.” I smile.

With that, he grins and lifts my dress up finding me bare underneath. He groans and starts to tease me with his tongue until I’m trembling with need. He pulls me down gently and helps me out of it, leaving me bare aside from the soft glow of the lanterns kissing my skin. He undresses quickly and crawls on top of me, keeping himself propped on his elbows. He kisses my lips in a torturously slow dance. And finally, he slides into my center in one swift thrust.

“Baby, I missed you,” he says as he moves slowly in and out of my center, driving me crazy. His stormy gaze reaches my soul.

“I missed you more,” I whisper, holding his stare with my own.

He thrusts harder. “I never want to miss you again. You’re mine now.” He presses gentle kisses to my lips and my face, all the way to my shoulders.

I nip at his lip and take his face in my hands so I know he sees me…I need him to hear me. “I was always yours and I always will be.”

He smiles that boyish grin that’s always been able to capture my heart. “Hold on to me, Briella. Don’t let go.”

I kiss him again and we lose all sense of anything other than the feel of our bodies entwined, skin to skin, and our hearts beating for one another, so full of love.

We follow our release over the edge and lie there under the moon where it all seemed to begin.

We’ve been chasing this moment for years and now we’re right where we belong…holding on to each other forever.

Nine months and four days later…

“Ican’t do this!” Briella screams as another wave of contractions hits her hard. She’s sweating and crying, but she’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. Her golden hair is in a knot on top of her head and she’s free of any makeup. She’s in a hospital gown and she’s squeezing my hand with more strength than a woman her size should possess.

I brush my wife’s hair back and gently kiss her forehead. “Look at me, Bree. You can do this. You are the strongest woman I know.” Her water broke while we were putting away the last of the baby clothes, and we thought we had time. Little did we know, she’d be almost fully dilated and past the point of getting an epidural by the time we were in a hospital room.

“I don’t feel strong right now, Dean. I feel pain! Make it stop!” she whimpers while still raising her voice and gritting her teeth. I glance at the foot of the bed where her feet are in stirrups, and I’m drawn to the sexy red polish on her toes. I just painted them last night for her because she couldn’t reach her feet. I smile at the memory and the doctor nods to me encouragingly.

“Baby, hold on to me. Don’t let go.” I touch my forehead to hers while never letting go of her hand. I’m outwardly holding it together for Briella because she needs me to be the strong one right now, but inside I’m shaking with fear.What if I mess this up? I’m going to be a dad. I’m responsible for shaping a little life with my words and actions.

Tears stream down her face as the doctor says it’s time to push again. She squeezes her eyes shut and pushes with everything she’s got. I keep my eyes on her and I’m in awe. Her love for me surpasses anything I could’ve dreamed of or hoped for. And I meant it when I said she’s the strongest woman I know. She’s probably the strongestpersonI know…without a doubt.

She married me a few months after I proposed to her on that hill. We had a small wedding ceremony with all our loved ones present. I’ve never been more proud or happier any time in my life…except maybe now.

My wife has it all. She’s a little badass with a heart of gold. And she’s about to give me the greatest gift any man could ask for…a child. Suddenly, I’m pulled from my thoughts as I hear the sound of a baby crying.

“She’s here. You have a daughter,” Dr. Ray says.

“It’s a girl?” Briella asks as she catches her breath.

They clean our daughter up quickly and lay her on Briella’s chest for some skin-to-skin bonding. Our daughter has a head full of black hair and the sweetest little cries I’ve ever heard. Briella holds her close and kisses her head. Tears fall down my face relentlessly at the sight of my wife holding our newborn daughter in her arms. All the fear I felt moments ago vanishes. I gaze lovingly at the two most important people in this world to me and I know I’ll do anything to protect them and make sure they’re happy and loved every day of my life.

Briella stares up at me and gently cups my face as the nurses are busy cleaning things up to get us settled. She smiles and wipes the tears from under my eyes. “Look at what we did. She’s so beautiful, Dean.” I lean over and kiss my daughter’s head and then my wife’s.

“She’s incredible, Bree. You did so good,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “No,wedid good.”

About an hour later, we’re settled, and we’ve spent some time together—just the three of us. We’ve bonded and cuddled, and we’ve nursed. Briella is getting tired, but our families are here, so we quickly let them visit before trying to rest.

Sterling and Ivie come in with their daughter, Aria, who is quietly sucking her pacifier as she takes in her baby cousin from a distance. Tate and Lucy are both fussing over our daughter, arguing about who she looks like more. Our parents are in the room gushing with pride and even Hawk and Brittney are here.

I glance at Briella and raise my eyebrow in question. She smiles and nods. “We waited to find out what we were having until she arrived today, but we had a name picked out either way.” I take my sleeping daughter in my arms as my eyes sting, both because I didn’t know you could love a tiny person so much, and because her name is special to both Briella and me.

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