Page 26 of The Mountain Man's Valentine Baby

I scoop Emma into my arms. She’s three months old now and the light of my life. She stares up at me, all wide blue eyes.

“Good morning, little one,” I call the same way I do each day.

She gurgles and gives me a big, toothless grin. She’s been doing that a lot lately, smiling at me and Jasper with an expression that we insist must be pure happiness.

“Let’s go find dada,” I tell her. Clearly, she’s seen him this morning. From the moment she first came into the world, he’s been a hands-on dad.

I pad through the cabin. We live here full-time now. The talent management agency wasn’t interested in letting me work remotely for their company. They insisted I couldn’t do my job unless I was in Nashville.

It took me a few weeks to get the legal requirements in place, then I left and started my own agency.

Zac was the first client who signed with me, and seven other singers followed. It’s enough work to keep me and Skye busy. She’s my person in Nashville. Meanwhile, I work out of my cozy cabin while raising the world’s cutest daughter with my mountain man husband.

What I see in the living room stops me in my tracks. There are dozens of presents stacked everywhere, wrapped in beautiful paper. Half of them have Emma’s name on them and the other half have my name. In the middle of it all is my husband sitting on the couch with a huge grin on his face. He holds up a saucer. “I have pie for you, wife.”

I put a hand on my hip and scowl at him. “Do you know your birthday is supposed to be about you?”

His smug look tells me he’s delighted with himself. “I already have what I want, so my gift should be getting to spoil the two most important people in my life.”

OK, so that’s kind of sweet, and I blink to keep my eyes dry. Jasper has kept his word since our wedding day. I only cry happy tears since we’ve gotten married.

“Come here and have some Valentine’s Day breakfast,” he gestures for me.

I pass Emma to him and snuggle next to them on the couch. I love these sweet family moments together. It’s why I was so determined to get out of Nashville. It’s a beautiful city, but I didn’t want to raise my daughter there. I wanted her growing up in the same cabin where I fell in love with her father. I never had a family home before Jasper, and now I do.

He watches me eat the cherry pie, grinning the entire time. Besides taking care of his daughter, Jasper still loves taking care of me. He spoils me every chance he gets.

When I’m done, I gesture toward the first pile. “You better not have gotten her the tricycle I saw you looking at online. You know she’s way too little for that.”

“I got her something better,” he announces, opening the gift to show Emma. It’s a child-size easel with various supplies. “It’s her first art set.”

She stares at the brightly colored box, drooling a little as she does. “See? She’s going to be an artist. She’s already drawn to it.”

I chuckle. I don’t doubt that for a second. She’s a daddy’s girl, and Jasper is completely wrapped around her finger.

Jasper continues through the presents, alternating between having me open gifts and giving our daughter new things.

When it’s finally over, I give him my gifts. The first is a canvas print from our wedding day. The second is another fox with a cute pink headband. There’s a tiny fox too, representing our precious Emma.

“I thought he needed a family,” I explain. “So, he’s not alone anymore.”

“It’s perfect,” he whispers then frowns, pushing against the fox’s stomach, the one that represents me. “She has a pouch.”

“Open it.”

He pulls out another tiny fox, frowning. “You already made one for Emma.”

“I did,” I agree, barely able to hold back the grin that’s lighting up my face. I can’t believe we got so lucky again so soon. I expected that it would take another year of trying before we’d be able to give Emma a sibling.

He must guess from my expression. He beams at me. His chest puffs out. There’s no man prouder than a mountain man who has just impregnated his wife. “Again?”

I put his big hand on my stomach, knowing that I’m going to have a day of endless orgasms now that he’s found out. “Again.”

“I can’t believe…this is amazing. We’re getting a second baby so quickly,” he says, his voice filled with wonder.

“Another little miracle,” I agree. Our kids will be very close in age, but I don’t mind. After spending so long alone, Jasper and I both want a big family. We know that’s going to come with a lot of chaos and noise but also a lot of love and happiness.

“Ma told me once that miracles happen every day,” he says. “At the time, I didn’t understand what she was saying, but now I do. Because I keep getting them. Every day I open my eyes, and you’re lying beside me. That’s miracle one.”

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