Page 106 of Guarded from Treachery

But it’s more than that. It’s ecstasy.

I’ll always love being inside Isla the best, feeling her inner walls clutching at me; those perfect moments when we’re joined as one. But this is pretty damn incredible, too.

I make sure Isla finishes first, as I always will. And as she does, I hold myself back long enough to watch her. To see her head arch back and her eyes flutter shut. To see the flush build higher in her cheeks. To see her muscles go tight as the absolute bliss takes over, her body reacting on instinct.

Only then do I let myself go. In the last seconds before I rocket into space, I pull back enough to release on her stomach and not in her mouth, finding an odd sort of satisfaction seeing my mark on her skin.

Collapsing onto the mattress beside her, I cup Isla’s cheek and cover her lips with mine. When we break apart, she gazes at me with eyes half-hooded and glazed with desire. “I love you, Matt.” She pauses. Smiles. “My husband.”

My heart swells even more, moving on towards infinity. “And I love you, too. My wife.” I kiss her again. “Mrs. Cross.”

She grins. “I love that. It has such a nice ring to it. Isla Cross. And?—”

But she’s interrupted by a loud cry. It’s insistent. Almost indignant.

Isla sits up immediately and starts to get out of bed. “I’d better get her.”

I gently push her back down. “No, you stay. I’ll go.”

“She’s probably hungry, though.”

“Probably,” I agree. “But I can change Dove’s diaper. And we have some bottles ready, so I can feed her while you take a shower. Unless you want to do it?”

Her expression softens. “No, you can go. She loves spending time with her dad.”

Oh.

Her dad.

That’s another thing I’ll never get tired of hearing.

Dad.

I always hoped for a life like this. But the reality is so much more than I could have dreamed.

And I never imagined myself being this happy.

As Dove lets out another cry—her irritatedwhy aren’t you feeding me yetone—I jump out of bed and lean down to give Isla a soft kiss on her forehead. “I love spending time with her, too.”

“Go, then.” She smiles at me. “I’ll take a quick shower. And then I’ll take over so you can get ready. We should probably head out to the barn pretty soon, anyway.”

I glance at the clock. “You’re right. Everyone should be getting here shortly. And you don’t want to be late for your own party.”

“Ourparty,” Isla calls after me as I head towards the nursery. “It’s a party to celebrate all the babies and their parents. And you’re Dove’s dad. So it’s a party for you, too.”

When we walkinto the barn an hour and a half later, after two outfit changes—Dove’s, not mine or Isla’s—almost everyone is already here. I’m holding Dove while Isla carries two gift bags, one for Jade and Niall’s little boy, Declan, who was born just two weeks after Dove, and the other for Xavier and Lucy’s baby, who’s due in August.

Originally, we had planned on having a baby shower before Dove came, but things got pretty crazy with some of our cases and there never seemed to be a time when everyone could come. Isla was the one who suggested the idea of having a party afterward instead, explaining, “We can buy all the baby stuff, Matt. I’m not worried about that. I just want to celebrate with our friends. So whenever they can all be there, that’s when I want to have it.”

So two months later, here we are.

With Niall and Jade and their new baby. And Xavier and a glowing Lucy, who both look absolutely thrilled to be expecting.

Not just the parents and parents-to-be, but our friends and family, as well.

Over by all the games, Cole and Leo are playing a cutthroat game of cornhole against Erik and Hawk, while Dante and Rhiannon cheer them on. Maya and Georgia are sitting on one of the couches watching as they play with their little ones.

My old teammate, Enzo, and his fiancée, Winter, are playing with Rambo, tossing a stuffed baby rattle for him to fetch.

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