Page 106 of No Greater Love
"I did my job," he interrupted, his voice tight. "That's all. Just... doing what I was trained to do."
And there it was—the essence of Nathan Crawford. A man who'd run through gunfire to save Marines and Iraqi civilians, who'd raised an incredible daughter alone for eleven years, who'd been willing to walk into that courtroom with nothing but his love for Paige to defend himself. And to him, it was all just doing what needed to be done.
"You're extraordinary," I whispered. "Do you know that? You're the most extraordinary man I've ever known."
Something shifted in his expression then, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "I love you," he said simply. "I love you so much, Tasha. When I thought I might lose Paige, when I thought Sarah might take her away from us?—"
"She didn't," I said, stepping closer until I was pressed against him. "She can't. We're safe. All of us."
His hands found my waist, pulling me closer. "All of us," he repeated, and his eyes dropped to my still-flat stomach. "We're really having a baby."
"We're really having a baby." I covered his hands with mine. "Are you happy? I know this wasn't planned, and with everything that just happened?—"
"Happy?" He laughed, and this time there was pure joy in the sound. "Tasha, I'm terrified and thrilled and completely overwhelmed. But yes, I'm happy. God,I'm so happy."
He kissed me then, soft and reverent, his hands cradling my face like I was something precious. When we broke apart, he rested his forehead against mine.
"I was so scared today," he admitted quietly. "Not just about losing Paige, but about losing you too. About losing this family we've built."
"You didn't lose us. You won't lose us." I took his hand, guiding it to my stomach. "This baby is going to grow up knowing they're wanted, knowing they're safe, knowing their father would do anything to protect them. Just like Paige."
His eyes filled with tears. "What if I'm not good enough? What if I can't give them everything they need?"
"Stop." I silenced him with another kiss. "You gave Paige everything she needed. You turned yourself into exactly the father she deserved. You'll do the same for this baby."
"We will," he corrected softly. "We'll do it together."
The word hung between us, heavy with promise and possibility. Together. A real family, chosen and fought for and earned through fire.
"I need you," I whispered against his lips. "I need to feel that we're real, that we're here, that we made it through."
His response was immediate and fervent. He lifted me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me toward the bedroom. Every step felt like a celebration, like claiming something that was ours by right.
In his room—our room—he set me down with infinite care, his hands trembling slightly as he reached for the buttons of my blouse.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. "After today, if you need?—"
"I need you," I repeated, covering his hands with mine. "I need this. I need us. I need to know I belong to you, and that you belong to me."
We undressed each other slowly, reverently, mapping the familiar territory of each other's bodies with new understanding. This was the man who'd almost lost everything to protect his daughter. This was the woman carrying his child. This was love tested by fire and emerged stronger.
When he laid me back on the bed, his touch was worship, his kisses prayers of gratitude and relief. Every caress spoke of how close we'd come to losing this, how precious it was to have survived intact.
I breathed him in deeply, savoring the familiar warmth and scent that had become my home. His fingers trailed across my skin, each touch a gentle affirmation, chasing away lingering fears, anchoring me firmly in this moment of absolute safety and love.
His hand settled carefully over my stomach as he kissed me, reverent and gentle. "You’re giving me another miracle," he whispered. "I’ll spend every day proving I deserve it."
“I love you so much, Nathan,” I whispered back, so caught up in emotion I was barely able to find my voice.
"I loveyou," he murmured against my neck, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you and Paige and this baby we're making. You're my whole world, Tasha."
I arched beneath him, pulling him closer, needing to feel every inch of him against me. "Show me," I whispered. "Show me we're real."
And he did. With hands that had saved lives in wartime and packed school lunches with surgical precision. With the same quiet intensity he brought to everything that mattered to him. With love that had been tested in a courtroom and emerged unbreakable.
He moved slowly above me, careful and deliberate, and when he joined us together, it felt like coming home. We moved gently at first, savoring each second, each brush of skin against skin, each whispered endearment, each tremble of pleasure. The rhythm built gradually, steadily, drawing us deeper into a profound intimacy neither of us had ever fully known before.
"Nathan," I breathed, wrapping myself tightly around him, needing him closer still. "Please, never let go."
