Page 24 of Claimed By The Devil

Deirdre hands me the baby and joins him by the bear. She pulls it out so that he can hug it. I laugh and say, “It’s bigger than he is.”

There’s a card tied with a ribbon to the bear's paw, and Deirdre pulls it off and reads it. She looks up at me with her mouth hanging open and says, “It’s from my father.”

“He came by the hospital, baby girl. He wanted to congratulate me,” I confess.

“Amazing.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

She smiles and says, “It doesn’t matter. It was a nice gesture, I guess, but my family is right here.”

“We are, baby, and we’re not going anywhere,” I reply.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

DANNY

Deirdre rushes through the house trying to locate little shoes and jackets so that we aren’t late for D.J.’s recital. It’s important to her that the whole family shows up to cheer for him. I suggested leaving the little ones at home. When the three smaller kids are finally dressed and ready, she stops to look at herself in the mirror.

“Jesus, I’m a mess now,” she complains.

I walk up behind her and put my arms around her waist. “No, baby. You’re still the most beautiful girl in the world. Every man in the venue will be wondering how I got this lucky.”

“You’re so sweet, but seriously? Look at this hair,” she rolls her eyes.

“It’s beautiful, just like you.”

Deirdre puts Daniela in her car seat, and I strap in Damon and Dillon. The twins are teething, and I wipe the drool from their faces before Deirdre sees it and decides that she needs to change their clothes again. She’s the best mother that I’ve ever seen and always makes sure the kids are neat and tidy. I don’t know how she handles them all day and still stays so damn sexy. I open her door for her and slap her on the ass as she climbs into the SUV.

“Daddy!” she gasps. “Save that for later.”

I lean into the car door to kiss her. I bite her lower lip and say, “Don’t tell me what to do.”

D.J.’s school is just a few blocks away, and we get there in plenty of time to see him standing in line with his class. He looks adorable in his Uncle Sam costume. He sees us and waves frantically.

We find a row with enough empty seats to accommodate us and sit down just as the auditorium lights dim and the recital begins. I stand up and cheer with a baby in my arms when D.J. gets on the stage. He recites his lines just the way that we rehearsed them and bows with a satisfied grin on his face.

He’s overjoyed when he gets a standing ovation from the crowd. He’s a natural leader like his father, but I think maybe we should steer him in the direction of law or finance. My progeny will not be following in my footsteps.

After the show, we stop for pizza to take home for D.J.’s celebration dinner. Deirdre rarely orders takeout. She won’t even let me hire a cook for her. She says that it’s her job to feed us, and I know that she loves doing it.

The boys are fed and put to bed, and the nanny takes D.J. and Daniela upstairs to prepare for their baths. Alone, I take Deirdre by the hand and escort her out to the patio. We sit together on the deck lounge and sip our wine.

“It was a good day, daddy. Our little boy is growing up,” Deirdre tells me.

“He has a fantastic mother,” I reply.

“And father,” she adds.

“You looked great tonight, too,” I tell her, squeezing her by the waist.

“So did you, handsome daddy,” she places her hand on mine.

“I have to tell you when I slapped your ass and watched your tits bounce, I got a little hard.”

“You always do,” she laughs.

“When everyone’s asleep and the nanny goes home, I’m gonna show you.”

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