feet try to move faster than she realizes, and she falls back on her diapered bottom in the dirt. Jogging closer to them, I hand Stephanie the water and pick up my girl, who is now sporting a wobbly bottom lip as her blue eyes fill with tears.
Damion gasps, I can hear him from across the yard. I let out a chuckle as I scoop Josette up in my arms.
“Don’t cry darlin’,” I coo.
Stephanie laughs softly, her head tilting back to look up at me. I take the opportunity to dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers. “How you feelin’?” I ask for the millionth time.
“I’m good, Cowboy,” she rasps against my lips.
Reaching out, I touch my hand to her still flat stomach. Lifting my arm, I slide it around her shoulders and tuck her close to my side. Facing the back of my property.
“My girls, my land, good friends, a man couldn’t be happier,” I state as I guide us back over to Damion and his family.
The land, there is no end in sight now. I bought that fifty acres of land adjoining mine, I added another forty on the other side, and I’ve just closed escrow on an additional twenty. In total, we own well over five hundred acres of land.
“You couldn’t? What if this baby was a boy? Would that just seal the deal on your happiness?” Stephanie asks.
Damion snorts. “Girlie, this man would be happy no matter what.”
I shake my head, still looking out on my expanse of property, damn proud of the life that I’ve built for myself and for my family.
“Damion’s right,” I agree. “Wouldn’t matter to me, honey. Boy or girl, don’t give much of a fuck as long as you and the baby are healthy.”
Stephanie lays her head on my shoulder with a sigh. Josette slaps my chest to remind me that she’s still there. Josette, named after my mother. Something that Stephanie suggested. I couldn’t tell her no, both of our parents are gone, it’s nice that she wanted to keep a bit of them alive.
“This one you name after your parents. However you want to do that, I’m good,” I murmur.
“Okay, Cowboy.”
Turning my head, I touch my lips to the top of her head. I inhale her sweet scent mixed with Texas dirt and I close my eyes, still in awe that all of this is mine—is ours.
THREE YEARS LATER
WYATT
I hear my son let out a cry as he starts to toddle toward his big sister. “Harlan, you wait right there, boy,” I shout.
He looks back at me, grins, then continues to run. I hear Rylan let out a guffaw of laughter. It’s easy for him to laugh, his youngest is six and Brooks is a sweet girl, just like her mama and always listens.
Harlan, well I think he got more of the Lindsay blood in him than anything else, in simple words, he’s a hell-raiser.
“Just let him be,” Channing calls out. “Reese, you keep an eye on Harlan, don’t let him get into any trouble, okay?”
“Yes, Mama,” Reese calls out.
At eight years old, he’s more mature than most kids his age. But he’s a good kid and I don’t know how it happened, but neither one of Rylan’s kids are giving him payback for his youth, instead I’m getting it, and I wasn’t even a bad kid.
“You should have had one more,” I mumble as I make my way over to Rylan.
“And tempt fate? No thanks. I got a good boy and a sweetheart of a girl. I’m not chancing that shit,” he chuckles.
We’re all out at Ford and Steph’s place for dinner, though I’m not sure why they insisted we come out here. I mean, we like it and everything, but it was Beaumont’s turn to host, Stephanie was insistent though.
It hits me. Lifting my eyes, I find her and narrow my gaze. “She’s pregnant again,” I grunt.
“Who?” Rylan asks.
“Stephanie.”
Channing and Exeter are standing with her, they’re helping her put all of the food out on the picnic table. It used to be no big deal for all of us to get together and grill dinner, but now, with all the kids. We have to plan and prepare to feed the army that we’ve created.
“No way.” Beaumont snorts as he joins us. “She’s our age.”
“Guaranteed, she is.” I chuckle.
We watch the kids run around, my lips twitch into a smile at the sight of them all. Fourteen in total so far. A wild mix of boys