get too close. Mostly because I wasn’t ready to share her yet. Even Patriot hadn’t tried to take her from me.
He led me upstairs and showed me the nursery. They’d put it next to our room, and someone had painted the walls a pale lavender. A white crib, changing table, small dresser, and rocking chair had been put together, and the crib even had bedding. The room was bare except those things, which meant we still got the chance to decorate it the way we wanted.
“I don’t want to put her down,” I admitted.
“Little Bit, you walked to the truck carrying her, and walked into the house and up the stairs. You need to get off your leg before you end up hurting yourself.” He shook his head when I kept staring at our new daughter. “Hold on tight.”
I gave a squeak as he lifted me into his arms, with Blaze clutched in mine. He carried us downstairs and set me on the couch. Patriot put on an animated Christmas movie and stepped out of the room. I heard him letting Archimedes out the back door, and then he sounded like he was talking to Hatter.
“Welcome home, Blaze. You’re going to be loved so much,” I said to the baby in my arms. She yawned and closed her eyes.
“There’s formula and bottles in the kitchen,” Patriot said as he set a cup of hot cocoa on the table next to the couch. “Looks like someone bought a bottle warmer too. It’s plugged in on the counter.”
“They thought of everything,” I said.
“Phoebe said she put some outfits in the dresser upstairs. She washed everything so it’s ready for Blaze to wear. They wanted to give us a few days to settle in with her, and give you more recovery time, so there should be enough for at least three or four days of clothing changes.”
“We have an amazing family, don’t we?” I asked.
“We do. Those men and their women would do anything for us, same as we’d do anything for them. And they’d give their lives to protect the kids in this club, including Blaze.”
I reached for my cocoa, then hesitated. What if I spilled any on Blaze? It would be hot enough to burn her delicate skin. Patriot reached over and plucked her from my arms.
“Hey!”
He smiled. “Sorry, Little Bit. You can’t hold onto her forever. I get a turn too. Drink your cocoa and we’ll watch the movie. You can have her back in a little while.”
I sipped my drink and leaned against his arm. As much as I loved the movie, my gaze kept straying to our daughter. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. And she was ours! My vision blurred again, and I knew I was close to crying. It seemed like everything I’d wanted was within my grasp. Patriot had married me, loved me, and now we had a baby.
“Our lives are perfect, aren’t they?” I asked.
“Yeah, Little Bit. They are. Might have had a rough road to get here, and I have no doubt more shit will head our way, but we have a remarkable future ahead of us. All three of us.”
“What about Blaire’s husband? What if he comes after us? And what about her?” I asked.
“Blaire has been handled. I didn’t ask Kraken for the specifics, but he’s assured me she won’t be a problem. As for Walter, I should have told you. Officer Bowers let me know they found Walter Wilcox. He’d holed up with some friends. They have him in custody again. Even if they go searching for his wife, they won’t find her. Wizard will make sure it looks like she left town.”
“So no Blaire and no Walter,” I said. “What’s left?”
He pulled out his phone and showed me the screen. “Well, in about ten more hours it will be Christmas Eve. I think what’s left is our first family Christmas, and a lot of happy memories to make.”
“I don’t know how you were still single. You’re pretty amazing,” I said.
He kissed me again. “Had to wait on the right woman to show up.”
When he said things like that, I completely melted. It wasn’t fair. He wasn’t only sexy and smart, but he had to be the kindest man I’d ever met. And so protective! I didn’t know why Titan had asked Patriot to come get me that day, instead of one of the others, but I was glad. Without him, I’d have remained lost and never become the