“You’ve rewritten your story, Magnolia. You took all that pain and turned it into something beautiful. This baby is just the next chapter. And you’ll give him or her everything you never had. That’s not just good parenting… it’s healing as well.”
“Thank you for trusting me to be your child’s mother.”
I squeeze her hand, holding her gaze. “There’s no one on this earth I’d trust more than you.”
I’ve seen her strength, her softness, her fire. She’s survived things that would’ve leveled anyone else, and still, she came out loving. Open-hearted. Brave. She’s the only woman in the world I’d ever want as the mother of my children.
She blinks down at our joined hands, then back up. “What are you most excited about?”
How the hell do I choose?
I glance at her belly. “Meeting the mini version of you.”
She smiles. “According to what I learned in biology, I think it’s fair to say this baby will probably look more like you and your dominant genes. And I’m more than all right with that.”
I lean forward, nudging her foot under the table with mine. “If it’s a girl, I want her to have your eyes.”
“Mmm… likely not, but we’ll see. Sometimes genetics do weird things.”
Music drifts from the yacht’s speakers—something slow and old, made for swaying more than stepping. I stand and hold out a hand.
“Dance with me, Mrs. Sebring.”
She gives me a look that says she’s both amused and very pregnant. “Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
I help her to her feet and pull her close, careful not to press too hard against her stomach. Our bodies don’t quite line up the way they used to, but I don’t care. She’s warm and beautiful and mine.
We sway, slow and steady.
“I was thinking about the first time we came out on this yacht––the weekend we cruised to Newcastle. That was before I knew who you were.”
I kiss her hair. “That was when I was still trying to pretend that I wasn’t falling helplessly in love with you.”
She laughs as her stomach bumps into me. “Okay, this isn’t working.”
Magnolia twists in my arms, leaning her back against my front, and I wrap my arms around her from behind. One hand slides up to rest over her belly. The other drifts higher, fingers brushing over her swollen tits through the fabric of her dress.
She melts into my arms, and I press a kiss just beneath her ear.
“You know what I keep thinking about?”
“Tell me.”
“That night… on this deck… having you right here… on top of this table.”
Her breath catches. “Yeah. We should do that again.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
She’s wearing a simple dress beneath the hoodie, one I love—soft and sleeveless. I tug both up and over her head in one smooth motion, letting them fall to the deck. Her knickers slide down her thighs. She steps out of them, bare now under the silver wash of moonlight and the soft flicker of fairy lights strung above us. She turns, her eyes catching mine in the dark.
“You’re overdressed.”
I undress myself, to make it easier on her, and my sweater comes off in one motion. The elastic waistband of my shorts gives way with a flick, leaving us skin to skin beneath the open sky.
She lets out a startled squeak as her bare skin meets the table.
