One Year Later

 

“Babe, I’m exhausted,” I mumbled into the pillow as I crashed into bed. “Can’t you get up?”

 

Zane groaned and finally extricated himself from the bed. “Fine,” he said in a voice that sounded as tired as I felt. “But it’s your turn the next time.”

 

I grinned to myself. Our baby was sobbing loudly in the other room, but I knew it was only a matter of time before Zane would provide comfort.

 

“You’re a good dad,” I murmured as I felt myself drifting back off for a few precious seconds of sleep. “You’re such a good dad.”

 

When I woke up again, sun was streaming through the windows of our bedroom. At my request, Zane had redecorated the whole house. Now our bedroom was done in soothing colors: periwinkle and silver, with light wooden accents. It wasn’t nearly the epitome of masculine furnishings he had previously espoused, but I could tell he liked it. I liked it, too; it brought me comfort during the long sleepless nights where we first brought the baby home.

 

It had been a year since that horrible night in the woods. I had nightmares about being kidnapped for months. They didn’t go away until Zane bought me my own gun — it was even pink — and taught me how to shoot. He took me to the firing range early one morning and guided my hands and arms, showing me how to take someone down for defense and for the kill.

 

Zane was still in the business. It was different than I thought it would be. He didn’t stay out late most nights, and from what I understood, the violence had really decreased with Lionel’s death. Even though Zane and his father hadn’t been close, there was still a lot he wouldn’t say about his father now. He gave me some excuse about how it was bad luck to speak ill of the dead, but I knew better; despite everything, Zane had truly loved his father.

 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Zane said as he strode into the room. He grinned at me and set a tray down on the bed. “Don’t think I forgot,” he added in a teasing voice.

 

“Good morning,” I said, blushing. “This is the latest I’ve slept in months!”

 

“I know,” Zane said. He yawned and I felt slightly guilty. I could tell he was tired, but I really appreciated him helping out with the baby. After all, a lot of masculine Italian men wouldn’t even lift a finger, but Zane was a great co-parent. “I brought breakfast,” he added.

 

The heavenly aroma of bacon, sausage, and eggs filled my nose. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling until my lungs ached. When Zane handed me a fork, I fell upon the food and started eating like a maniac.

 

“I love seeing you eat,” Zane said. “You’re a healthy Italian Mama who needs to keep up her strength.” He grinned at me. “In all ways, baby,” he added, slipping a hand under the blanket and grasping my bare thighs.

 

I blushed deeply. Zane and I had a really intense sex life. Even when I was pregnant, he couldn’t get enough of me. It was like we were addicted to each other, and the only cure was ripping off each other’s clothes and tumbling into bed for an hour or two.

 

“I miss you,” Zane said. He leaned over and nuzzled my neck, sending shivers of arousal through my body. “I miss you so much.”

 

“Mm, Zane,” I moaned softly as I turned my head to the side and pressed my lips against his in a passionate kiss. The breakfast tray went crashing to the floor as Zane climbed on the bed and ran his hands down my body. My nerve endings jumped and cried out for his touch, and I felt myself shivering with lust.

 

“Oh, Isabella baby,” Zane groaned as I slipped my hands down his back and clawed at the skin under his shirt. He bit my earlobe, sending a spike of lust through my body. “I want you so bad.”

 

From the other room, a loud cry made Zane jump apart from my body. I could have cried with frustration; between my legs was thumping and soaked with arousal.

 

“It’s your turn,” Zane smirked. He flopped down on the bed and recused the tray from the floor, nibbling at a piece of discarded bacon. “Your son is hungry.”

 

Rolling my eyes, I got to my feet and slipped into a kimono before padding into the other room and taking baby Giorgio in my arms. He was a great baby, but that didn’t excuse the fact that he spent most of his time sobbing. He’d had colic from a young age, and then I just secretly thought he was jealous of all the attention Zane and I gave each other.

 

Giorgio was a beautiful baby. His eyes had been blue, like mine, but now they were dark, like Zane’s. His blonde hair was just beginning to grow and in the dim light, it looked like a messy halo around his head. When he saw me, he stopped crying and lifted his arms to be held.

 

“You are too smart for your own good,” I muttered as I scooped him out of his crib and held him firmly against my chest. “You know that? Too damn smart.”

 

Giorgio cuddled against my body and I took a deep smell of his milky, soft scent. He was a perfect baby, aside from how fussy he could be when Zane and I were trying to have adult time.

 

“I love you, baby,” I told him. “Thanks for sticking with me. I know that night was pretty hellish, but you made it out alive, didn’t you?”

 

I was barely aware of Zane slipping inside and putting a hand on my lower back. He grinned at me, his face glowing with pride. Even though we were both exhausted, I couldn’t deny how happy I was. For once, I had the perfect family. And I was never going to give it up.

 

“What do you say you put Giorgio down for a nap and come back to bed, huh?” Zane teased, whispering in my ear and sending shivers down my spine.

 

“I don’t know,” I said softly. “He’s so happy in my arms. Look, he fell asleep again.”

 

Zane smiled. He reached over and stroked his son’s blonde hair. “He’s a tough little man,” he said approvingly. “But I want a chance to give his mommy that girl she so desperately wanted,” he added in a teasing tone. “I want little Giorgio to have a sister.”

 

I rolled my eyes. After my twenty-hour labor, I wasn’t exactly ready for another baby. “I don’t know,” I said. “You won’t be satisfied until we’ve filled this house with kids.”

 

Zane grinned at me, then reached over and smacked my ass. “That’s the idea,” he said with a smirk. “That’s exactly the idea.”

 

THE END

 

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