“I can’t believe you bought a house.”

“I can’t believe you’re a mom.” Margo leaned forward at the table. She hadn’t quite gotten to the tell-my-sister-about-the-baby part of the program. Between Simon’s unrelenting hovering and the closing on the house, it never seemed to be a good time.

Juliet’s baby came in the middle of everything and things got even more crazy with the cops getting involved in the end of the kidnapping. Margo had no idea how Donovan had kept it out of the news, but then again, he was Donovan.

She was fairly certain he had a secret handshake with half the powerful men in the country—possibly a few countries.

Margo grinned at her sister through FaceTime on her iPad. “Let me show you around a bit. It should be baby-proof soon enough. As soon as you decide to leave the house with little Joshua, you can come over and make a day of it.”

Jules slid her gaze over to the little bassinet beside her. “I know we’re being a little weird with the baby, but it’s so big and all so new. We just wanted some time alone with him before everyone came to visit.”

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind of interviews with the police, calming Simon down enough to get back to normal, and going to every doctor visit he arranged. He was still afraid something had happened to the baby during her kidnapping. Based on the status of her ribs, Margo was absolutely sure her little girl was fine.

“I understand. And things have been insane with the house anyway.” Margo stood and panned the camera around the wide kitchen area and living room. “Look at all the natural light. And my kitchen? I’m going to have to learn to cook,” she said with a laugh.

“That’s crazy. Look at the size of it.”

“You know Simon, he never does anything small.”

“But you guys loved the penthouse.”

Margo swallowed. “Yeah, about that.”

Jules bounced in her seat. “I knew it.”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re pregnant. That’s the only reason you two would get a house.”

She sat back in her chair. “That’s not the only reason.”

“Sure it is. You two are totally the singletons in that baby factory called Oblivion. Did you get baby fever?” Her sister’s wide brown eyes were twinkling. “How far along?”

Margo sighed and patted her less than flat belly. “We weren’t telling anyone until we were sure everything was okay.”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” Jules sat up straighter and her gaze panned down in the video. “Whoa. How long have you been sitting on this?”

“I didn’t want to take anything away from your baby and with…”

Jules sighed. “Everyone has to stop treating me like I’m made of spun sugar. I can still be happy for my sister, dammit.”

“I know.” Margo’s eyes stung. “Me and Simon have actually been...well, not exactly prepared for all that’s happening.”

“You’re happy, right?”

“So happy.” Margo smiled back at her sister. “It’s a girl.”

“Oh my God. Really?”

“Yeah.” She sniffled.

“Serves Simon right.” Jules dabbed at her eyes.

“He is going to be just as bad as Nick.”

“Worse.”

The quick hiccup and shriek of Joshua diverted Juliet’s attention. “Oh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” She lifted him out of his bassinet. “I think someone’s hungry.”

“He’s so beautiful, Jules.”

“Yeah. You better come over and see him. Soon, okay?”

Margo nodded. “Definitely. Text me when you’ll be home this week and we’ll make it happen.”

“I can’t believe we’re going to have kids growing up together.” Juliet’s eyes brightened again. “Us? It just doesn’t compute that we’d have kids.”

Margo laughed. “Believe me, I know.”

“Everything okay in here?” Simon came down the stairs to the kitchen.

Margo dashed away the last of her tears. “I just told Jules.”

“Oh, good. Finally.” Simon came up behind her and curled his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her neck. He dropped his hand to her belly. “I knocked up your sister.” Simon waggled his brows. “Crazy, right?”

Jules rolled her eyes. “You look so proud and yet you’re the last to do it in your band.”

Simon reached up to the iPad. “Always a joy to chat, Jules. Bye now.”

Jules tossed up a middle finger just as the video call ended.

“Simon.”

“What? We were just saving the best for last. Now we’ll get lavished with all the attention.” Simon curled his hand along her growing bump, then cupped her breast.

She peered up at him. “Excuse you.”

“Oh, these are still mine for a few more months.”

She groaned as he swiped his thumb over her nipple. They were always so sensitive now. The tiny spark that was always pleasure under the pain made her breath catch. “I thought you were working on the nursery.”

“Our handyman that’s been building all the furniture took away the extra drill I bought.”

“Because you keep putting holes in things you shouldn’t.”

“I’ll concede that I’m much better at filling them.” He lowered his mouth to her neck and nibbled right where he knew she couldn’t resist. “The house is finally empty. Hank and his crew cleared out. Why don’t you come upstairs and see what they worked on.” He cupped her breasts and plucked lightly at the tips. “I think you’ll like what you find.”

“Mmm-hmm. That’s what you always say when you try to lure me into a room to christen.”

He drew her up out of her seat. “Trust me.”

She rolled her eyes and followed him up the stairs. She was getting too big to crawl up on every surface Simon had in mind. Not that her husband wasn’t inventive with how he kept his pregnant wife pleasured.

It had taken a few weeks to get him to relax enough to touch her. To not look for the boogeyman in every corner. They didn’t want to drag out the kidnapping with the police. With Jerry and his associate dead, the links between all of the stalking pictures and ransom had been cauterized. The fact that Celeste had murdered both men in front of Simon had sealed her fate.

Simon’s mother hadn’t even tried to fight the murder charge. In the end, it had just been lawyers and a very quiet plea bargain that put Celeste in jail for the rest of her life.

She and Simon still had nightmares, but setting up their new house had given them each something to focus on. Initially, Simon hadn’t wanted to buy the house. He’d thought it was tainted by the kidnapping, but she wanted to replace all those memories with good ones.

With a house full of laughter.

With parties and a family she never knew she wanted. Simon had always been enough for her. And now, there was nothing but a wide open future waiting for them. One that included a daughter and cousins, both blood ones and in the extended families of her bandmates. So much to look forward to.

“Where are we going?”

“I know the house is new, but I’m pretty sure you’ve been down this hallway before.”

“Snarky shit,” she muttered.

“Heard that. You’re the one who told me to stop swearing around the baby.”

“I’m the house for said baby. I can do what I want.” Besides, she didn’t talk to her belly like Simon did. Though she did talk to the baby now more than ever. Just not rambling conversations full of f-bombs like Simon.

“Okay, close your eyes.”

She sighed. “Closed.”

He turned around. “Liar.”

She opened one. “Me? How could you say that?”

“Pregnancy has made you very snarky, Mrs. Kagan. Close ‘em.”

More like a near death situation had made some of the old stuffy Margo fall away.

She closed her eyes with a huff and let him draw her forward. Even before she opened her eyes, she could feel the sunlight on her face.

She smiled and lifted her face to the warmth.

“Damn, Violin Girl, you are the most beautiful woman on the fucking—I mean freaking—planet.”

“Until you meet your daughter.”

“You’ll always be my first.”

Her cheeks started to ache from smiling. “Can I open my eyes?”

“Just a second. Stay right there.”

She laced her fingers over the swell of her belly. It wasn’t uncomfortable yet, but she definitely found herself walking differently. It didn’t stop her husband from coming up behind her to say something sexy in her ear, so at least there was that.

The intensity of the sun seemed to double. She couldn’t stop herself from opening her eyes. “Oh, Simon.”

“I should know better than to tell you to wait.”

Her eyes filled and a few tears spilled free. It had been difficult for her to be in any sort of darkness after her kidnapping. So much so that the blackout curtains that used to be a staple of their lives had been retired. But now, there were huge windows from floor to the curved ceiling. She didn’t know how Simon had managed it in a little over a week.

He’d put off their official move-in, citing dust and debris wasn’t good for the baby. But now she knew it was this. Sunlight filled every corner of the room.

He rushed forward. “Donovan’s got some hookup with a guy who specializes in security glass. You can see out, but from the outside, it looks like a mirror.”

She turned her attention away from the gorgeous view. “Really?”

He came around her. “So, we’re protected and you get all the sunshine you could ever want.” He laced his hands over her belly. “Both my girls are protected. And you never have to be in the dark again.”

She’d woken so many times gasping for air and needing the lights on since that night. One night had changed so much in their lives.

She leaned back against him and spread her fingers so they could lace them together. She brought them up for him to cup her breasts over her hands. “In the sunshine, Simon. I need you in the sunshine.”

“Anything you want.”

She stepped forward and his hands fell away, but she tangled their fingers, drawing him after her. Their bed was no longer on a raised dais, but the new bed was still the size of a small lake. She unhooked the little hidden button on her pregnancy pants. She’d given in and bought a few pairs when none of hers would stay hitched under her belly.

They floated down around her ankles. Simon let out a low groan. She might be pregnant, but it didn’t stop her from wearing lace. Maybe in another month or so she’d look for comfort over fashion, but today wasn’t that day.

She still loved making her husband crazy.

After all they’d been through, it was a miracle that lust burned so hot between them still. But today she wanted softness in the buttery late afternoon sunlight. She climbed on the bed and turned around once she got in the center. She tugged the oversized sweater over her head and sent it to the floor with her pants.

His silvery blue eyes heated as she cupped her breasts, then smoothed her hand over the slight swell of her belly to slip her fingers inside her panties. “Are you going to make me get off on my own, husband?”

He swallowed hard. “I wouldn’t mind the show.”

“You never do.” She tipped her head back and let her shoulders relax as she slowly rubbed her clit. She’d been warned by more than one of her friends that the second trimester was akin to being eternally horny.

She could definitely agree.

Convincing Simon she’d been more than ready to resume intimate relations after the kidnapping had been a trick. But once he’d been unleashed, he’d been as voracious as she was.

As if he couldn’t get close enough to her, even skin on skin wasn’t enough.

She let the sun warm her skin as she slowly found the rhythm she needed. The bed dipped slightly as Simon joined her and his fingers tangled with hers and filled her.

His mouth latched onto her nipple and drew hard. He knew she liked it. Needed it, even craved it to get some respite from the heaviness and sensitivity that followed her around all the time. The first flutters of a sweet orgasm flooded her system and warmed her like the sun.

She slipped her fingers into Simon’s hair and held him tighter to her chest, urging him for more. Just then she didn’t want gentleness. She wanted the raw Simon. Her nails bit into his scalp and the humming groan around her nipple was chased by his dexterous fingers along her clit. He shoved her fingers out of the way to get deeper inside her, to thrust harder the way she needed him.

“You. I need you, Simon.” Margo reached for his belt and fished her hand into his jeans to find the long, hard length of him. She dragged him closer by the cock and pushed him back onto the bed.

“Whoa.”

She rolled the panties over her butt and flung them onto the floor before climbing over him and settling him where she needed him most.

“Margo.” His groan was low and long as she sunk down on him and slowly rode him. It was easier for her to be on top right now. Not because he couldn’t get on top of her, but because he was forever worried about being too much for her.

And that was fine with her.

She splayed her fingers over his belly, pushing his shirt up as she took him deeper and longer with each pass over him. She widened her knees until there was no air between them.

Until the rough hair at the base of his cock gave her just the friction she needed to get over the plateau she was sitting on. She screamed out his name as he arched up to suck on her nipple then dragged her mouth down to his. He gripped her hips, grinding her harder against him until she was nothing but golden light and the endless sparkles of release.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sunk her fingers into his hair while she whispered his name in an endless chant against his mouth. He thrusted up inside her and bit down on her bottom lip before he tangled their lips, mimicking his movements as his cock filled her.

They rocked through another release on her end before he finally pulsed inside of her and let go.

So, so good.

They fell into a heap on their freshly made bed. Their legs tangled and Simon drew little designs on her shoulder.

“How is it we’re even better at this?”

She rested her chin on her hand and tweaked his nipple. “Lots of practice.”

He laughed and rolled her onto her back. “I know that part. But this…” He cupped her belly, which was much more pronounced when she was flat on her back. He pressed a kiss to her still sweaty skin. “I’m always so worried I’ll hurt her.” He nuzzled along the side of her stomach. “And then you get me all fuc—freaking—revved and I forget myself.”

She patted her belly. “The little housing unit we have here keeps everything nice and protected. Pretty soon I won’t be so mobile though.”

He slid next to her and transferred his doodles to her belly. “I had a dream about our daughter.”

She smiled softly. “Did you?”

“Yeah, when you were…” He looked down at her belly, then back up to her eyes. “When you were gone. I dreamed of a dark-haired little girl on a swing. The one outside.”

Her eyes misted over. “That’s beautiful, Simon. You were giving me all that hope. I could feel it when I was in that dark room.” It was harder for Simon to hear about what she went through than it was for her to tell it. Before he could pull away, she covered her hand over his on her belly. “I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”

Simon blinked away tears and nodded. “I’d have done anything to get you back. I’ve never felt so fucking helpless in my life. If Donovan hadn’t…” He huffed out a shaky breath. “I’ll never bitch about him again.”

She cupped his face. “I’ll remind you of that.”

He pressed his cheek into her hand. “I’m sure you will.” He kissed her palm. “The little girl had a name.”

“I don’t get any input? This is how you’re getting around it.” It figured that Simon would find some way to get his stamp on the baby.

“Well, we can discuss it, of course, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be on board.”

“Is that right? What is it?” God, it was going to be Cherry or Gibson. Maybe Taylor, like his guitar. That wasn’t so bad.

“Raine. With an e.”

She blinked at him. “Raine?”

He nodded. “I could hear it plain as day in the dream. I called her Raine.”

Her eyes misted again and two fat tears rolled down her face. She dashed them away. “I think that’s a beautiful name.”

“Yeah?”

She sniffed. “Dark hair?”

He crossed his arms and propped his head on his forearms. “Yeah. Pigtails and she was so happy. So freaking beautiful.” He reached out and thumbed away her tears. “So much like her mom.”

How the heck was she ever supposed to win an argument after that? “Well, I guess the baby has a name then.”

He rolled over onto his back and fist-pumped the air. “Yes! I knew it was a good name.”

She dragged him back to her and closed her mouth over his. “Yeah, it was.” She’d give him this one.

After all, the little girl would have him wrapped for sure.

Just like she would with her mama.