Penelope tells me she has something to talk about.

I’ve only just woken up and gotten my coffee, which I sip, then glance at my watch. It’s early, and Lilly Belle is still sleeping.

“What’s up?” I ask my fiancé, as she stands before me, beautiful as ever, no makeup necessary.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about a few things we need to clear up.”

I make a face. Shit. I know things aren’t going to just be perfect right away after everything I’ve put her through, but I hope to god she’s not having second thoughts about marrying me. “Okay, shoot,” I tell her. “I’m listening.”

“Firstly, we need to talk about Wilson.”

My eyebrows rise. “Wilson?”

She nods. “Ethan, the man’s been your servant for almost twenty-five years. He’s old. He wants to retire, but he worries too much about you. You’re like a son to him so he can’t stay away. But now that we’re getting married, he can finally retire and start spending more time with his family. Please promise you’ll let him go and give him pension so he can enjoy life in South Carolina. Please. He deserves it.”

“That filthy bugger?” I scoff, relieved that’s all it was, giving her a warming smile. It’s actually a great idea, and I was starting to think about suggesting this to Wilson anyway. “Fine, done. What else?”

“Your mother.”

“Forget it. I’m not making amends with her.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” she says. “I was going to say that if having her in your life remains a toxic situation, then I don’t want her anywhere near Lilly Belle. However, if you think you can go to therapy with her, sort things out, and make room for her in your life, I’m fine with that, too. I’ll support whatever you want to do, but I want you to make a decision one way or another on whether or not to include her in your life.”

I stay quiet. I don’t ever want to see my mother again. Yes, the five-year-old in me still yearns for her approval. It’s driven everything I’ve done in my life, but at some point, I have to accept that situation for what it is.

“I’m still not sure about my mother. A lot depends on her,” I say. “But I promise she won’t be around Lilly or you unless she has changed from the way she used to be.”

“And finally,” Penelope says, sighing, “we need to deal with the mess your contractors made of the baby’s room. It’s a mess, Ethan.”

“Shit. Really?” I put my coffee mug down. I was so busy at work the last few days, I didn’t have a chance to look at their progress, but they always did great stuff for me in the past.

When we get to Lilly Belle’s room, I get ready to be furious. Then we open the door and…holy pixie dust. Her room is a wonderland full of painted vines and trees and flowers. Tiny sparking lights stretch across the space, and her crib lies underneath the big branch of a tree. A glow in the dark resin model of Tinkerbelle pokes out from inside the constructed tree.

“Welcome to Neverland,” my fiancé laughs. “I was just messing with you. It’s incredible.”

“You’re going to wake her,” I whisper, realizing how loud we’re being.

“She’s waking up anyhow,” Penelope replies, then pads over and picks Silly Belle up and starts cooing and cradling our child.

Our baby.

I swallow my tears, but this time they are happy tears.

I shake my head and pick up the remote control on top of the dresser. “And this?” I ask. “It actually works?”

Penelope smiles broadly. “Go on, press it and see.”

I press the button and Tinkerbelle flies out of the tree and over to the papier-mâché blueberry bush on the opposite end of her room, making a fairy dust sound as she goes.

“Look, Lilly!” Penelope cries.

Lilly Belle’s eyes are round and huge as she tries to grab for the little flying fairy. She laughs hysterically.

“Holy crap, that is awesome,” I say, and a true belly laugh explodes from my throat. I realize in that moment it’s never happened before. I’ve never truly laughed like this in my entire life.

I feel something in my chest give way and suddenly, it’s like I can breathe for the first time.

And then Penelope’s arms snake around my middle and she hugs me tight.

“I love you so much, Ethan.”

“And I love you, Sweetness. You are my world, my sun and my stars. And our little girl is the air I breathe.”

My hands immediately go to her waist, feeling the way they fit perfectly right where her hips begin. I love this woman.

Later that morning, Lilly goes down for a nap.

“Fuck, I’ve been dying to have you to myself,” I say, as soon as Penelope puts the little one in her crib.

“Calm yourself,” Penelope says as I grab her.

“Fuck that,” I growl in her ear, and then hoist her over my shoulder.

She squeals but manages not to wake the baby.

Carrying her back to my room, I drop her on the bed, looking down at her in awe.

This amazing woman will now be by my side, all because I threw caution to the wind and decided to get my shit together. This. This perfect woman, making me the happiest man alive, is what life is all about. I’m sure we’ll have fights and I’m sure I’ll be an asshole to her at some point, but I’m going to do my best to cherish her always and not be a jerk, and she has full rights to knock sense into me if ever I should need it.

She pulls me onto the bed, and suddenly, I’m looking down at an angel with a ginger halo spread out all around her on our gray comforter. “Kiss me,” she says. I do, and once I start, I can’t stop. Everything about those first days of making love to her and more come rushing back.

I feel more love for her every moment. It just builds and builds.

I have to slide her out of her outfit, and her body is so smooth to the touch. After undressing, I kiss every inch of her body, loving the way that she arches her back to meet my mouth, moaning softly when my tongue takes in one of her breasts, sucks hard and plays with her nipple between my teeth.

She’s moving fast today, urging me to the other breast, pushing me down between her legs, and giving me her sweet pussy before I can even move her up the bed. Her legs hang over the edge, so I pull her to me and take in that delicious pussy, licking her lips and sliding my fingers into her, slathering her clit with her juices. I’ll never get enough of licking on that either, and I don’t even care that she comes all over my face or that she seems satisfied, I keep on licking her through her orgasm. Because I adore her, fucking worship the ground she walks on, and I’ll make her come again if she’ll let me.

“God, you’re so amazing, Sweetness. And I’m never going to stop loving you, never going to stop being the man you want and need me to be.”

“And I’m not going anywhere either, Ethan. If you didn’t get rid of me before, you’ll never get rid of me now.”

“I hope that’s a promise,” I whisper.

“Enough talk, Mister Townsend. Come up here and slide your cock into my pussy,” she says. I’ve never heard her speak this way, and my cock cannot possibly grow any harder. Her voice telling me what to do does something to me that no woman has ever been able to achieve—drive me insane. Suddenly, all I want is to do her bidding, slide into her and buck hard against her, ram my steel into her cunt, and make that fucking pussy mine forever. She’s my queen, my new direction, my love and my life.

She reaches back with her arms, holding onto the bars of the headboard, giving her tits up to me to suck on as I drive into her. Holding onto her waist, I kneel up and impale myself into her body, my cock up to the hilt, my balls slapping her ass. I want to give her everything I am, every part of me. I’m simply not afraid anymore. Before I lived in a black and white world, but now with Penelope in it, everything glows in multidimensional colors.

With a great buildup, I let it all go and spill my seed deep into her, claiming her. She crests another orgasm at the exact same time. We are meant for each other. This pure, radiant woman is ready to be my wife and a mother all at once. Holy fuck. My pulse takes forever to come down. All I can think of is my fortune. My real fortune—her.

I collapse on top of her and take all the gratitude within me and give them to her in the form of a long, deep and passionate, kiss. Our eyes close. It takes someone special. It takes someone gifted to deal with me. It takes a super nanny to fill the position of Mrs. Ethan Townsend. Winds from the east brought her to me, and now she’s here to stay.

Position of hot, smart-as-balls, amazing wife—filled.