SECOND EPILOGUE
Brianna—ten years later
“Sophie!” I called through the house, getting sick of my own voice after hearing it so many times in a row.
“Coming, Mom!” My huffy preteen pounded down the stairs, backpack thrown over one shoulder, headphones tucked firmly into her ears. No wonder she couldn’t hear me, she’d been ignoring me.
Blaise came in through the back door at that moment, fresh off a twenty-four-hour shift. “What’s up, Momma?”
I stretched on my toes, dusting a soft kiss across his chiseled jawline. “I swear these kids will be the death of me.”
Blaise tucked a hand around my neck, pulling me against him and pressing our lips together in a proper welcome home kiss. “That better?”
“A little,” I teased.
“Where you off to?” He glanced at the keys in my hand.
“Bringing Sophie to study group, then she’s going home with a friend for a sleepover. Jax isn’t finished with baseball until six—”
“So that means we’ve got a few hours to kill?” He winked, shuffling my hips against his, fingertips darting under the waistband of my jeans and making contact with my hot skin. I may have grown used to Blaise’s long shifts at the firehouse, but I never missed him any less.
“I could perhaps arrange a few free hours.”
“Perhaps?” He leaned against me, eating up all the oxygen between us as his lips dusted my neck. “What can I do to persuade you?”
“Mmm…” I skimmed my fingertips through his hair, anxious to get closer to the man I loved. The man I called mine. The father of our kids and the hero of our family.
Blaise was still saving lives for a living. It was his calling, and I could never take that away from him, no matter how worried I was when he was out fighting fires. It just meant we loved harder, more often, because we knew the stakes were higher. Blaise’s life was inherently risky, but it put into perspective that you might not always have all the time you expected with the ones you love.
So Blaise and I loved often. It wasn’t uncommon for us to send the kids off to school in the morning and then fall into bed with each other until noon. Our lives were so chaotic, schedules so hit or miss, we took time when we could find it.
And it looked like today would happen just like that.
“Let me drop her off.” Blaise’s hands traced up the hollow of my waist. “Be ready when I get home.”
Arousal uncoiled deep in my belly, the flesh between my thighs flooding with need at just his simple words.
“You’re still a filthy-minded man, Blaise Michaels.”
“Just how you like me.” He nipped my earlobe, teeth dragging across the flesh as he went. Sparks of desire shot off in every direction.
“You still do things to me,” I hummed against his ear. “Dirty things.”
A cocky smile turned up the corners of Blaise’s mouth. “A lifetime isn’t enough time for all the love I have to give you, Mrs. Michaels. You’d better be ready for me.”
He winked just as he swiped the keys from my hand, calling out to our daughter to follow him out the door. He planted one last kiss on my lips, patting my ass with an open palm as he did.
“Hurry home, Blaise. You’ve got a fire to put out.”
“Mmm, I like fighting fires.” One knuckle dusted across my nipple on purpose, sending a flurry of butterflies through my system.
“You’re such a tease,” I breathed.
“Well, if you weren’t so horny and desperate for my di—”
“Shh!” I pushed a finger to his lips. “Don’t corrupt our kids.”
“I think they’re already corrupted.” He smacked my ass again, planting one last kiss on my cheek before turning with a wink. “See you in a few minutes, sugar.”
I stood at the door, watching the loves of my life go, grounded by an overwhelming sense of contentment.
I didn’t know why I’d been so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing man, incredible kids, and a love so epic it was worth retelling again and again.
Luck had found me just when Blaise did.