My hips move, a soft exhale escapes my lips before my eyelids flutter open. Ward is behind me, his hard length nestled in between my ass cheeks, and his hand is between my legs. Lifting my arm, I wrap it around the back of his neck, arching my back and pressing my ass deeper into him.

“Fuck,” he curses against my neck.

I hum, jerking beneath his touch as his fingers swirl my clit. I’m already soaking wet, and on the edge, both wanting and needing more from him. His hand leaves my pussy, moving down to wrap around the back of my knee and he spreads me wide, his cock pressing against my entrance.

Without a single thought to anything but feeling him fill my body, I push back and take him inside of me with a moan. Ward’s hands leave my knee and he presses his fingers against my clit, again. My own fingers tighten in his hair at the back of his neck and my eyes close as I feel him fill my body.

He shifts, pushing into me with a groan, and then all rational thoughts completely disappear. The only thing I can do is feel, and all I want to do is to come. I push down, meeting his upstroke each and every time while his fingers play my clit. I’m already on edge, so close that I feel like my body is going to tumble over at any given second.

“Sweetheart,” I gasp as soon as my climax takes over my body.

It’s long, slow, and deliciously beautiful. Ward’s fingers continue to pet my clit as he thrusts into me, only stilling when he too reaches his own release. He groans into my neck as he freezes, and we stay like that, wrapped in each other’s arms until we catch our breath.

When he pulls out of me, I feel his cum leak out onto my leg. My entire body goes rigid and I jump off of the bed.

“Hayden?” he asks, looking up at me, a mixture of confusion and worry on his face.

“You didn’t use a condom,” I gasp.

He blinks once, slowly. Then he runs his hand through his hair. “Fuck, I’m sorry, baby. I haven’t not used one in years. Swear to fuck, I got tested after that.”

My stomach flips. I’ve been tested too, but not because I was in some committed relationship with someone, or just had a night of passion and forgot. I had no clue Jack’s history and his goal was to impregnate me.

Before that, Lucifer was one of my partners and he was vile in every way imaginable, I was actually surprised that I didn’t get something from him, curable or otherwise. But that isn’t all that has me upset. I’m not on birth control. I hadn’t planned on anything happening with anyone, especially without a condom.

“I’m not on birth control,” I say, placing my hand on my belly.

Ward looks down at my hand, then back up at my face and I swear he doesn’t look the least bit fazed by my declaration. He doesn’t speak for what feels like a lifetime and then when he does, my heart fucking flutters inside of my chest.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. It should probably scare me, but the thought of filling you with a baby doesn’t in the slightest. Actually, it would be exciting,” he says, reaching out for me.

He wraps his hand around my waist and tugs me closer to him. He widens his thighs and fits me between them, his hand sliding to grab ahold of my ass and squeezing. His other hand he places over the top of mine on my stomach.

“I’m already Easton’s dad, I would be okay if we had more,” he shrugs.

His blue eyes are focused on me and my own eyes water at his words. I’m unable to hold back the tears as they spill over my cheeks and down. “You’re Easton’s dad?” I choke.

He grins, and he looks so fucking proud that my heart skips a beat inside of my chest. “He called me dada last night, and you know what? I am just that. I’m his dad. I love him, and I love you, Hayden. You’re both mine,” he expresses.

I lift one of my hands and cover my mouth with it, trying to keep from sobbing loud and crazy in his face. Once I’m semi-composed, I drop my hand and slide it through his long curls at the back of his head. “You are ours too, Ward. You always have been.”

He moves his hand from my ass, all the way up my back and wraps his fingers around my neck, gently pulling me down. My knees buckle, and I sit on his thigh as his lips touch mine instantly. My eyes slide closed and I open for him. His tongue sweeps through my mouth, and he consumes me and owns me—every piece of me.

“You don’t want a baby right now, maybe you can go to the doctor and get on birth control? If not, we’ll make a baby. I don’t give a fuck, it’s your decision, Hayden. It will always be your decision,” he says.

I press my lips together, my eyes filling with wetness again. He knows how important making decisions is for me, and I know it’s one of the reasons he didn’t want to get together with me, was because he felt like he would be too overbearing, and he wanted me to find my own way. He doesn’t realize that he is exactly what I need in this life.

Lowering my head, I press my forehead against his. “Let’s have some fun together before we have a baby,” I breathe.

He chuckles, squeezing the back of my neck. “Sounds good, baby.”

“You hungry?”

“Pancakes?” he asks, a smile playing on his lips.

Leaning forward, I brush my lips with his. “Pancakes with my boys. Perfect. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll start them.”

I try to pull away from him, but he doesn’t let me. His tongue slides along my bottom lip as he tastes me.

“Fuck you taste so good, even first thing in the morning,” he groans. I wrinkle my nose, knowing that cannot be the truth, even if he’s sweet to say it.

“Food, Ward,” I mutter against his mouth.

He grunts. “Makes me hard when you say my name, Hayden.”

I glance down between his legs and sure enough, he’s hard. I make a yelping sound, which only causes him to chuckle. He moves his head so that his lips are almost touching mine. “Tonight, you’re riding me, baby,” he murmurs against my lips.

“I am?” I breathe.

He grins, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip and his eyes, I swear they ignite. “Oh yeah, baby. You’re going to give me a fucking show tonight. I can’t hardly fucking wait.”

A shiver races up my spine from his words. A show. Me? I’ve never done that, not really, and he wants me to. I feel nervous, but beyond that, I feel downright giddy and excited. I can’t hardly fucking wait either. It’s going to be a really long day.

Once we’ve eaten and cleaned up, I tell Hayden to put some shoes on. She looks at me a little confused, but I don’t let on about my plans. She packs the diaper bag for Easton and together we walk out of the trailer.

While she was showering, I found some houses for rent nearby, so I thought we could check them out. I’m not fucking around with her. I meant it when I said this is happening between us. I’m in one hundred percent, something I should have done a year ago.

“Where are we going?” Hayden asks from my side.

We’re walking slow as fuck. Easton wants to walk, which is fine by me, I’m actually enjoying the slow pace.

I take Hayden’s hand in my own and give it a squeeze. “Just up the road here,” I shrug.

We’re on Gracie and Fish’s street. When I found a place for rent so close to them, I decided to jump on it. Not only will it be convenient for Easton, but she won’t be too far away from the bar either. My next mission is to get her driving. I know she doesn’t have any clue how to drive, but she needs to learn.

When we arrive at the house, I stop in front of the walkway.

“Crooner?” she asks.

Tipping my chin down, I look at her. She has her lips pressed together and I smirk. “We’re just here to look. If you like it, then we’ll talk more,” I shrug.

I don’t give her a chance to respond. I walk straight toward the front door. Trying the door, I find it unlocked and continue inside. The house is empty, but it’s clean. Easton tries to run past me, but I scoop him up quickly.

“Mr. Bouchard?” the real estate agent asks, walking into the living area from the kitchen.

The real estate agent starts to tell us about the property. The deposits and the rules. Inside pets aren’t allowed, but if we’d like an outdoor one we can pay a pet deposit. Keeping my gaze on Hayden, I watch as she realizes what’s happening. Then I watch as she lifts her hand to cover her mouth.

“How many bedrooms do we have here?” I ask, keeping my voice low and even.

The agent smiles. “This is a three bedroom. Is this your only child?” she asks, looking from Easton to me.

“So far,” I shrug, wrapping my fingers around Hayden’s hand and tugging her against my side.

“This is a great starter family home. I think the three of you will be really happy here,” she grins.

I tip my chin down to Hayden again, giving her arm a little shake. “You want it, baby?” I ask.

“I just, I don’t know what to think,” she whispers.

The real estate agent slowly slips away from us, and I’m grateful not to have her eyes focused on us, or her ears on our conversation. Hayden turns toward me and lifts her hand, placing it on my chest while her head tips back.

“This is happening so fast,” she breathes.

“Been almost two years in the making, babe. I think we’re done taking shit slow, at least I am,” I shrug.

“You really want this? A readymade family, like this, sharing a house?”

Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek. “Baby, I was never not ready for the family part. I just never wanted to put my shit on you, to take over your life when you were just given your freedom. You and Easton, that is the easiest decision I’ve ever made,” I admit.

Her eyes fill with tears and she nods. “Okay. Let’s do it then. Oh my God, we’re really moving in together,” she grins.

My lips twitch in a smile as I lean down and brush them across her own. “Yeah, baby. We’re really moving in together. You’re mine and soon the world will know it when you wear my ink,” I smirk.

Hayden takes a step back and her lips press together and roll. I think she’s going to say that she doesn’t want my ink, but then her hand wraps around her hip where I know Lucifer’s name is permanently branded into her skin.

She opens her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. “And you’re getting that shit covered up. He doesn’t exist anymore, and he doesn’t exist between us,” I growl.

“Covered up?” she asks.

“You can pick the design, something colorful if you want, something pretty. But that shit is getting covered. You don’t need the reminder.”

She glances down to her feet before she brings her eyes back up to me. “It’s a reminder, but not just of the bad things. It’s also a reminder of how far I’ve come,” she admits.

I would like to say that I’m a big enough man to accept that response. I understand where she’s coming from, but I’m not big enough to look at that reminder every day. I freely admit that I am not a big enough man to accept another man’s brand on my woman’s body.

“You’re covering it up,” I state.

She blinks, and I think she’s going to argue with me, but she doesn’t. Instead, she gives me a smile. “Okay, Ward, I’ll cover it up,” she smiles.

“Good,” I grunt.

I should feel like shit for demanding it, especially after her explanation of the way she sees those letters marked into her hip. I don’t. I want him fucking erased. He’s dead and gone, and I want his name gone too.

He hurt her, and I wasn’t able to torture him, to cause him the pain he caused her. I want everything about him fucking erased, including the memories of what he did to her. Since I obviously can’t eradicate those, his name needs to be gone.

The real estate agent appears with a handful of papers. “Did you make a decision?” she asks.

“We’ll take it,” I bark.

Easton tugs on my beard and the agent’s eyes widen at my gruff tone. Hayden clears her throat.

“It’s perfect for us. Yes, we’ll definitely take it,” she says with a gentler, softer tone.

I spend the next fifteen minutes filling out the paperwork while Easton and Hayden walk around the house, checking everything out. Then I see them go outside in the backyard and I swear to fuck; my heart skips a goddamn beat.

Easton is running around, and I imagine some playground equipment back there for him, maybe some motorized toy for him to tear shit up on.

This is what I want for him, for us.

This is what a real family is. They haven’t had the easiest start at life, but I plan on giving both him and Hayden smooth sailing from now on.