CHAPTER THIRTY

SOLOMON

"Where's Mommy? I don't see her."

A warm feeling spread throughout my chest as I smiled. I would never get tired of hearing Ari call Natalie by that name.

"She'll be out soon, baby. Keep your eyes peeled." 

"Why would I peel my eyes?!"

"It's called a figure of speech, silly." 

My eyes flickered up to the airport screens displaying the arriving flights. Natalie's plane from Oregon was on time, so she should be coming out to the lobby any minute. 

Ari sat up on my shoulders to get a better view of the people coming and leaving, searching eagerly for her mom's face. 

Nearly a month had passed since we returned home from the safe house and we were all still adjusting to the new normal.

After things settled down, Natalie got in touch with her father and soon after booked a trip to see him. 

I wanted to go with her but she insisted on going alone first. They needed time together to fully heal from her disappearance and move forward.

In the meantime I enjoyed being somewhat of a house husband, spending more time with Ari than I ever got a chance to before while I figured out what to do next.

I had enough money stashed that I didn't need to work for several years, but I was already getting antsy. Being able to bond more with Ari was great and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I was already craving more of a purpose and adult interaction.

"There she is!" 

"Ow!"

I swallowed a curse word as Ari kicked her feet against my chest in her excitement. She wiggled like a fish out of water at the sight of Natalie coming down the escalator, smiling down at us and waving. 

Smiling back was inevitable, as was the squeezing around my heart when I saw my beautiful woman coming closer. I missed her more than I realized.

I set Ari down so she could run up to Natalie for a hug. Seeing my girls embrace and laugh together had to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. My family, the loves of my life. I couldn't be happier with what I had. 

"Hey handsome," Natalie greeted me with a naughty twinkle in her eye and a sweet smile. 

"Hi, beautiful." 

I lowered a kiss to her sweet, red lips and held back a groan as I savored her taste that I missed so much. My cock pulsed against my zipper as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her soft warmth against my hard body. 

I couldn't wait to get home and catch up on lost time. 

"How was your flight?" I asked, grabbing her luggage as the three of us made our way to the parking garage. 

"It was fine. It's a quick flight thankfully. Only an hour." 

She rubbed Ari's head affectionately, who still clung to her like velcro as we walked. 

"And your dad?"   

Natalie bit her lip but the look in her eyes was calm. 

"He's alright, hanging in there. I told him about you and Ari. He wants to meet you both." 

"Who wants to meet us?" Ari demanded. 

"My daddy," Natalie replied with a smile. "I guess he would be your grandpa." 

"I have a grandpa?!"

"Yes, sweetie. Of course you do." Natalie chuckled but gave me a serious look as we got in the car. I raised an eyebrow in reply, not sure what she was getting at but certainly knew we'd be having a conversation when we got home. 

"There's another family member you’ll have to meet soon." Natalie hesitated but leaned across the center console to put a hand on my arm. 

"I took a test," she whispered in my ear. “While I was up there.”

My stomach jumped into my throat. 

I turned and looked at her as my heart hammered, unsure if I should be excited or worried. 

"And?"

Her face broke out into a wide grin that was the definition of pure joy, pure love. 

She gave me a small nod but stayed quiet while Ari peppered us with questions.

"What do you mean? What other family member?" 

"You're gonna be a big sister, Ari." 

The words didn't feel real even as I said them aloud. The moment felt so surreal, I thought I had to be dreaming. But there was Natalie's hand on my arm, as real and solid as ever. And her beautiful, angelic face looking at me with more love and devotion than I ever deserved. 

The mother of my children. Both of my children. 

"What?!" 

"We're having a baby!" Natalie turned to look back at her, tears misting at the corners of her big blue eyes. "Are you excited?"

"Yes! A baby!" Ari shrieked, bouncing against her seatbelt. "Is it Christmas? I have a mommy and a baby!" 

Natalie and I laughed as she reached back and tickled Ari's knees. 

"It'll be a while before the baby is here, but you do have your mommy." She blinked away tears as she smiled. "I'll always be your mommy."

"Hey, why does Ari get all the attention?" I cupped Natalie's chin and brought her mouth to mine. "I love you so much," I whispered. She returned my kiss with warm, soft pressure but every bit just as passionate as mine. Fuck, I could not wait to get her naked and all to myself. 

"Because I'm still the only child!" Ari declared. "Until the baby is here."

"And you're gonna be a princess about it, I see," I said with an eye roll and smirk at Natalie. 

We drove home a happy family. It was over two hours from the airport to Cloverville and Ari fell asleep about a half hour before we arrived home.

Natalie and I laid her down for an afternoon nap before we collapsed on the couch ourselves. 

“Together at last,” she sighed contentedly as she snuggled into my chest. 

“Alone at last,” I growled lightly into her ear as I reacquainted myself with her curves, trailing my fingertips across her back to the sweet dip in her waist before grabbing a handful of her luscious ass.

"I want my hands full with this as much as possible before they're full of dirty diapers again," I told her.

Natalie giggled and squirmed in my grasp. 

"You're gonna have to show me the ropes of this rodeo, Daddy. I've never been a parent before." 

"Mmm, I like it when you call me Daddy." 

I began making a trail of open-mouthed kisses from her neck to her shoulder. "But you're a natural mother. You've got this in the bag, babe. And I'll be here to support you along every step of the way."

"Uh-huh. And you're still gonna grab my ass when I look like a whale?" 

"I will worship your ass every day that I see it. And your tits, which will get gigantic by the way." I pressed my mouth to her ear again. "And I'll eat your delicious pussy up like a ripe peach until the moment our baby comes out of it." 

"Eww!" She shoved me away, wrinkling her nose in disgust but laughing at the same time.

I merely smirked and pulled her back to me, smothering her with bites and kisses and tickles while she squirmed and pretended to fight me away until she gave up. 

"I really missed you, my love." I trailed my mouth across her neck, shoulders, and back as if my lips were made for the sole purpose of kissing her skin.

"I missed you too," she said quietly and shifted her body against me. "Hey, listen." 

"Mm-hmm." 

I was listening, but considered myself an excellent multitasker and made sure each of the freckles on her collarbone received a kiss as she talked. 

"My dad's getting older and his health kind of took a downward turn when I went missing," she said softly. "He's doing better now but you know, he's all alone up there. I'm all he's got."

She paused and I brought my face up to hers to give her my full attention.

"How would you feel about moving him down here?" she asked. "Like he wouldn't have to live with us, but maybe nearby." 

"Absolutely, babe." 

Her eyes widened. "You mean it? Just like that?"

"Of course. You're his daughter. And like you said, he'll want to see his grandkids." I dropped a light kiss on her adorable button nose. "If Ari was all I had left, I'd want to see her as often as I could. I'd want to get to know her kids and the people she loves, so I'd know she's taken care of before I'm gone."

The look on Natalie's face was pure love and elation as she wrapped her arms around my neck. 

"You're the best. I love you."

“Love you. We can start looking for apartments for him tomorrow,” I told her in between kisses.

"There's something else I want to talk about," she said hesitantly.

Her expression was more nervous this time, biting her lip and darting her eyes around a bit.

"Okay. I'm all ears, babe." I placed a reassuring kiss on her forehead. 

"When did you last talk to your family in Napa?"

That was not the question I expected and my eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Um, years," I admitted. "Since before Ari was born. They essentially disowned me when I got expelled."

She glanced down and fidgeted her fingers nervously against mine before pressing them to her belly. 

"Would you ever try having a relationship with them? Now that you have Ari, me, and the baby?"

The thought sent a jolt of panic through my chest. One of my biggest regrets in life was letting my family down. They were good folks but had little tolerance for failure. Getting kicked out of college to become a criminal was essentially the worst thing I could do in my parents' eyes. 

They weren't loaded like my ex's family by any stretch of the imagination but were well respected in the Napa wine community. I had all the potential for a good, comfortable life and pissed it all away. Not only did I fuck up my own life and repeatedly broke their hearts, I tarnished their image in the community and likely hurt their business. 

"I don't know, babe," I admitted. "I mean I'd like to but I'm doubtful they'll welcome me back. I fucked up bad and the damage has been done. I didn't just burn that bridge, I blew it out of orbit."

"Do they know about Ari?" 

"No." 

"Do you think they'd want to meet their granddaughter? Or would they turn her away like Analise’s parents?" 

"They'd never," I said quickly. "I was an adult and completely deserved what I had dealt to me. They gave me tons of fair chances and I fucked them all up. But they wouldn't treat a child unfairly." 

Natalie gave a gentle squeeze of my arm. "So why not try to rebuild that bridge? For our kids' sakes. My dad's not gonna be around forever. Ari and Gabe will need aunts, uncles, and cousins as they grow up."

"Gabe, huh?" 

I grinned, smoothing my palm across her belly as her blush crept up from her neck to her face.

"I just have this pretty strong feeling it's a boy," she said, lacing her fingers with mine on her belly. 

"It's a good name." I lowered my lips to her belly. "Hey Gabe. You're my son and I can't wait to meet you." 

Natalie's fingers scratched over my scalp, sending sweet tingling sensations from my head all throughout my limbs. 

Even though the idea of reaching out to my family was daunting as hell, I knew I could do it with her at my side.

"So what do you say, Daddy?" 

I shot a naughty grin up at her. 

"Call me Daddy while I fuck you and I'll think about it."