Two years later…

The sun is warm on my skin as I sit outside with the chubby bundle snuggled in my arms. Dara is in the pool, Destiny in her arms as she spins around in the shallow end. My girl loves the pool. She loves anything dangerous. My lil’ one was walking at ten months and trying to dive in head first at twelve. Like Dara, she’s not afraid of anything. Destiny accepts life as it comes.

I love watching my girls together. Carefree, easy, no worries. It gives me peace to see their smiles, and these two smile a lot.

Unlike my serious little man in my lap. Jackson Devon McKnight, our six-month-old. Dara pushed to wait a full year to get pregnant with our second child, but I won out in the end. Okay, I won by three months. She allowed us to try when Destiny was nine months old. Of course, we got pregnant right away.

When we went to get our twenty-week sonogram and I found out we were having a son, I responded much like I did the first time. Much to my chagrin. Having two beautiful women in the house was a blessing and a curse at the same time.

These women own my soul, control all my thoughts. I needed another man to help pick up the slack. And I got him. Boy, did I get my match. Jackson Devon, named after Dara’s parents and my dad, is exactly like me so far, with one exception—he’s calm like Dara. He enjoys the scenery. Never cries. Sleeps well. Eats well. Doesn’t make a fuss. If he can see his mother or his sister in the vicinity, he’s a happy guy. Same as me. With my girls in my direct line of sight, I feel peace. It seems he gets that too. Jackson loves just taking in the sights. Sitting on his old man’s lap and chilling. He’s happiest with me. I think it’s because he likes to see the McKnight girls in action, not the other way around.

I watch as Dara swings Destiny around in a circle before placing her on her hip and exiting the pool. The water runs down my wife’s sexy-as-hell body in the small bikini she only wears at home. The water droplets sluice over her curves in the same way I want to use my tongue.

She sets Destiny down, and my naked little girl runs over to me. “Daddy!” She holds out her wet arms, and I curve my arm around her side, allowing her to soak my polo and shorts. I don’t care. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity to hug my daughter. Ever. I missed so many of those with the children I lost, I’ll take advantage of every second with the ones I do have in my life. Be it my children or other children I love. They are all blessings and deserve to be treated as such.

“Did you get my text?” Dara asks, leaning forward, her long hair sending wet drops onto our baby’s legs. He giggles and pats at them.

“Yeah. You said the Harts are coming to hang for dinner. Want me to grill out?”

She nods. “Laid out steaks to marinate. You know what Moe told me?”

“What?”

“They’re trying for number three!”

“Seriously?”

She nods. “I’m thinking we should time it right so that we can be pregnant at the same time. That would be so fun!”

I grin. “Woman…you just had a baby six months ago, and you’re telling me you want to get pregnant again? Already?”

She curves a sexy shoulder toward her chin. “Maybe I like the result?”

I waggle my eyebrows at her seductively. “I think we should start trying tonight.”

“Is that right?”

“Hell yeah. No time to waste!” I raise myself out of the chair, my boy in one arm. I grab her waist with my free hand and plaster her wet body against mine. “If these kids were sleeping, I’d already have you pregnant.”

She snort-laughs in the cute way that drives me wild. “Really. You think your swimmers are that good?”

“Try me. You. Just. Try. Me,” I taunt.

My beautiful wife purses her lips, picks up our baby girl, and grabs a towel from the stack by the door. “You think it’s your destiny to get me pregnant tonight?” She grins.

I shake my head. “No, baby. We already have our destiny, our future…” I snuggle Jackson close and kiss his sweet baby cheek. “Let’s just be free.”

“Free?” One of her eyebrows rises with inquiry.

“Yeah, lil’ mama.”

“I got you.” She winks and sways her hips as she turns to bring our daughter inside and get dinner ready for our guests.

“Yeah, you do, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were special. My intuition told me,” I call out as I follow her into our home. I’d follow this woman anywhere.