31. Lake

LAKE

The holidays werein full swing.

I couldn't believe Thanksgiving had come and gone, and it was already the beginning of December. It had been a truly different experience for Stormi and me. Bronson too. While he'd been to group gatherings, he hadn't allowed himself to spend time with the men and women around this time of year. But we ate turkey, stuffed our bellies, and had lots of laughs with all our friends.

We were making new memories together.

As a family.

True to what we both wanted, along with Stormi's very enthusiastic approval, we were married within a week of our first date.

And it seemed we weren't the only ones tying the knot.

On Christmas Eve, with all their friends in celebration, Lance and London were getting married in the home they shared with their son, Oliver.

Second chances seemed to be in full bloom lately.

"Mom!" Stormi shouted as she raced into the kitchen. "Dad is singing really loudly in the shower again." She giggled. "He is sooo"—she drew the word out—"out of tune."

Hearing her call Bronson "Dad" was surreal but so dang sweet. He ate it up every time he heard her call him that. The two of them were closer than I could ever wish for but it never diminished the relationship he and I had or mine with my daughter.

Like Stormi had said that one day we'd spent on the lake, Bronson could be her best friend too. And while she said I came first, I was pretty sure it was a dead even tie now.

And I was okay with that.

"Should we tell him?" she asked, giggling again.

I wrapped her up in a big hug. "Nah, I kind of like your Daddy's singing."

We both dropped to the floor, rolling around in a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?"

Our laughter came to a halt when Bronson's large frame came into view, standing over the top of us. "What's so funny?"

I looked at Stormi and put one finger to my lips in a shhh, it's a secret gesture and we both cracked up again.

Bronson put both hands up, fingers curled, like he was some sort of monster. "Oh, it's gonna be like that is it?" Then he began to roar.

Stormi and I jumped to our feet, racing out of the room, Bronson hot on our heels.

He was a damn good dad.

A wonderful best friend.

And a phenomenal husband.

Strong arms circledaround me from behind.

Bronson"s hands splayed out across my stomach and his chin came to rest on my shoulder as I faced the mirror in the bathroom, getting ready to meet River.

I was shocked when she accepted the invitation I had thrown out to her for a lunch date with Stormi and me.

Meeting my guy's eyes in the glass, I gave a small laugh at his playful pout. "I'm gonna miss my girls."

Turning in his arms, I wrapped mine around his neck. "You're a goof. It's only a couple of hours."

He gave me an exaggerated, smacking kiss on the lips. "Two hours is too long without my wife and daughter. I'm kind of attached to the both of you."

My husband—man, I loved saying that as much as I loved hearing him say my wife—was about as alpha as they came, but he was playful too. The combination was perfect.

It was as perfect as the day we said, "I do."

In only a matter of days, we planned a BBQ with all of our friends. We ate, drank, and played games just like we always did when we got together. And because it was still September and the sun was still shining, everyone had fun swimming in the lake too.

When the sun started to set, Bronson turned on our outdoor twinkle lights, and we brought out bottles of champagne, along with a cake we had Capri make. It wasn't a wedding cake because we wanted everyone to be surprised, Capri included, but we also knew that dessert would be missed if we didn't have something. Especially if it was made by Capri.

The looks on everyone"s faces when Bronson asked Kace or Gyth to marry us was priceless. What was even funnier was their scuffle in the dirt like two grown children fighting over their favorite toy. In the end, they ended up sharing the duty, something I'd heard they'd done before.

But I'd gotten a shock of my own when Gyth had gone to his truck after we were married and brought out his guitar. My sneaky husband had made sure the big guy knew one particular song and as Gyth started playing, Bronson swept me into his arms for our first dance.

Gyth finger strummed the cords on his guitar as he began singing God Made You, by 2 Lane Summer. I didn't know the song until that day, but I wouldn't ever forget the beautiful dedication from my husband. As we swayed together, tears of happiness streamed down my face as the lyrics dove deep into my soul.

It talked about all the things God had made, but why he made that special someone for a loved one. It was Bronson showing me how he felt. Being his best friend, better than his better half, another angel the world needed, his miracle and how much my touch healed him.

The song would be something I would cherish the rest of my life just like my husband himself.

When the song ended, we shared another kiss, the first having come at the end of our vows when the men told Bronson to kiss his bride. He hadn"t hesitated for a single second.

He thanked Gyth and I couldn't help but rush over to the man and hug him. He could sing like nobody else's business and I pictured him serenading his wife as she swooned. Summer was a lucky girl.

But I felt luckier with Bronson by my side.

Throughout the night there was more music. I found out that Gyth wasn't the only one that had an amazing voice. Kace was damn good as well. But it was Patience that had blown my mind. Music was part of her and the guys managed to get her to sing with them.

All I could think was, move over Mariah Carey.

The day was more than I could have hoped for. And even more special because I managed to talk my sister into coming. Wanting her there badly but knowing the crowd of people wasn't really her thing, she had been the only one I had told what the evening was about.

And with that, she hadn't hesitated to agree.

While she only came at the end and stayed a short time, she'd come for me. I could sense her unease as she met so many people for the first time, but everyone was so welcoming as always. After watching her, I didn't think it was the amount of people that was an issue, but more so the attention or idea of being vulnerable.

I wished I knew what her fears were or what had happened in the past, but I had hopes that one day we'd get to that point in our relationship. Seeing her for lunch was another step in the right direction, even if she was coming along without her kids.

Baby steps.

One thing I'd found very interesting was the look on Huntley's face when I introduced River to him. I wasn't the only one seeing this because a few of the ladies had commented how interesting it was as well.

The matchmaking gleam in their eyes made me chuckle. But if that was their next project I thought they had their work cut out for them. I wasn't aware of any relationships that Huntley had been in and River would be a tough nut to crack.

But I had my man and he was right in front of me.

Letting my right arm slide down the backside of him, I pinched his ass. He jerked, laughing, and brought his hands to my waist. Picking me up as if I weighed nothing, he plunked me down on the vanity counter and stepped between my thighs.

"You and your pinching. What am I going to do with you?"

Every time I had a moment where I thought how amazing the man was or couldn't believe I was living the life I was, I pinched him playfully.

"Frankly, I can think of numerous options," I teased as I gently rubbed my hand over where I'd just pinched.

He stepped even closer and brought his mouth next to my ear. "If we were alone, I'd have you naked in two seconds and I'd have you screaming my name within a minute." His warm breath tickled my ear and I shivered.

Pulling back, he stared into my eyes.

"A minute?" I knew he could do it but teasing him was a blast. "You're pretty sure of yourself."

His hand ran up the inside of my thigh and I shuddered in anticipation of where he was heading.

"Mom!" Stormi yelled, as her feet pounded on the floor into our bedroom.

Bronson pulled his hand away and jumped back, making me giggle.

When Stormi rounded the corner into the bathroom, she gave me a weird look. "What are you doing sitting on the counter?"

My husband coughed and I flashed him a secret smile.

"Just talking," I responded.

She shrugged her shoulders, obviously having other things on her mind. Handing me a piece of paper, she asked, "Can you send Santa my Christmas list?"

Earlier she'd asked for an envelope and when I asked her what it was for, all she said was, "You'll see." The mail I was holding read it was to Santa at the North Pole, and it was decorated with stickers and glitter all over it.

I turned it around so Bronson could see.

After taking a peek, he looked over at his daughter. "Wow, you went all out, Muffin."

The title would be official soon as we'd already filled out the paperwork for him to legally adopt her. Just thinking about it had my fingers ready to pinch him again.

"Yup," she replied. "But it is really important you send it fast because it may take a while to get what is on my list."

I looked at my husband, both of us clearly puzzled.

"Okay, sweetheart, I'll send it tomorrow."

"Awesome! I have to finish getting ready for lunch." And then she was gone in a blur.

As I turned the envelope over in my hand, Bronson stepped back in between my legs.

"Do we open it so we know what she wants?"

"Yup. I do every year," I told him with a smile.

Careful to not rip the paper, I carefully ran my finger under the fold so I could glue it back on later. I flipped open the top and pulled out the letter as Bronson leaned back, peeking around the door to make sure Stormi wasn't coming back in.

He was cute as he maneuvered his way into fatherhood.

"Well what does it say?" His voice snapped with excitement as if he was opening his own gift from Santa.

My free hand flew to my mouth to cover the gasp of surprise as her letter shook in my other one. It was short, sweet, and only had one request.

One enormous request I wasn't expecting.

Bronson pulled the paper from my hand to read it for himself since I was stunned speechless. I kept my gaze on him to gauge his reaction as he read it out loud.

"Dear Santa

I already have the best mommy.

Now I have the greatest daddy.

So I have only one thing I want for Christmas.

A baby brother.

Please.

Love, Stormi."

A child is not something we had really talked about. It seemed we were both amazingly happy with Stormi and being together. I never expected for Bronson to come home and make all my dreams come true, so I had never added to that dream. Nor did I see myself ever loving anyone else. The idea of more kids didn't seem in the cards.

Did Bronson want more kids?

I watched, waiting him out.

"Do you want to have a baby with me, Cupcake?"

Butterflies took flight and my belly fluttered furiously. I was blissfully happy with the three of us, but now that Stormi brought the idea to the surface, I felt it taking hold of me and I found myself nodding my head.

My husband carefully put the letter back in the envelope and laid it on the counter. He wrapped both hands around my back and brought me flush against him. Looking me in the eyes and said, "Say it."

"I want a baby with you."

"Thank fuck, because I want a baby with you too."

His mouth crashed down on mine and his kiss left me breathless. Then we finally pulled back to get some much-needed air.

"I think I'm going to enjoy the hell out of baby making with you. But for now you better get moving because you're going to be late."

My first thought was, who cares, if I was late. But today with River was a big deal and Bronson would be here when I came home. In agreement, I started out the bathroom door to my bedroom to find something to wear, since I was still in pajamas. "Okay," I whispered a bit reluctantly.

Before I got too far away, Bronson gave me a slap on my ass and I looked over my shoulder stunned.

"We'll start tonight," my husband said with a sexy smirk.

"Yes, sir."

That was another little joke between us, like the pinching thing, ever since he informed me on our first date that I'd be screaming out those words.

Which I had.

Bronson could get me to do pretty much any damn thing he wanted.