37. Cassidy

Chase stares at me from the couch with a lopsided grin. "Pacing and bouncing around the room doesn't make the commercial breaks go by any faster."

"In my mind, it does. I can't sit still for another second."

"Cass, if I have to watch your ass jiggle for another fucking second, we'll miss it altogether because I'll be hauling you to bed."

"Don't you fucking da—" I squeal as he hooks his arm around me, pulling me into his lap before I can get the sentence out. His thick arms wrap around my waist, and he places a warm kiss on the side of my neck.

For the rest of the unending commercial break, he holds me tight to him; the rise and fall of his chest keeps my heart beating steadily, despite my anxiety making it want to race. I fiddle with the ring on his left hand, spinning it around and around. Turns out, I had no reason to worry about not loving him after the pregnancy and postpartum hormones dissipated. In fact, I'm even more in love with my husband today and I have a feeling I'll only continue falling deeper with time.

"Holy shit!" I gasp and point at the television, feeling Chase's arms loosen so I can sit back up. "Holy shit. Those are my shoes. I can't fucking believe it. You know she's going to win Female Vocalist of the Year tonight, and she's doing it in shoes I fucking made."

I lean forward, staring into the cool television glow, watching as arguably the most popular country singer in the world performs her new hit single on the Country Music Award stage. When her team contacted me to make custom tooled leather heels for tonight, I think I briefly passed away. Then it took some convincing before I trusted it wasn't a scam. Regardless of the success I've seen over the last couple years—the features in western fashion magazines, the influencers and barrel racing champions wearing my brand, and the fact that my website sells out within seconds every time I open up for orders—this is absolutely mind-blowing.

"Dance with me," Chase says, kissing my shoulder before gently pushing me from his lap.

"You never want to dance. You usually look at me and Hazel like we're the two biggest dorks when we do."

"Yeah, because I need to save my moves for special occasions. If I do them too often, you won't be impressed anymore." Pulling me to my feet, he slips a hand onto my lower back, and we sway to the love ballad.

"I'll always be impressed by you," I say. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you pushing me to try. Making me feel like I have something to offer the world. Not to mention, helping me juggle a baby and a business."

"I knew if I stuck it out for the hard times, eventually I'd have my own sugar mama." He kisses me, sending a familiar cascade of warmth over my body. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. You're so strong, smart, talented. I'm just grateful you want me along for the ride."

"I love you so much, Chase Thompson."

"Not as much as I love you, Cassidy Thompson."

When the song ends, we don't stop dancing. I kiss him, smiling against his lips as we hold each other. His hand steady at my back. My fingers twirling through the auburn hair at the nape of his neck.

Our feet move over the creaky floorboards of our first home. It's small, cute, situated about halfway between town and Wells Ranch, and it's all ours. Six months after Hazel was born, Dad offered to sell my house and give us the money. After my first big feature in a magazine the following year, I paid him back. Despite my salary these days being enough to buy a house twice this size, this has been plenty for our little family. I know Chase's dream is to have us living on the ranch, since we're already there more often than not. And the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it's time we take the next big leap.

"I've been thinking," I mutter into his neck, letting my head rest against his collarbone. "Maybe we should revisit the idea of a bigger house."

"I thought we had to stay living here forever because of all Hazel's firsts here."

"Well, originally I didn't want to ever leave the cabin because she was born there. But I'm real glad we have our own bedroom—with a door lock—here now. So maybe I'll feel similarly about a bigger house on the ranch, with a bunch more firsts, when we have another baby."

"Cassidy." He pulls me away from him so he can stare into my eyes. "Are you telling me you're pregnant?"

"No, no. I was thinking… Hazel is going to be four in a couple months. If we're going to have a baby, I want to do it soon. But I don't know if I can manage Hazel, a baby, and my job."

"We can manage it. We make a fucking great team—look at how we rocked dinner, bath, and bed tonight so she'd be asleep before the award show. If you want another baby, let's have a baby. Call me selfish, but I'd kill to see you with pregnant and breastfeeding tits again. You're the most gorgeous pregnant woman."

"So should we?" It's a rhetorical question. I know he's been hoping for another baby for years. It's always been up to me to make the call, but planning for something as huge as a second baby was paralyzing. After our wedding, we started relying on the pull-out method as our only birth control. Considering I got pregnant the first time despite my PCOS and a condom, I honestly anticipated it would happen immediately again. It felt easier to leave it up to chance than having to make the decision myself.

Clearly, that plan isn't working.

"You know my answer. I'd fill this house with a dozen kids if that's what you wanted."

"Jesus, let's not get carried away. I'm agreeing to one more."

"Perfect." He smacks my ass, nipping at my neck. "Let's go—I can't wait to get to work. I'm going to knock you up so fucking hard, sweetheart."

He pulls me back down to the couch, making quick work of slipping my T-shirt over my head as I straddle him. His hands cup my bare breasts, and his sweatpants aren't doing anything to hide how hard he already is. I grind against his lap, kissing him relentlessly.

Perfectly on cue, Hazel's raspy voice cries out from down the hallway. Something about a green monster in her closet that Daddy needs to deal with. He groans against my chest.

"You sure you want another?" I laugh and climb off his lap. "It means even less alone time for us."

"She's the best thing I've ever done. The two of you are my reason for being. So, yes. Fuck yes." He kisses my forehead. "Pour yourself some celebratory champagne and relax. When I come back, you're going to be a good wife and let me put a baby in you."

"Well, when you say it like that, how could I say no?" I push him away, watching his muscular back as he strolls down the hallway to our daughter's room.

After twenty minutes of silence, I slowly push the door open to find Chase and Hazel asleep in her tiny bed. His chin resting on top of her head, her arm and leg flung across him. I carefully pluck the teddy bear dangling from her fingers and tuck it beside her. Then pull her pink comforter up over the pair of them and give each a soft kiss before ducking back out.

This wasn't the way I thought my life would go. I was lost and apathetic for so long. Not realizing a single reckless night with an unhinged cowboy named Red would change everything. That the man I'd passed over for years was exactly the person I needed. Now the only future I want to have is one with this perfect little family—the rest is small potatoes.

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