Page 45

She lifts a brow as if it’s a stupid question.
“That’s my cock. I’m the only man you will ever feel inside you again. You are marrying me.”
The raw need to possess this woman has taken away the charming gentleman who would be doing this differently.
I don’t care.
I need to know she is mine, and that Penelope knows I will protect her and our child.
“You’re not proposing to me while your cock is inside me, Ward Montgomery,” Penelope says as my lips press to hers, silencing her complaint.
“Who said I’m asking?” I shift us both farther up the bed and lay beside her, letting our juices pour from both our bodies.
I don’t care.
This is what marriage is.
Messy and real.
Lucky me, I’m about to do it all over again with the blessing of another child.
Tina and I raised Bella, Knox, Atlas, and Levi to be strong people and know they’re loved. They will accept Penelope and this new baby into their lives.
It will take some adjusting, for all of us, but families come in all different shapes and sizes these days.
“I really hope we have a girl.” Penelope gives me a cheesy grin and my heart opens even more.
“Don’t count on it, sweetheart.” I laugh and kiss her forehead
EPILOGUE
PENELOPE
Thanksgiving
WARD TAKES MAX FROMmy arms and hands him to my mother. I glance at them, both confused. I have just fed him and was about to put him down to sleep.
He’s only six weeks old and the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Yes, another cheeky Montgomery boy in the world. I couldn’t be happier.
Hosting Thanksgiving didn’t seem like something I could do after recently giving birth, but Ward had it all catered.
“Oh, look at those blue eyes,” Mom gushes. “Just like your daddy and brothers.”
My father leans over her shoulder and the look of love in his eyes almost has me in tears.
Again.
I had no idea a child could make me so happy. I’ll never be sorry that Ward knocked me up. As Atlas likes to say.
The boys have all accepted me into their father’s world without issue. One thing I admire about the Montgomery’s is that they’re such a loving and open family. They talk about things. Emotions.
Sure, sometimes the passion is over the top, but they respect their father and challenge one another on things. Robust conversation over the dinner table is a common thing.
Bella was a little more challenging.
She misses her mom and found it hard to see Ward with another woman. He explained that she’s always felt slightly insecure because he’s not her birth father. To which he emphatically said was irrelevant.