Page 30 of Honor and Claim (A New Reign #2)

ZMany Years Later….

T oday is finally the day. How I’ve kept this secret I have no clue, but I have. Even my oldest son is bursting to tell the news, but he’s keeping it tight-lipped. Our boys might drive their mother nuts most days, but they are also very protective of her and dote on her as well.

It's safe to say that everyone is smitten with Cosima in this house, but there aren't many people that dislike her. She has a way about her that draws people in, unless she stabbed you. Then you might not be a fan, but if she wanted, I'm sure she could charm you right back in.

She deserves the world, and I do whatever I can to make sure she gets it. Cosima is always trying to make sure everyone has a smile on their face even at her own expense. That’s why today is so important. I’ve planned everything down to the smallest detail.

“Hey, have you—” Cosima trails off when she catches sight of the boys and me. We have three ranging from eight to three. Eros is our oldest, and Cosima says is our love child. Then we have Jax and then Damon.

“You’re not supposed to cry, Mama!” Damon, our youngest, runs over to her. She leans down, kissing him all over his face. He’s our cuddlebug. It took us forever to get him out of our bed, but it was fun finding new places for me to have my way with my wife.

“You guys look so good. They’re happy hormonal tears.” She sniffles. I have them all in pink shirts to match the theme of the party. She's been planning it for a month.

Cosima lets the boys wear what they want, saying style is a choice everyone must make on their own, but when I pitched the boys on the idea of matching their mom's theme for the party, they more than wanted to do it, so I suppose they did choose, and they chose her. Can’t say I blame them. I choose her every time.

“You look stunning as usual.” I walk over to my very pregnant wife who somehow manages to get more and more beautiful by the second. She’s got on a stunning pink dress that emphasizes her baby bump.

“Tell me more. Don’t leave out any details.” She teases me in true Cosima fashion before lifting her mouth for me to take in a kiss. I oblige.

“Do you guys always have to kiss?” Our oldest groans.

“Yes,” we both reply, breaking our kiss. I could kiss her a million times and still want to do it a million more.

“I think you guys might look better in pink than me.” Cosima runs her fingers through Damon’s hair. He’s got her blond locks.

“No way.” Jax shakes his head adamantly. “I mean, I look better than these three in pink, but you’re pretty, Mom.”

“You get an extra cupcake.” Cosima leans down, kissing him on the cheek.

“Now he doesn’t have to steal one,” Eros mutters.

“I’m going to steal one right now. Who’s with me?” Cosima asks, taking Damon’s hand.

“See, I get it from her.” Jax nods to his mom, who is already heading out of the game room where we’ve all been for the past hour. I was keeping the boys busy so they weren’t under foot.

“Trust me, I know where you get your attitude.” Cosima shoots me a glare over her shoulder, making my cock harden more than it already was just seeing her. I’ll have to steal her away later so we can have our own celebration where I can get a taste of the sweetness between those thighs of hers.

When we get to the kitchen, I see the first wave of pink. Everything has been transformed into a pink wonderland. The woman really does think of everything down to the tiniest of details.

We’re not in the city this weekend. We switch back and forth but have been spending more time out near the farm. Technically, it’s still the farm. There is so much land out here, but we built a house here when Cosima became pregnant with our second.

She wanted to be closer to Tova. Our kids are more like siblings than cousins. We have even created small roadways that you can use a Gator or golf cart to go from one house to another.

I could give a shit where we live as long as I am with Cosima. If it makes her happy, then I am happy. My wife puts a lot into what others are feeling, so I make sure she too is always taken care of.

“How are you so sure it’s gonna be a girl, Mama?” Jax asks her as she hands him his sparkling pink cupcake.

“I’m manifesting it,” she simply says as though that’s all the explanation that’s needed. I inwardly smile, loving that she hasn’t changed a bit.

I have no idea if manifesting works, but whenever I discover that she might be manifesting something, I take the proper steps to ensure it happens. This one, however, won’t be so easy. My wife wants to have a baby girl.

I told her I’ll keep knocking her up until it happens, but she swears this will be her last, which I understand. Cosima is a very hands-on mom, and there is only so much of her to go around.

“Manyafestin?” Jax questions with a mouthful of cupcake. Cosima wipes the corner of his mouth that is covered in frosting.

“Sometimes if you want something really bad, you try to will it into being.” She looks directly at me before shrugging her shoulders as though it’s as simple as that before taking a bite of her own cupcake.

I smile at the scene playing out in front of me. To others, Cosima’s logic would seem flawed, but I know my wife, and if anyone could actually manifest an outcome, it would be her. I might give a few small nudges.

“People are starting to show up,” I remind them as Jax goes for another cupcake.

“Hold on.” Cosima snags it from him. He lets out a huff; it sounds like his mother. Cosima splits the cupcake in half. “There.” She gives him one side, shoving the other inside her mouth. They both do it in one bite, making me laugh.

“The pool.” Cosima points to the back patio doors. “Wait till you guys see.”

This might be a party for her to celebrate the new baby, but she wanted to surprise the boys with parts of it too with fun games and everything you could think of. It’s why I’d kept them entertained in the game room.

Jax is already flying toward the patio, Damon following after him. Eros shakes his head but isn’t far behind.

“Anything I should know?” I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into my side.

“I might have dyed the pool water pink.”

“All right.” I hold back a laugh. Cosima’s face scrunches.

“I might have manifested so hard it broke the pump, so, yeah, maybe no one gets in it.”

“I got it, babe,” I reassure her. I already knew about the pink pool idea, and it’s perfectly safe. Then, as if on cue, we hear a loud splash.

“Jax!” Cosima shouts, not having to see to know who has jumped into the pool.

She hurries out the glass doors to see Jax emerging from the pool. They might have put too much hot pink coloring into the water. I’m sure Cosima told them to keep dumping the dye and that there could never be enough pink.

“Mom! I need a shark fin; it looks like a murder scene.” Jax chomps his teeth like he is one.

He’s not wrong. I put my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. You can’t encourage Jax because he’ll take it up another notch. Eros has backed away, not wanting any of the dyed water on him.

"It might be a murder scene," Tova says, coming over to us and kissing Cosima on the cheek. I see the golf carts all parked off to the side. "After the whole pool boy thing."

Any laughter I had dies. Cosima flicks a glance my way. “He was only being nice.” Nice? That’s what we’re calling it?

“Are you defending him?” Maybe I should have killed him after all, but Cosima had asked me not to. That’s what I get for being nice.

“He was gay!” Cosima throws her hands up. I don’t give a shit what he was. He was staring too hard.

“I can take care of the pool,” I let them all know. We don’t need a fucking pool boy.

“Are you sure about that?” War peers down into the pool. It’s so pink you can’t see the bottom. Okay, it might be red, but I’m not saying that shit out loud. I’ll die saying this water is pink.

“Yep, absolutely positive.” I flick him a glance, letting him know he doesn’t need to worry about my house and to keep his mouth shut about what color the water is. I don’t want anything upsetting Cosima on her special day.

“He’s so over-the-top ridiculous with his jealousy.” Cosima says it as though she hates that I’m this way when it comes to her, but we all know it’s the exact opposite. She eats that shit up the same as she did the cupcake in the kitchen earlier.

“The suspense is killing me. Can we get this show on the road?” Tova asks. “I heard that he knows.” She points a finger at me like an accusation. “I don’t understand why he gets to know first. I’m the best friend.”

“Yeah,” War encourages Tova. “What my wife said.”

“I don’t even know. I’m keeping it from both of us so it doesn’t count.”

“Fine, I guess that math works.” Tova sighs.

“We need to wait for a bit. Parents aren’t here yet,” I remind them.

I’d asked them to be late on purpose. The sun is already setting, the lights flickering on back here, giving a pink hue. Others start to arrive, and I watch my wife happily work the party, welcoming everyone. She’s fucking glowing, and I know it’s not only the pregnancy.

“They’re here!” Cosima claps her hands when Rochelle and Dario step out onto the back patio. They are rushed with grandkids. I pull out my phone and send out a text.

“Are you ready, sweetness?” I ask.

“I’m always ready.” She smiles up at me.

“Really?”

“Well, unless we’re going somewhere. Then I might be a tad behind. Depends on my hair, and Jax.” She adds the last part. “I can’t help it if he likes to match me.”

“You can be late all you want.” I kiss her. “But it’s time.”

“Everyone!” Cosima shouts, making everyone grow quiet. “It’s time.” She peeks up at me. “So?” The reveal has been left up to me. I usher everyone back to the patio area.

“Here we go,” I whisper into her ear right as the sparkler fountains go off round the back patio and the pool. Half a second later, the sky lights up too as the fireworks go off in the distance in every shade of pink you can think of.

Cosima gasps, watching the show play out in front of her. The last and final one goes off as fire slides across the pool, outlining a phoenix. The flames are a deep, deep pink. Everyone is cheering, the kids jumping up and down.

My wife turns. “Our Phoenix.”

“Our Phoenix.” I place one hand on her stomach, the other going to the back of her neck, cupping her there. That’s the name she’d picked out if we were to ever have a little girl.

“You really gave me everything I ever wanted,” Cosima says. “All my dreams.”

“It’s you that has given us everything, sweetness.”

“That’s pretty nice of me,” she says with a sniffle.

“The sweetest,” I agree, pressing my mouth to her.

This woman is the heart of this family. Fuck, she’s my whole damn heart. A heart that had turned cold and was filled with anger until she’d come home.

Now it beats just for her, and she beats for us all.

I hope you loved Cosima and Z’s book. Curious about Tova and War? Read their book, Vow of Obsession , available now!