Page 65 of Keeping Kasey (Love and Blood #3)

Logan

Five years later

“Carter! Don’t you dare get in the water after Mom just gave you a bath!” I shout as I pack up the cooler and beach towels to go inside for the day.

“I want to see the fish again,” my son whines with a wicked pout he inherited from his mother.

“I don’t care if you’re discovering Atlantis over there—I said no.”

His pout turns to a full-on frown, and I can see the tantrum brewing behind his green eyes.

I call out before he gets the chance to explode. “If you can run over here in three seconds, I’ll give you a piggyback ride to the house.”

A challenge, paired with a reward, is my kid’s kryptonite.

Any anger melts into determination as he bolts through the sand like a bullet straight for me. He doesn’t hit the brakes in time and collides with my legs, bringing me to the ground as he falls on top of me.

My first instinct is to check him for injuries, but when I hear his bubbly laugh, I know we’re in the clear.

My little psychopath has a lot of power packed into him.

“What are you doing?” I exclaim, prompting even more of his infectious laughter. “You little wrecking ball.”

“I’m stronger than you!” he taunts as he stands over me.

“Is that right?”

He’s nodding when I snatch him and drag him down next to me in the sand. I’m careful that he doesn’t hit his head, but once he’s down, I don’t show the kid an ounce of mercy. I tickle him until his laughter echoes so far down the beach that it can be heard on the other end of the island.

“Ahhh!” he shouts through uncontrollable laughter. “I can’t—Mommy! Help!”

“That’s cheating!”

“What are you doing out here?” Kasey’s voice carries over our laughter as she makes the short walk to us from the house. “The neighbors are complaining about how loud you’re being.”

I ease up on Carter, who catches his breath like he just finished a marathon.

“Our closest neighbors are three miles away on another island,” I remind her.

“Exactly,” she says, then drops her smile when she notices that Carter is covered in sand. “Logan! I just got him out of the bath. What were you thinking?”

Carter sits up, and we both look up at his mother with perfectly innocent expressions. She’s not fooled for a second, so being the adult, I take full responsibility… and pass it to my child.

“He started it,” I say, pointing to Carter.

“It’s your turn to give him a bath,” she says, doing a lousy job of concealing her smile as she gives me a once-over. “And take a shower while you’re at it.”

Forty minutes later, Carter and I are clean, all beach chairs and coolers are put away, and we’re curled up on the couch with one of Carter’s favorite movies playing. He sits cuddled into his mother’s lap, and I sit at their side.

It’s one of the few weeks in the year when the three of us take a trip that isn’t to see family, and I soak in every second of this time with my two favorite people.

Our family has grown these last few years, and I couldn’t be happier that my life looks nothing like I thought it would.

Family means so much more to me than it ever did when I was growing up. I still rule my empire with an iron fist and plan to train my son to follow in my footsteps, but none of that matters most.

This—quality time with my beautiful wife and my spitfire son—is what matters most.

The island has given us a special place to spend that time. It’s a relatively new purchase, one of the few things I’ve ever worked with my brother-in-law to organize.

And I didn’t have to cover Kasey in a dead man’s clothes to keep her from freezing to death to warrant the purchase.

My brothers, Moreno, and I surprised our wives with the island early this year, after Elise gave birth to her twin sons, and on the fourth anniversary of Kasey and me surviving the cabin.

Angel Isle—located in the Caribbean and named by the girls—has become our family’s favorite vacation spot. This week, on our fourth wedding anniversary, Kasey and I have chosen to spend it with Carter.

“You know, I never wanted kids,” Kasey says, looking down at Carter—who’s out cold. She shakes her head. “Now, I can’t imagine my life without him. I can’t even remember what I thought happiness was back then, just that it couldn’t have compared to this.”

“I’ll remind you of that next time he spills an entire bucket of paint on your new carpet. Or when he climbs across the table and kicks your laptop to the ground.”

“He is your son,” she agrees with a soft laugh, and it’s only because it’s been over a year since both incidents that she’s able to laugh now. “But those moments make these a lot sweeter,” she says, running a hand over his blonde curls.

“I always knew I’d have kids,” I tell her. “Or rather, heirs . My kids were always meant to be trained as soldiers from the second they could walk.”

“I hate that you grew up that way,” she says, reaching over to take my hand. I lean in to kiss her knuckles, then rub soothing circles there.

“I don’t.”

“No?”

I shake my head. “My dad taught me that fatherhood was about raising soldiers to obey my commands, that marriage was a means to strengthen family ties, and that life’s sole purpose was accumulating power.

He left his wife to be killed at the hands of his enemies, then died at the hands of his son.

I remember standing over his casket, wondering what it was all for.

I saw my life ending exactly as his had, with an empire that would survive without him, no wife to grieve him, and kids that didn’t care he was gone. ”

I take in the sight of my wife. Bright blue eyes filled with a near-tangible love, wild blonde hair—even lighter after soaking up the sun on our trip—and a relaxed smile worn almost exclusively for me and Carter.

“My father showed me exactly how not to live my life,” I say with an odd sort of pride. “Carter will never wonder if he has value beyond his role in the family business. He’ll know I love you and him more than anything else in the world.”

Carefully, Kasey shifts as close as she can to me without waking Carter. I close the distance between us, and our lips meet in a kiss that makes me fall in love with her all over again.

It doesn’t matter how much time passes—every kiss, every touch, every moment with Kasey is better than the last.

Every day, I wonder how I could be happier than I am right now.

And every day, my wife and son surprise me.

THE END