Page 137 of Mr. Edwards

Sliding my arms around her, I lift my baby momma off the ground and place my lips against hers. “You may not be happy about this, but I’m ecstatic. You’re the best mom. Our kids are lucky to have you.”

“I’m not unhappy about being pregnant. You know how much I love our babies,” she says. “It just would’ve been nice if you’d given me a few months reprieve is all.”

I gently place her down on her feet. “Does that mean you’re not really on a dick strike?”

“I’m absolutely on a dick strike.” Then she lifts one shoulder and I have to bite back my smile. “Well for today anyway, who knows what tomorrow will bring.”

“Tomorrow? I’m betting you won’t even see out the day.”

She playfully slaps my chest. “Maybe I should think about booking you in for the snip.”

I inwardly cringe at the mention of the word. “Don’t even joke about that, babe.”

“Who says I’m joking.” Grinning, she extends her pointer and middle finger, doing that damn fake scissor motion right in my face. “Chop, chop,” she teases as my balls shrivel up and retreat inside my body.

Dropping her arm, she reaches around me, slapping my ass. “Go shower and change, I’ll cook you some breakfast.”

“Cook?” After countless lessons from me, my wife still can’t cook to save her life.

“Placing bread in the toaster and browning it is technically cooking, asshole.” Fuck I love this woman. She turns her face, glancing toward the back sliding doors. “Where’s R.J.?”

I roll my eyes. “One guess.”

Our firstborn was named Robert after my father, it was Carlee’s idea. We call him R.J. for short. Ashton and Emma’s second child, Hudson, was also a boy. They only have the two. Our sons were born weeks apart and are the best of friends. They remind me so much of Ashton and I when we were growing up. They’re little shits, just like we were, and always getting into mischief. My mom calls it Karma.

R.J. recently developed a serious crush on Charlie, Ashton’s daughter. Despite the four-year age gap. The poor kid’s besotted.

“Remind me to pack him some clean clothes before we leave.”

We’re heading over to Ashton and Emma’s for a barbeque later. It’s become our Sunday ritual. Our families even vacation together.

Ashton and I still have our thriving business, and when Carlee isn’t busy being a kick-ass mom to our kids,she’s teaching self-defense and karate classes at the Torrance-South Bay YMCA. Our boys are next-generation ninjas.

Life’s pretty sweet.

They say your first love is temporary, a trial run, a stepping stone to the next. They’re supposed to burn bright and fade fast, but that was never us. That organ inside my chest continued to beat at a steady pace, patiently waiting for Carlee to come along. From that moment on, I was done for. She’s the first person I’ve ever given my heart to; she will also be the last.

The past is well and truly behind us. Although I’d never want to relive what we’ve been through, it has made us stronger…unbreakable. All the more reason to truly cherish what we have now. A man couldn’t ask for more. I have my girl by my side, two sons, a daughter, and another child on the way.

I feel like the luckiest man in the world.

THE END