Page 14

Logan

F ive Years Later

"Oh my god," Peyton moans, squirming all around. Her hands slip against mine. "Oh! I feel it."

"Fuck," I growl, my lip caught between my teeth so I don't lose it. I'm already sweating, barely holding on. Christ, it's so fucking hard. "Yeah. Right there, angel."

"Yes!" she cries, slipping her hand out of the way.

I press forward, growling as the pipe pops back into place.

Fucking finally.

"Jesus Christ," I grunt, falling back on my ass. "We're hiring a plumber next time your daughter breaks the bathroom."

Peyton wriggles out from beneath the sink, water dripping from her hair, dropping a little pile of Legos on the floor beside her. "My daughter?" she says, all indignation and sass. "You're the one who was supposed to be watching her."

"You're the one who decided to run around the house without a bra on." I shrug. "Can't blame me if I had my hands full while she was in here, dismantling the goddamn house." I didn't even know you could fit eighteen Legos down the damn sink at once.

Peyton laughs quietly, brushing wet strands of hair away from her face. "I was not running around the house without a bra. We both know I don't run. I was sitting on the couch, minding my business."

"Your hard little nipples were begging for attention, baby."

"Whatever." She rolls her eyes at me. "You're lucky Lauren and Roland got here when they did to pick her and Lex up or we'd have a whole flood on our hands." She glances at the disaster around us. We had to dismantle the entire fucking sink to get those damn Legos out. There are tools scattered in puddles of water all over the floor. "She's definitely your daughter, Logan."

I lean back against the door, chuckling. "You always say that when she's destroying shit."

"It's most true when she's destroying shit." My wife shoots me a cheeky grin. "She looks just like you when she's being a little terror."

I can't even deny it. Livvie does look just fucking like me when she's running around the house, trying to wreck it. But we both know her attitude is all Peyton. Just like we know her older brother is all me. Lex looks just like me. He acts just like me. He even growls at everyone who gets too close to his mom just fucking like me.

I appreciate the hell out of him for that. Peyton isn't nearly as appreciative, but that's because she doesn't get it. I know what I've got with her. It's the best goddamn part of my life. There's no fucking way I'm going to risk some other prick trying to move in on what belongs to me. I know damn well that she'd never go for it if they tried. But still…she's mine. End of story.

As far as she's concerned, I'm the only man who exists. She looks at me like I hung the moon for her. I intend to make sure she always looks at me that way. Five years isn't long enough. Hell, I don't think fifty will cut it, either. I need every single second I can get. A lifetime. An endless supply of them would be preferable.

She's the light in my life. She's my peace. I breathe for her. I fucking exist for her. Everyone knows it. It's not like I've made a secret of it. I'm done hiding shit. I left that life behind five years ago and haven't looked back. Even when Lauren had to be committed again two years ago while they worked out a new medication regimen for her, we didn't try to hide it. We just fucking dealt with it.

And so did she. She bounced back stronger than ever. My sister is a badass. She always has been.

"I hope the baby is all you," I murmur, pulling Peyton onto my lap. My hand brushes her stomach. "We need another little girl around here."

Peyton buries her face in my shoulder, laughing quietly. "We're not going to survive the one we already have."

"Yeah, we will." I nip her throat. "She has a warrior for a mom, a badass for an aunt, and a legend for a dad. We've got this shit, baby."

"A legend?" Peyton lifts her head, a soft smile on her face. "You're reading your own press again, aren't you?"

"Nope. I just know I'm that good."

She snorts, shaking her head. "If your head gets any bigger, Logan Moreno…"

"You fucking love my big head."

Her lips tilt into a smile. "Yeah, I kind of do."

I slide her off my lap, rising to my feet. Once I'm steady, I scoop her up into my arms, striding from the bathroom.

"Where are we going? We still have to clean up the mess," she says.

"I'll clean it up," I murmur. "After I clean you up, baby. You're all wet. My baby might get cold."

She smirks, cupping my cheek. "You know damn well the baby isn't going to get cold in my womb, Logan. You just want to get me naked."

"Obviously. We were interrupted before I finished playing with you earlier."

"I'm not a game."

"No, you aren't." I set her on the vanity in our bathroom, caging her in with my arms. "But you are my favorite little toy, baby."

"Logan," she groans.

I tip her head back, kissing her long and deep. "Christ, I love you. You know that?"

"Yeah?" She twists her hands up in my shirt, smirking at me. "Get naked and show me how much."