Scott : I’m in the car park.

Me : Are you hiding from me?

Scott : Fuck no.

Me : Lucky.

When I finally caught sight of him, my heart swelled with love. My hand absently moved to my stomach as I stilled and watched him.

He was with Lisa and they both had their heads under the hood of his Charger. She was listening to him intently while he pointed at various parts of the engine and explained something to her. Memories of my own father doing the same thing slammed into me, and tears pricked my eyes.

I walked the short distance to them, and they both turned their heads when they heard me approaching.

“Hey, Harlow,” Lisa said with an easy smile.

“Hi, Honey,” I returned her smile before looking at Scott. “Hey.” God, I love this man. Hard.

He leant over and kissed me. “Sorry, sweetheart, Lisa’s assignment is due at school tomorrow and she was struggling with one part, so I wanted to explain it to her before I got carried away with the party.”

Lisa loved everything to do with cars and had chosen to do one of her assignments on car engines. Scott had been helping her with it for weeks and I’d decided there wasn’t much on this planet better than watching a man helping their child. Although Lisa was not our child, we both treated her as if she was. Her mother had come a long way, and I was confident in her recovery from drug addiction, but we would never stop thinking of Lisa as part of our family.

“I’ve got it now, so I’m going to go back inside and hang out if that’s okay,” Lisa said.

“Sure, darlin’,” Scott agreed. Jerking his chin towards the restaurant, he added, “Don’t let that boy treat you like shit, or I’ll be having words with him.”

Lisa blushed. “I won’t.”

I smacked him as we watched her run inside. “Did you have to say that?”

His laughing eyes came to mine, and I sucked in a breath at the crinkles that decorated them. Those damn crinkles. They get me every time . “It’s her first boyfriend, Harlow, and I’m going to make damn sure she learns straight off the bat that she’s entitled to have expectations of being treated a certain way. No boy will ever walk all over her if I have my way.”

“Do you know how much I love you, Scott Cole?” I asked as I pressed my body against his.

He took hold of my face and angled my mouth to his. “Almost as much as I love you,” he murmured before kissing me again, this time slower and deeper.

My tummy fluttered, just like it always did when he kissed me. I moaned into his mouth. “Baby, I have something to tell you.”

He pulled his face away from mine and said, “That you’re glad you married me one year ago? That this is the best first anniversary you’ve ever had?”

“You are playful today, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “Life’s good, Harlow. Storm’s had a year of no huge problems, I’ve got a beautiful baby daughter, a happy family and a sexy-as-fuck wife whose favourite thing to do is wrap her lips around my dick…I’ve got all the reasons in the world to smile.”

I let his words work their way through my soul, loving how good they felt. And then I whispered, “I’ve got one more reason for you to smile.”

The world around us quietened and slowed as he processed what I said. He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity, before finally demanding, “Tell me.”

I reached for his hand and placed it on my belly. “You’re going to be a daddy again.”

His eyes searched mine as his lips slowly spread into the Scott-Cole smile I lived for. “I’m going to be a daddy again,” he repeated what I said.

“Yes.”

Sliding his arms around me, he pulled me to him again. “This is the best first wedding anniversary I’ve ever had,” he said as his eyes flared with more of the playfulness I could easily get used to.

“Me too, but can I ask you a favour?”

“Depends. How hard is it?”

“Possibly really hard for you.”

He chuckled. “Hit me, sweetheart.”

“Do you think we could try not to have a repeat of this on our second anniversary?”

“I’m not fuckin’ guaranteeing anything. Trying to get you pregnant has become my favourite pastime.”

“What do you mean ‘trying to get me pregnant’? Have you been plotting this?”

“You didn’t realise?”

“No, I just thought it was your love of getting your dick out that was going on. I had no idea it was all part of your life plan.”

He placed another kiss on my lips. “Well, I do love getting my dick out, but I also love you being pregnant. Nothing better than seeing my woman with my child in her belly.”

“You just loved how big my boobs got.” I continued to play with him. This was too much fun.

His eyes dropped to my breasts. “Jesus, how could I forget? Fuck, so many things to look forward to.”

I took a deep breath before asking him the one thing I had to know. “So, you’re not upset that I’m pregnant again so soon?” I’d discovered my pregnancy a few days ago and had spent that time worrying about telling him. Aurora was only four months old and I’d never expected to get pregnant again so fast.

He tightened his hold on me and his playful mood disappeared. The Scott Cole I knew and loved returned, and reminded me why I loved him so much. “Harlow, there isn’t a damn thing you could do that would cause me to get upset with you. You’re my world, you and Aurora, and any other children we have, and I will always be standing right by your side, holding your hand, and facing whatever we have to face. Together.”