Page 257 of Five Brothers

Macon looks at me. “What the fuck?”

But the kid can’t see us clearly through the frosted glass. It’s fine. I stand up. “Of course you can have pancakes,” I tell the six-year-old. “It’s too early, though. Go home and get ready for school. I’ll be downstairs soon.”

“’Kay!”

And he slams the door on his way out. I look down at Macon as he runs a hand through his hair. “You need to talk to that kid about not coming into our bedroom.”

“I did.”

I lean down to kiss him.

But he just gives me a scolding look. “How did we get into a situation where we’re feeding eight kids who aren’t ours every morning?”

I slide my body on top of his, straddling him. “Kids can’t concentrate in school if they’re hungry,” I tell him. “If they don’t do well in school, they don’t become doctors, lawyers, and presidents. We’re in this for the long game, baby.”

He laughs, and I know I won.

It wasn’t really a big deal to start out. Willow and Mato’s dad is offshore working most of the time, and their mom has odd shifts at the hospital a lot, so I started having them come over here for breakfast. A few other kids started joining them. Kids need a well-rounded breakfast. Maybe if I’d tried not to starve myself so much in high school, I would’ve done better in math, too.

I reach underneath me, stroking my husband and fitting him inside of me.

“I’m getting to be an old man.” He sits up, holding me close. “I can’t have scares like that when my dick is hard.”

I place his hand on my breast. “An older man is the only one who knows what to do with this.”

And I slide his hand down my body that he’s kissed and tasted every inch of thousands of times, because he knows how to appreciate a woman properly.

We kiss, and I sink down on him, but then I stop.

Holding his face, I caress his cheek with my thumb, feeling his eyes on me.

But I can’t look, because if I look at him, I’ll chicken out. “I want a baby,” I say.

He’s silent. I keep caressing, finally forcing my gaze up.

He stares at me, his expression unreadable.

“Can I have a baby?” I ask him.

We avoided the subject for a long time. I wasn’t in any hurry. I had plenty of time, and I loved having him to myself.

But I also know he avoided the subject because he was scared.

I wait for him to argue. Or to make some excuse about why we should wait longer.

Or worse, to tell me he doesn’t want children at all.

He doesn’t say any of those things, though. Taking my hand, he puts it against his chest, over his heart. “Say that again.”

I feel the beat in his chest quicken.

I smile just a little. “Can I have a baby?”

He hardens even more inside me, and gasps, “Yes.” Then he kisses me hard and deep, moving slowly over my mouth.

I start to rock on him, but then a knock hits the bathroom door. “Macon! Krisjen!”

I startle at Trace’s voice, pulling away from the kiss.