Page 75 of Rough and Rugged
Bria giggles because we both know her sister is nowhere near the baker she is. Still, Mack is there whenever we need her. I told my wife two weeks ago our little girl would come soon, so it was time to be home for a while. We took two months off for Bennett, though I never went back to the landing once she had our son.
Most mornings, I see her off to the bakery well before dawn. I stay home with Bennett because I never want her to give up her shop. Baking is what she loves, what she is good at—if you ask me, she’s good at everything—and so I knew from the start I would sacrifice just about anything for her.
Being home with my son, for my wife, and soon with our little girl, is no sacrifice. I was smart enough with money to ensure neither of us have to work if we don’t want to. It means I can be home with my family and if she ever decides she wants to be home full time, she can do that.
“I want waffles. With peanut butter and jelly,” she hums in that sweet, pleading way. Bria knows I will get her whatever she wants, pregnant or not, so I kiss her and our son and head to the kitchen.
With me at home, I have picked up some impressive cooking skills, if I say so myself. It’s too bad her latest pregnancy craving is peanut butter smeared on everything. Last night she put it on her French fries she had to have. I made them without complaint because what my wife wants, she gets.
“Bennett wants waffles too, daddy,” her voice is smiling, and I turn, seeing her cradling our son as she comes to the kitchen.
In a silky white gown, her hair fluttering around her, she looks like an angel. To me, she is an angel. A saving grace of a woman who brought me to life after a lifetime of loneliness. Now I have her, my children, I have a family. Without them, my world is incomplete, and they are my entire world.
“Does my guy want some waffles with mama?” I ask as I flip the waffle maker over. Bennett laughs and nods, his big cheeks puffy as he smiles.
“Mama’s little guy. How’s mama’s little girl today?”
Sitting at the table, she settles Bennett beside her. Running her hands over her belly with a loving smile, she considers my question. “Hungry. I think this is it, honey. I think this week we will get to meet her,” she declares.
Nodding as I plate a waffle for my babies, I agree. “I am looking forward to holding my little girl. We’re so blessed, darlin’. A boy, now a girl, your shop, the cabin, it’s all such a blessing. I love you all so much.”
Bria smiles up at me, eyes shining with love. Yeah, I am blessed. We’ve got everything we ever wanted. We yearned for a family and even before we had our son, we found that in one another. Now our daughter is coming. That might be enough, or I might keep her pregnant the way I always tease her.
I did what I first teased I bred and wed the woman of my dreams.
About The Author
Bornandraisedinthe Midwest, reading and writing have always been Dee’s passion. Short stories became long stories that finally became books.?
While playing grownup during the day, meaning working a job, Dee wrote her first book. When not reading or writing, which leaves less time than she’s proud of, Dee loves spending her time with her?furbabies, her husband and lots of movie nights.?
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My Duke Swings An Axe
VICTORIA HINSHAW
Tropes
MF, enemies to lovers, regency romance
Blurb
Meg Bowen’s childhood adversary, Philip Trent, returns to Aberfeld to claim his duke title. Transformed by years in the Army, he captivates Meg with his rugged strength as he labors to restore his estate. When she reluctantly agrees to assist Philip in restoring his dilapidated home, she is determined to resist romance; however, shared moments spark a mutual desire.