Page 50 of Ours

Closing the passenger door, he raced to the driver’s side. Hopping his large body into the sedan, he closed the door behind him and laughed to himself. Sitting in the center console was the key fob, exactly where he expected it to be. Maddox was the biggest moron for always leaving his fucking keys in the car.

Pushing the luxury car’s ignition switch, he gave Lexi a warm smile before tearing down the driveway towards the road. Time was of the essence; he had to create as much distance as he could. They would be running for the rest of their lives, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle together.

“Where are we going?” she asked calmly, moving her gaze to look at Kade.

“I have a safehouse in Georgia that only I know about. I don’t have any ties to that area, it won’t even be on their radar. Once we get out of town, we’ll find another car and head to Macon. We can stay there until our daughter is born...then we can go over our options. But know this, I will do anything to protect you.Anything,” he replied.

Melting into her seat from sudden exhaustion, she hummed a reply. She knew they were far from being safe, but was comforted to know that he meant it when he said he would protect them. After everything they had experienced together, she finally had the one piece that was missing in their twisted relationship. With every fiber of her being, she now trusted him completely.

“I love you, Lexi. I love you and I love our daughter. More than anything in this fucking world. I’ll never let anything ever happen to either of you,” he said confidently, pulling onto the main road.

Nodding her head, Lexi smiled through the pain brought on by the flexing of her facial muscles. He had made declarations of love to her before, but this time was different. He finally believed his own words...and so did she.

“I know, Kade,” she replied, reaching over to the gear shift and covering his large hand with hers. “I love you too, and I’m so happy to be yours.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

One year later…

Opening the door to his home, Kade stepped inside the humble single wide trailer. Walking two paces into the living room, he set his metal lunchbox down on the thrifted coffee table with a smile on his face. Breathing in the delicious aroma of a home cooked meal, his stomach growled, and his hunger spiked. He loved that Lexi was getting some good use out of the crockpot he had bought her. He couldn’t wait to taste her latest culinary creation.

“Daddy’s home! Where are my girls?” he asked, his dark eyes scanning the empty living area.

“I’m just changing Loella, we’ll be out in a second!” Lexi called out from the far bedroom.

“Sounds good, Sweetheart,” he replied, heading towards the old blue couch lining the trailer’s rusted wall. Flopping down with a groan, he melted into the worn sofa. His body was sore from installing drywall for over nine hours, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. The under the table job provided enough money for them to have a roof over their heads, and food in their bellies. He couldn’t ask for a better life than the one he was living.

Walking out of the bedroom with her nine-month-old on her hip, Lexi’s face lit up as soon as her tired eyes settled on her love. She didn’t think she would ever get sick of the giddy feeling she felt every night when he came home from work. It still shocked her how much her life had changed, how much their love had changed, since escaping his father. She couldn’t imagine her life without him.

“Look, Loey! Daddy’s home!” she said, her voice full of cheer.

Clearing the small space, she laughed as Loella flexed her tiny hands open and closed as she noticed her daddy. It was a new habit that their daughter had picked up, and she still thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. Loey was a daddy’s girl through and through. She always turned into chopped liver as soon as he came home.

Giving his girls a warm grin, Kade stretched out his arms. Gently taking Loella, he puckered his lips to give Lexi a much-needed kiss.

Making sure their daughter was secure in his grasp, she bent down to press her lips against his. There was something so incredibly sexy about him holding their baby, it was an immediate turn on. She was looking forward to putting Loey down early tonight. They had celebrating to do.

“Hey handsome,” she purred.

Not to be outdone, Loella let out a high-pitched squeal to get her daddy’s attention.

Chucking under his breath, he winked at Lexi before turning to his little princess. Slapping a goofy smile on his face, he soaked in her cuteness. It was a good thing she was a splitting image of her mother, though he had no doubt that she would be makinghis life a living hell in about sixteen years or so. He knew the boys would be beating down his door to get to her.

“And did my girls have a good day?” he asked.

Smiling at her daddy, Loey brought her fist to her mouth and began to gnaw on her chubby knuckles. With a mouthful of drool dripping down her chin, she babbled a reply. Teething was hard work.

Taking a seat next to him on the couch, Lexi nodded her head. Every day being free with her family was a good day, as far as she was concerned. Things were settling down after their move to Lansing, Kansas only six weeks prior. She finally felt in her bones that they were safe. She was excited to enjoy their happily ever after.

“We did! I gave Loey a bath and then she had some tummy time. We went to the store to get some groceries. Oh, and I texted Lilly for a little bit. I invited her and Justin over for dinner tonight. I hope you don’t mind?” she asked.

Shrugging his broad shoulders, he moved Loella onto his right knee. Bouncing her gently, he watched in amusement as his baby girl laughed from the movement. “No, I don’t mind, just as long as they don’t stay all night,” he replied, giving her a suggestive look. “But speaking of dinner, what are you making? Whatever it is, it smells so damn good.”

Beaming with pride, she straightened her sitting posture. She always felt accomplished whenever he complimented her cooking. “Beef stew! I’m going to start the cornbread in a few minutes, but that shouldn’t take too long.”

“God that sounds good! I swear you’re trying to fatten me up,” he said.

Reaching over to touch his stomach, she lifted the corner of her lips into a sly grin. True, his body had changed a little since their daughter was born, but he was still ridiculously fuckable. “Dad bods are hot,” she replied.

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