Page 61 of The Love Language of the Cartel

I leaned back just far enough to look at her. She was already glowing to me. “This is the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten,” I announced.

She belted out a soft chuckle. “Good, because I don’t think I’ll be able to live up to the hype next year.”

And at that moment, I was certain there wasn’t a demon in this world I couldn’t face as long as I had Demi at my side—her, and now, the new life she was growing inside her.

The sight of the pregnancy tests had hit me like a bolt of lightning. For the last thirty-six years, I’d lived my life according to my own carefully calculated terms. Parenthood had never been part of the plan until I met her and we lost our first child. Since the shooting, I never allowed myself to hold onto the hope that I’d become a father again. Yet, here I was, staring down those bold pink lines that would change everything.

In the midst of my joy was a silent fear that simmered just beneath the surface. Could I be the father our child deserved when my own childhood had been molded by the power plays of the cartel and the cold, emotionless presence of killers? At that moment, I swore to myself that I would do and be better for my child. I wouldn’t be my absentee father, and I damn surewouldn’t be hers or any other man who allowed power, money, and ambition to come before his family—his flesh and blood.

But in the midst of it all was Demi. I loved her in a way that left no room for question, and the thought of seeing her belly swell with my seed and seeing her bloom into a mother filled my chest with a level of happiness I couldn’t put into words. If anyone had the power to anchor me in this uncharted territory of parenthood, it was her. She made the impossible feel possible.

We’d already been through so much in such a short time—grief, loss, betrayal, unimaginable pain. Yet, the universe had found a way to surprise us both, to offer us a blessing in the midst of our chaos. And while I wasn’t the kind of man who believed in fate, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the baby, like us, was meant to be.

With the amount of joy and gratitude buzzing around inside me, my heart felt like it had grown three sizes. Speechless, I stared at her beautiful face, noting the mix of nervousness and excitement etched into her features, and I couldn’t hold back the emotions coursing through me.

“I love you,” I declared.

Those three words carried even more weight than they had the first time I’d said them to her. This time, they were melded with the unexpected awe of the moment. I leaned in to capture her soft lips in a kiss that was as tender as a butterfly kiss but as deep as the ocean.

When I pulled back, I dropped my gaze down to her flat stomach and kissed it gently, reverently. “And I love you too,” I whispered softly, speaking directly to the tiny life growing inside her.

Our eyes met as I straightened out my posture. For the first time in forever, I felt like the stars and planets had aligned perfectly. This was our family—our future—and I couldn’timagine anything more miraculous than sharing it with Demi, my queen, by my side.

The End

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