Page 133 of Holiday Hostage
Dad rocked Hannah in the crook of his arm and kissed her chubby cheek.
My baby girl squealed and giggled, twisting away from him and making grabby hands at the tree.
Dad chuckled. “No, ma’am. You’re not allowed to eat any more tree limbs.” He shimmied side to side in the universal baby-rocking motion that soothed and comforted. “You are the sweetest little thing, aside from your mama, of course.”
“It’s okay, Dad. You’re right. She’s the sweetest.” I lifted the glass of water Reed pressed into my hand and took a long drink.
Giving birth to Hannah was one of the single most amazing experiences of my life. “This last year has been incredible. The nurses told me what to expect. I came home prepared for late nights and crying, but Hannah has been amazing.”
She’d started sleeping through the night at four months, and even before then, we’d rotated through the night shifts so that no one grew too exhausted.
Reed, Tarron, and Mav doted on Hannah. And me.
Their love had not shrunk since having Hannah.
If anything, they loved me more than ever.
We couldn’t get enough of each other, often falling into bed together as soon as Hannah drifted off to sleep.
Just last night, we’d tried a new position that made me sweat just thinking about how hard they’d made me come.
We were insatiable in the bedroom and so full of love through every moment of the day.
Hannah grunted and waved her clenched fists in the air.
The cute Christmas blanket tucked around her face crumpled when she sucked on her fist.
Dad tucked her deeper into the crook of his arm. “Can I feed her?”
“Sure.” I motioned toward the kitchen. “There are bottles in there. You’ll just need to heat it up a bit in the warmer.”
Even though I was breastfeeding, I’d been pumping too, so Mav, Tarron, and Reed could feed her as well.
Mav handed Dad a drink. “You want me to take her?”
“Over my dead body. It’s been years since I got to do this.” Dad snorted when Mav’s eyes shot wide and he clasped a hand over his heart like he’d been mortally wounded. “Yeah, having a kid has been good for you.” He inclined his head toward me. “And you’ve all been wonderful for my Payton.”
“It’s all her.” Reed draped an arm behind my back and set his hand on my hip. “She’s taught us how to linger in the moment.Before, we didn’t think we had a future. We had to fight for every memory, for every day.”
“A few trips to the beach, the mountains, and the pyramids, and now you actually have plans for family vacations until Hannah graduates.”
I patted Reed’s chest and took another drink of my water.
I’d had to increase my daily intake as I nursed Hannah, and now I’d become so accustomed to walking around with a glass at all times that I barely noticed.
Mav raised his glass in a toast. “To the future.”
“The future.” I tapped my glass against his. “To years of Christmases together.” To family and maybe more children. To life and love and excitement.
There was always excitement with my three men.
“To Christmas,” Dad added his glass to the mix before heading to the kitchen to grab Hannah’s bottle. “How did your last mission go?”
“Perfect.” Mav burst into details about the recon mission he’d performed for a local agency.
They’d needed information, and Mav and Reed had taken off to Manhattan for a week.
They’d come home exhausted and thrilled with how the job ended.
