Beholden (The Belonging Duet, #2)(89)

She gasps as tears fall from her eyes. I’ve laid it all out for her. I let her up, and she sits on the table as I wait.

“I guess the question is, do you feel the same?”

Her beautiful eyes lock on mine as the word I want to hear falls from her perfect lips. “Yes.”

“Yes?” I ask needing her to tell me again.

She hops down and wraps her arms around me. Her eyes glimmer and are filled with love. “You’re it for me. Always have been and always will be.”





Seven years later



“Okay, you ready?” I ask her with that glint in her eye as she stands there with the timer.

“No cheating this time. I swear,” she vows. I glance at Catherine as she smiles.

Yeah, I know that look. She’s already scheming.

“Mommy, push the button!” Erin yells as she starts jumping up and down.

“I thought you were on my side?” I ask the little traitor. She looks up with her big brown eyes and bats her eyelashes quickly. Her dark brown hair is in pigtails that she keeps making slap her in the face when she turns.

“Sowwy, Daddy. Mommy said we could have ice cream if she wins. If you win, we have to eat spinach. Yuck!”

Her puppy dog eyes melt me. Damn girls.

I look at my wife who shrugs with a shit-eating grin on her face. I make note to wipe it off later.

“Kennedy, whose side are you on?” I ask the other half of the demon spawn. Her blond hair is covering her face as she tries to do the same thing her sister is. She may only be three, but surely she wouldn’t leave me for ice cream. She’s honorable.

“Mama!” she calls out and puts her hands up.

Or not.

Catherine walks over as we stand in front of the obstacle course in California. “What’s the matter, Muffin?” she asks coyly. “You ready to lose to the girls today?”

“My ass, Kitty.”

“Butt,” she corrects me but lets the nickname slide. I’m sure she’ll punish me later—which I might like.

Erin spins in circles in the sand pit and Kennedy runs over to her sister. “They can’t hear.” I grab her waist and pull her against my side. “Besides,” I whisper in her ear and she shivers. “You know I like your ass and I know you like it when I swear. You had no problem telling me to f*ck you harder last night.”

My dick stirs at the images, how hot she looked when she fell apart in my arms.

“You may want to get yourself ready since I’m about to kick your butt—again.”

“Over my dead body.” I snake my hand up her back and run my tongue along her neck.

“Girls!” Catherine calls over and they come running.

“Low blow, Catherine.”

“No blowing anything, baby. Other than you’re about to get blown out of the water,” she says as her fine ass starts to walk away.

“I’d rather you blow something else.” I give her a knowing look.

Her head whips around and she smirks. “You’ll pay for that.”

“I’m sure I will.”

She knows the three of them rule my world. Kennedy looks just like her mother—she’s tiny and has the biggest brown eyes I’ve ever seen. Her pout can melt me, and I’m pretty sure she’s figured out all she has to do is turn her lip down and I’ll cave. She has the same tiny cleft in her chin, which is why most people say she’s her mother’s child. I think it’s her feisty attitude and quick wit.

Erin, on the other hand, is pretty much all me. She’s tall and slender but has her mother’s facial features. I love that I can look at any of them and see Catherine. They ground me and give me a love like I’ve never known.

Even with Catherine running her own P.R. firm and my traveling, we find a way to make it work. When we fight, we have a lot of fun making up. When I found out Catherine was pregnant, I was obsessive over everything. What she wore, what she ate, if she took her prenatals, doctor’s appointments, pretty much everything she did I was on top of. Needless to say, she really hated me by month two, but she understood. With Kennedy we were much more relaxed. I actually enjoyed my very horny wife.

“Daddy, we’re ready to run the os-tickle course,” Erin calls, clearly screwing that name up.

I think my cadets need a little extra training.

“Fall in, girls!” I command and they all stand there giggling.

Fine. We’ll do this the hard way. I lift each of the girls and put them in line. Kennedy starts to draw in the dirt while Catherine crosses her arms and covers her mouth trying not to laugh.

“Kennedy, you need to stand at attention.” I huff as she shakes her head back and forth.

“This should be good,” I hear Catherine from behind me.

“Zip it, woman.”

“I’ll give you ‘woman.’”

I turn and wiggle my eyebrows and she rolls her eyes. Some things haven’t changed and I hope they never do.

“Okay, Muffin. Let’s see how a SEAL loses to his wife—who doesn’t exercise—and his two daughters under the age of five,” Catherine taunts. “This time if I win, I want something big.”

“How big? I’ve got a big prize for you.” I raise my brow and she slaps my chest.