Nick woke with a start. “No,” he groaned sitting up in the chair. He looked at his hands but there was no blood. It had been months since he’d dreamt of Angie and the child that died with her. When God closes a door; he opens a window his mother always told him. He looked around the room. Kathy and little Nicky were gone. Nick stood slowly his body protesting the hours spent sleeping in the chair. He gritted his teeth and took a step grateful Kathy wasn’t there to see him struggle. The clock on the wall said 10:00 and sunlight flooded the room. Nick looked both ways down the hall but Kathy and little Nicky were nowhere in sight. In the distance he heard the faint sound of Kathy’s voice.
“Please just leave us alone.” Kathy pleaded with the obnoxious man as she tried to shield little Nicky from his camera.
“Come on just one shot you owe it to your fans.”
“I owe them my talent. Not my life.” she hissed. The man reached out his hand to touch Nicky. A look of shock and fear crossed his face as he flew into the wall slide down onto his well fed ass. His camera hit the floor shattering into several pieces. Nick stepped over him and wrapped his arms around his wife and son. Kathy’s eyes welled with tears enjoying the safety she felt in his arms. A momma bear had nothing on her Nick.
“Send me the bill,” Nick growled. The terrified man nodded from his position on the floor.
“I don’t think he’ll bother us again.” Kathy said sniffing back her tears. She looked back over her shoulder to see two security guards help the man to his feet. Her husband was a man born centuries too late. A man who would have been king, a warrior king who would have taken the thrown by his own hands. A man who would have fought great battles and won. He stood there before her magnificent and powerful. So sure of his place in this world and she knew she’d never be able to deny him anything again. He had placed his future in her hands and for too long she had denied him his legacy, her legacy. She had watched a man die by his hand yet felt no fear. His fierceness tempered by a gentleness that moved her as he cradled their son. With Nick as his father all would be safe in his world.
Nick saw her staring at him. “What? He looked at her brows furrowed. “Am I doing something wrong?”
“No, I just realized I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
Nick sat down with her on the bed. “It took you long enough.” He leaned down and gently brushed her lips. “I’m the luckiest man alive to have the two of you. I love you with all my heart and soul, baby, always.”
Tears slid down Kathy’s cheek and she touched Nick’s hand
“I’m trying to feed him but he’s not cooperating. They said it can take some time but I worry about him not eating. There‘s so much to learn.” she said letting out a big sigh.
“We’ll get through this together. If it was chocolate milk I’m sure we wouldn‘t be having this problem,” he murmured brushing his lip against hers. “Maybe it’s time for our first father son talk.”
“Ha, ha. If he’s anything like his father you’ll be having a lot more of those.”
“I hope to hell not,” Nick sat down next to her on the bed and took Nicky in his arms. “Listen young man you’re only a day old and you’re already giving your mother a hard time. That’s my job until you’re a teenager. We love you and want you to cooperate is that understood?” Nick tickled little Nicky’s belly and got a drool filled smile. Kathy unhooked her nursing bra hoping for success this time. Nick reached out and stroked her breast. Kathy closed her eyes and groaned.
“It’s been so long, baby,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear.
“I know I’ve just felt so…” he put his fingers to her lips.
“You don’t have to explain anything. But you’ve never been more beautiful or more sexy to me,” he said brushing his lips against hers.
He wasn’t like the others she had sensed that from the first time she’d looked into those dark, mysterious eyes. Kathy both hated and respected the violent side of Nick. Sometimes she felt his violent nature drew violence to him like sharks to blood. The malevolence seemed to be never ending. Even in this peaceful place it had touched him.
Kathy saw the look of love in his eyes for her and little Nicky and she felt sad she had wasted so much time ruled by her fear. She felt over whelming pride at being loved by this fierce, passionate man He had chosen her as lover and mate, to be the mother of his children. As she watched him with little Nicky she knew there would be more children. Nicky would be a big brother and guardian so much like his father. His strength and determination apparent at only hours old. He was his father’s son and because of that there would be battles to come.
Little Nicky’s arms began flailing and he let out a scream. “So this is how it’s gonna be.” Nick said shaking his head and smiling. “You’re up mom.” He handed the fussing baby over to Kathy and crossed his fingers. “Now the two of you just relax.” He stroked his son’s face as Kathy placed little Nicky to her breast.
Loud sucking noises came from Nicky and he stopped fussing. “I think it’s working.” Kathy said excitedly.
Nick smiled and shook his head. “I think we’re going to have our hands full with him. I think this was from that time on my desk when I was working late and you showed up wearing nothing but that coat,” Nick said gently rubbing his sleeping son’s belly.
She shot him an angry look. “You didn’t tell anyone about that did you?”
Nick cleared his throat and remained silent.
“Oh my God, they must think I’m the town whore,” she whispered so not to wake Nicky.
“No, baby they think I’m the luckiest man alive.”
“Men,” she said shaking her head in disgust.
“Just remember you’re out numbered now two to one and I think we need a pontoon.”
“I draw the line at a pontoon you can get a bigger boat. You’re getting into this Minnesota thing way too much. And don’t even think about hunting.”
“That’s my girl.” He loved it when she told him what to do. And right now he was so in love with her he’d jump off the roof if she told him to.
“Always, Nick.” She touched his face and kissed him. “I think this is the most perfect moment,” Kathy said wiping tears from her cheeks.
“I think we’ve earned it.” He rested his head on hers. “It is perfect isn’t it. Like it was always meant to be.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let him out of my sight not even when he’s thirty.”
“I know baby. I know,” He smiled down at their sleeping son.
They’d come so close to losing each other last year to death and to other people. There were no questions, no recriminations they both had strayed and it would either destroy them or bring them closer. They had survived it all with a stronger bond, one no one could sever and now there was little Nicky. Nick wasn’t a man to walk away from his child. Even through the one night stand with her ex or her dalliance with Ben he never questioned or doubted that the child she carried was his and she respected him for that. They had survived their brief affairs with others to create something so remarkable.