Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 160(@200wpm)___ 128(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
"Holy shit," I whisper.
"Holy cow," Snow breathes.
We glance at each other and then down at the dog and then back at each other.
A shit-eating grin spreads across my face. "What should I do?" I ask her, not sure if I should leave him the fuck alone or try to pet him or pray or say thanks. "Pet him? I should pet him, right?"
"Yes!" she cries through laughter.
I lift my hand, reaching for him.
His little body vibrates as he growls a warning.
I quickly snatch my hand back. "Nope. Never mind. We're good just like this."
Peals of happy laughter ring out from Snow, wiping away every shadow on my soul. I watch her in awe, stunned that she's mine. Grateful that she's mine. Overjoyed that she's mine.
Fuck. She's mine.
Dizzy and Rosy hop up on the bed with us, claiming their own spots. Shaman comes to investigate before he grunts and climbs up too. He flops down with a grunt at the foot of the bed. Snow laughs quietly and fishes Rabbit out from under the bed, piling her up on the bed with us. And then Quack. He runs in circles before snuggling up on my pillow.
"Sloth, come up here," Snow calls, patting the bed.
Sloth's ear twitches, but he doesn't move from in front of the fireplace.
"Forget it, Magic. That dog isn't moving."
"He's a lazy bones," she agrees, curling up on her side again to snuggle with Dizzy and Rabbit. She laughs quietly. "I think we're going to need a bigger bed, Dimitri."
"Uh, no. They're not all sleeping with us, Snow."
She pouts at me.
"They have their own beds."
"Fine, but only if we can have family snuggle dates in bed. This is kind of nice."
I smile, willing to give her anything except seven dogs in the bed when I want to fuck her at every available opportunity. I don't see that changing anytime soon. Not when I'm so madly in love with her I can't breathe.
"We can have all the snuggle dates you want," I promise.
Her eyes light up, and my whole fucking world follows suit.
Epilogue
Snow
"Mommy?"
"What is it, baby girl?" I murmur, fighting a smile as our daughter thinks up a reason to keep me in her room for just a little bit longer. She does the same thing every night, asking question after question to delay bedtime for just a while longer.
Dimitri and I are both onto her game, but it's so cute I can't help but play along. She's just like her daddy.
"How come you and daddy don't hab a mommy and daddy?" she asks, her blue eyes solemn.
"We do," I say, tapping her little nose. "But they're in heaven now."
"Oh." She thinks about that for a minute, stroking her tiny hand through Bear's fur. He rarely leaves her side. Since the day she was born, he's protected her as fiercely and as bravely as he once protected me. No one gets close to our daughter without Dimitri's permission. Not without answering to Bear.
It still surprises me how quickly he changed tunes about my husband once Ella was born. But he quickly decided they were on the same team when it came to her. They're both overprotective grumps. Ella adores both of them anyway.
"I bet Swoth is with them, mommy," she says.
Tears sting my eyes at the reminder that Sloth is no longer with us. We lost him last year. The old guy went peacefully, doing what he loved. Sleeping curled up in front of the fire. He was ready, as much as I wasn't. I miss him every day.
"I'm sure you're right," I whisper to Ella, running my fingers through her curls.
She giggles quietly. "He's probably still sleepin', mommy."
I smile, positive she's right about that. If he is with my parents or Dimitri's, he's definitely curled up somewhere cozy, napping his eternal life away. And loving every minute of it.
"You know who should be sleeping?" I say, leaning down to press a kiss to Ella's forehead. "You, little ma'am. You can ask all of your questions tomorrow."
Her bottom lip pokes out in an adorable pout. "But I'm not tired."
"Liar," I say, chuckling. She'll be asleep as soon as the lights are out...just like always. She fights it until she can't anymore, and then she's out for the count. "Sleep, baby girl. And dream happy dreams."
"Okay, mommy," she whispers. "Love you."
"I love you too."
I tuck the blanket around her, stroke her cheek, and then slip from the room, turning her light out on the way.
"Goodnight, Bear," she whispers in the dark.
I smile, my heart full as I slip into the nursery to check on her baby brother, only to find Dimitri in the rocking chair, Flynn sleeping on his bare chest.
My heart flutters at the sight. There's nothing sexier to me than this man when he's holding our babies. He's an incredible father, as fiercely protective of them as he's always been of me.