“I always want to go there,” he growled with his hand cupping her ass.
“Gage,” she whimpered, pressing her ass back into his hand for even more attention. “I love you.”
“God, I exist for you, Hope.” Gage crushed his mouth to hers, biting on her bottom lip. The softness of her plump lips always drove him insane. He arched up onto his knees, thrusting his fingers into her hair.
The sound of their son cooing stopped the passionate moment, and they returned to playing with their little boy. For an hour, they gave him his tummy time, helping him strengthen his already large body. Gage’s mother informed them that he had been a big baby as well, so little Ethan was taking after his daddy. “He has everything from you. If I didn’t give birth to him, I wouldn’t know I had anything to do with making him.”
“And I’m sure any little girl we have will look just like you—stunningly beautiful.”
“Thank you, my sweet husband.” She rested her head on his shoulder as they watched their baby try to crawl. He’d get one leg up and then one hand on one side and accidentally roll over onto his back. He could flip himself onto his tummy again, and he did it after two tries.
“He’s going to…” Hope yawned “…be crawling soon.”
“He will be for sure. Then he’ll run amok just in time for our other little one to arrive.” Gage brushed her hair away from her face and could see the fatigue in her eyes. “Baby, if you’re tired, you can lie down.”
“No, I don’t want to miss any time with you two. If it wasn’t for the attack, you’d be working with the guys.”
“I’m sorry. I know I work a lot, but as soon as I find enough hands, I’ll take a step back.”
“You don’t work too much. I’m just greedy. It’s never enough time alone with you.”
“Damn, I fucking love you.” He stole another kiss before taking their son and setting him in his bouncer with the hanging toys. The baby giggled with each bounce before yawning.
Not a moment passed before a wail and a pungent smell set Gage on his feet to change his little boy. After a fresh diaper and a bottle, he set the baby down for a nap. When he finally came out, he found his wife asleep on the floor. He scooped her up despite the soreness in his muscles and carried her to bed.
“My hero,” she whispered.
“Always.” He sat her down on the bed and then took off her bra while she rested her forehead on his chest. Once he got her down to her T-shirt and panties, he tucked his beautiful, sleepy wife into bed and then went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. After making it, he walked into his office and went about contacting his friends who’d set up the surveillance system. He needed more protection for his family.
“Hey, Sean. This is Gage Gibson.”
“Hey, what’s up, man?”
“Did you catch the news?”
“Not in the past two days. It’s been one hell of a shit storm around the office.”
“One of my bulls was killed and one of the cameras shot down. I don’t know what happened exactly, but I’m going to need more of your services.”
“What the fuck?”
“I’m sure this is just the beginning. Hope is getting further along in her pregnancy, and I have to work on the ranch full time, especially with all the damn problems that keep popping up.”
“I have a couple of guys without a detail assignment. Do you want me to send them over on a temporary basis?”
“Do you trust them?”
“I only hire those I can trust.”
“Good. Send me two if you can spare them. I don’t want them doing anything other than guarding my family.”
“I’ll have them out first thing in the morning.”
“Great.” Gage ended the call and then sent a text to Bill to meet him with the six ranch hands for a staff meeting in his garage. He would have called it in the barn or the bunkhouse, but he didn’t want to be that far away from Hope.
They leaned up against the wall in a relaxed pose. “Dalton, James, Chris, Hugh, Joe, and Jack, I can’t thank you boys enough for stepping up to the plate and making sure everything runs smoothly. I know many would have cut and run when shit got real, but you all stayed and made me proud.
“Here’s the thing, fellas. I’m grateful for all that you’ve done to keep the ranch going while I was out. We’re going to need more of that. I want the same independent initiative that you all have shown, but I’m not sure where the danger’s coming from. So if any of you feel the need to bow out, I’ll understand.”