“The wedding is about to start.” When he opened the door, we found Willow standing on the other side with her arms crossed. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to walk down the aisle?” he joked.

“In a minute… Is everything cool?” she grilled with her threatening glare on Keiran. He snorted and ignored her to wrap his arm around my waist and he pulled me in front of him. They had grown closer and by closer, I meant they agreed they were each equally important to me. Willow still tried to assert dominance over him, though, and Keiran still found it amusing.

“We’re going to have a baby.”

KEIRAN

NINE YEARS LATER

“Phee. What is this?” I held up my favorite ball with flower stickers all over the surface. I almost wept when I saw it. Keenan and Dash gave me shit the entire practice after I’d pulled out my ‘pretty ball.’ A few years ago I took over coaching the boys high school basketball team with the help of Keenan and Dash during Saturday morning practice.

“What do you mean, daddy?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean?”

“I mean,” she emphasized, “what do you mean?”

“Phee.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and prayed for patience. The little shit maintained a serious expression even though I was sure she was fucking with me. The universe cursed me the day he gave her my personality and her mother’s looks. Maybe it was payback for the shit I gave as a kid.

At only seven years old, she was a fucking nightmare.

“Daddy, I just wanted to make it better. Don’t you like it?”

“No.”

“Well, I like it,” she stated and walked past me, silently ending the conversation. I spun in time to see her and her evil pigtails leave her room.

Oh, hell no.

“Sophia!” I roared, following behind her. She must have run off because the hall was empty.

Somewhere near, I heard a sigh and the patient voice of my wife asking Phee what she’d done now. I followed the sound of their voices and found them in our bedroom. Lake was in bed where I left her this morning as she breastfed Nicky. He was only four weeks old and ate more than three grown men. I wasn’t complaining, though. Each time I watched her feed him, it only made me want to breed her again.

One more.

And then I promised her I’d quit.

I eyed Phee faking fear and attempting to hide against her mother’s side. Despite how crazy she made me, I wanted another princess. Maybe one gentle like her mother. This one was all me. I’d never say it out loud, and fuck whoever disapproved, but she was my favorite. I’d just never tell her so.

Or make any of my other kids feel inferior.

It wasn’t about that.

I’d die for any of them.

“Dad?”

My attention shifted to the door where my oldest looked as if he’d just woken up. It was almost fucking noon and he got to sleep in. I couldn’t even sleep past six anymore even on weekends.

“Trey! Daddy’s being mean again.” She left Lake and ran straight into Trey’s arms, knowing her older brother would put up the biggest fight. Lake and I had an agreement that we didn’t disagree in front of the kids ever. It never stopped her claws from coming out behind closed doors. They had her wrapped her finger.

Trey eyed me and I eyed him back. I could see his internal struggle because while I told him to protect her from all assholes, including me, it didn’t mean I would tolerate being challenged. He finally smirked but remained silent and tucked Phee behind him, and I nodded my approval.

“Trey, why don’t you take Sophia outside? She’s getting restless,” my wife dictated.

“Get your swimsuits on first!” I called out when he left. He didn’t shut the door behind him so I knew he heard me even though a response didn’t follow. He had inherited my personality as well, unfortunately.

“Why are they getting their swimsuits?”

“We’re having a barbecue. Q’s in town.”

“What’s the occasion?”

I shrugged and walked closer. Nicky had just finished his meal, which left her breast exposed. She lifted him to her other shoulder and began to burp him so as I stood over them, I ran my finger over her pink nipple.

“I want another.”

“We just had one,” she grumbled. I tried not to laugh but failed. It was funny how the tables have turned. I was the one against reproducing, but now I just couldn’t fucking stop. Lake found and brought out the good in me… and also, my apparent fetish for breeding her.