“Don’t fight him, Kensi,” her dad pipes up. “Let the man spoil you. You deserve nothing less,” he tells her.

“See, let me spoil you. You have to listen to your father.” I wink at her.

“Since when are you two so chummy?” she pouts.

Leaning down, I place a chaste kiss on her lips. “Since you are the most important person in our world. We both love you; that alone is enough to bring us together,” I tell her.

“He reminds me of me at that age. I loved your mother and would stop at nothing to have her.” Her dad gives her a sad smile.

“Live life, Kensi. Love hard and enjoy every second.” His voice cracks.

“I love you, Dad.” Her voice is thick with the tears she’s fighting.

I sit on the edge of the bed and wrap my arms around her. She places her hand over mine. “Thank you,” she concedes.

Finally! “Never thank me for loving you, for taking care of you. It’s what I do.” I wink at her, trying to change the mood and dry up her tears.

“Now I just need to convince you to never leave,” I whisper in her ear. Her mouth drops open in surprise. I lift her chin to close it and kiss her softly on the lips. “We’re a family now, Kensi. The three of us.” I settle back against the bed and allow her to lean on me. This is where I’m supposed to be.

I WAS RELEASED from the hospital and Max brought me straight to his place. I’ve been here ever since. Nicole had already packed a few of my things and dropped them off. She and Bright have been staying at the apartment. Maxton keeps dropping hints that it’s the perfect switch. Not that I would tell him, but I agree. This time with him has been incredible. He’s sweet Maxton tenfold.

Rolling over, I look at the alarm clock. It’s one in the morning. Today is the anniversary of the day I lost my mother. I’ve been tossing and turning for hours, two, to be exact. I had to wait for Max to be in a deep sleep before I could wiggle out of his arms. He grumbled but released me. Afraid I’m going to wake him with my restlessness, I climb out of bed and head for the couch.

Curling up in the oversized chair with the throw he bought me, I let the tears fall. I tried to be strong, tried to hold it in. I’m glad he’s sleeping, not watching me fall apart. He worries about me, about the baby. He’s barely let me move a muscle this week. I’m fine; it was only a panic attack, but he doesn’t seem to care. He still babies me.

“Kensi.” His thick sleep-laced voice breaks through the sound of my tears. Striding toward me, he scoops me up in his arms and sits in the chair, holding me in his lap. Kissing my forehead, he says, “I got you, baby.”

The dam breaks and I let go of the pain. Even though I didn’t want him to see it, I’m where I need to be, in his arms. Maxton is able to soothe me with just a touch of his hand. He brings a peace over me that I’ve never felt. My heart breaks for the loss of my mother, but soars for the love of this man.

“His eyes are what I remember the most. They were dark, full of hatred and glaring at me. He kept telling me he was going to give me what I deserved. I can remember him yelling at me. He said I turned Justin against him. He said I had to pay the price.” A sob breaks free and I bury my face in his chest. His arms hold me like a vise, never wavering, letting me know he’s there. “He hit me across the face. I tried to fight him; I tried to break free, but the knife. He cut me.” Sitting up, I reach over to the end table and grab a handful of tissues from the box. “I can remember all of that, but not her. I remember hearing her voice, her begging him to leave me alone, and then nothing. Fade to black. My next memory is waking up in my hospital bed with my father at my side. I knew it was bad from the look on his face.”

Running his warm hands under my shirt, he gently strokes my back, trying to soothe me. “I just keep thinking if I would have fought harder, maybe I could have helped her. If I could have just stayed awake a little longer, I could have screamed for help, and she could still be alive.” I barely get the last words out before another round of sobs wrack my body.

“No, baby. It’s not your fault. You were trapped; you couldn’t save her. Don’t think like that,” he says, tugging me closer to his chest. I let him hold me while the tears fall. Not saying a word, he lets me work through the pain.

“I just feel guilty. She died protecting me, Maxton.”

“I know that,” he says softly, “and I understand why she did it.” He places his hand over my belly. “Peanut isn’t even here yet and I can tell you with everything in me that I would do the same thing for you and for our baby.”

I take in his words. I love this baby, too. So much, and for the first time, I think I understand why she did it, how she could put her life in danger for me. I knew she loved me. I just wasn’t able to understand a parent’s love, a mother’s love, until now.

“How do you think she would feel knowing you feel that way?” he questions. He studies me while I let his words bounce around and settle in. “Exactly,” he says. My expression must say it all.

“I just miss her so much. I wish she could have met you. I wish she was here to calm my fears about motherhood. I just wish she was here.”

“Kensi, baby, I know you miss her. I’m sorry she’s not here, but I know what kind of woman she was.”

I look up at him with a bewildered expression. “She raised you. You are a part of her, and she’s a big part of who you are. You will love our baby just like she loved you. You’ll start traditions; the same ones you shared with your mom. I’ll do the same. Dad used to take me fishing; I loved it when I was a kid,” he says wistfully.

Placing his hand over my heart, he says, “She’s here. Every day she’s here and we will make sure our baby knows both of them. Your dad is here; he’s going to spoil this baby rotten.” He smirks.

“Your mom?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “It’s been years; I want nothing to do with her. I sure as hell don’t want her anywhere near you or our baby. You’re my family, Kensi.”

“I love you, Maxton Cooper,” I say before pressing my lips to his.

IT’S BEEN FOUR weeks today. An entire month has passed since I found out we were having a baby. As each day passes, the more excited I become. It’s amazing how something you thought you never wanted is the one thing that makes you feel complete.

Two weeks after she was released from the hospital, I asked her to marry me. She said yes and our lives have been a whirlwind of changes. Nicole and Bright decided that moving in together was the next step for them. With Kensington moving into the house, it was an easy trade. Bright and Nicole are going to live in their apartment. Kens and I are building our life here, in the place my father worked his ass off for, in the house my mother never took the effort to make into a home.

We started moving her in that very day. I was more than ready to start our life together. I love coming home to her, having every aspect of our lives intertwined. I’ve even promoted one of the guys at the bar to be a shift leader. I plan to be able to spend my days there and my nights here, with my family.

“Kens, we need to be going, babe!” I yell down the hall. Today is her first OB appointment, and I don’t want to be late. She’s eight weeks, and from what she’s told me, we might be able to hear the heartbeat today. I’m still in awe of the fact that there is a part of me growing inside of her. We can’t see the evidence of her pregnancy yet, and I cannot wait for the day we can.

“Hold your horses,” she says, laughing as she grabs her coat from the closet. “We have forty minutes and it only takes fifteen to get there.”