“I need you to always watch over her and protect her, baby boy. She needs you.”

I watched as Gus sat down, still wagging his tail. I was waiting for him to pick up his paw and slap it down on the baby, but he didn’t. He just sat there, staring at Alex. Then, he put his head on Ellie’s leg.

I looked over at my dad as he slowly let out the breath he’d been holding in. He glanced over at me and shrugged his shoulders. Son of a bitch was just as worried as I was.

Ellie looked up at me with that smile of hers. I smiled back before leaning down to kiss her.

“I told you he would be a good boy. He loves her already,” Ellie said, glancing down at Gus.

I walked over to the table by the front door and grabbed the PetSmart bag. As soon as I took out the rawhide bone, Gus got up and ran over to me. After I opened it and gave it to him, he ran through the dog door in the kitchen and headed outside.

“Easy-peasy!” my mother said as she began heading toward the kitchen. “Who wants lasagna?”

My dad walked up and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll make the salad.”

As they both went into the kitchen, I could hear them laughing and talking about how scared I’d been about Gus attacking Alex. Some parents they are.

I turned to look at Ellie as she started to softly sing to Alex. My heart burst from chest with so much love that I had to sit down slowly. I watched the both of them until my mother called us for dinner.

I sat down on the bed and stared at the bassinet holding the love of my life. As I felt Ellie crawling into bed, I saw something that shocked the shit out of me.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe it!” I said.

Ellie sat up. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Ells, look at your dog.” I pointed over to the bassinet.

Gus had walked up and peeked in at Alex before lying down near her.

“Aww…see, he loves her. I told him to protect her, and he’s taking his job seriously,” Ellie said, lying back down on the bed.

I looked over at her, and my mouth dropped open. Motherfucker. She had on a white silk nightgown, and I could see her nipples through the lace.

“Jesus, Ells, are you trying to kill me? You heard the doctor. No sex for six weeks,” I said, trying really hard not to jump on her.

She slid under the covers and smiled at me. God, how I love this girl.

“I’m sorry! It’s just…well, when I tried it on to see if it fit, it did, and I got excited. I want to feel sexy again, Gunner, and this makes me feel sexy,” she said as she rubbed her legs together.

“Good god, Ellie. You’re going to kill me. Do you know that? I’m not going to be able to wait six weeks, baby. I want you now.” I got under the covers and rolled over next to her.

“Touch me, Drew,” she whispered in my ear.

Fuck me. Where the hell do I touch her?

“Ellie…sweetheart.” I slipped my hand under her silk nightgown. I felt her body shiver as I moved my hand up and down the inside of her leg.

“Oh god, Gunner,” she said in between breaths.

She was breathing so hard I could barely stand it.

“Ells…I love you so much.”

I moved my hand up, taking her nightgown with it. She sat up a little as I slipped the gown over her head. I pulled the covers away from her, so I could see her entire body. She was perfect. No one would ever know that she had just had a baby. She was beautiful, and the stretch marks from being pregnant with Alex just turned me on even more. I needed to make her feel loved and wanted…at this very moment.

“Shit, Ellie...your body is so damn beautiful.” I traced one of the stretch marks with my finger.

She let out a moan that traveled through my whole body. If she were to touch me right now, I swore that I would come.

“I need to feel you up against me, Drew. Please…let me feel you.”

I flew out of bed quickly, and I almost tripped as I tried to take off my shorts. After I pulled my T-shirt over my head, I got back into bed. Pulling her toward me, I took her nipple in my mouth as I moved my hand down her stomach to between her legs and then into her panties. I knew she was still sore and bleeding, so I only touched her clit.

She jerked her hips and grabbed my dick. The moment she started moving her hand up and down, I knew I wouldn’t last.

“Gunner, I’m so close. Oh god, I’m so close.”

I leaned up and captured her lips with mine. As our tongues started moving together, she let out a long, soft moan. When I moved my thumb faster on her clit, she held me tighter in her hand.

I pulled away slightly from her lips. “Jesus, Ells. I’m gonna come, baby.”

And just like that, we both called out each other’s names at the same time.

There was nothing I enjoyed more than making my wife have an orgasm.

Her orgasm seemed to last forever. By the time she came back to me, her breathing was moving her chest up and down. I placed my hand there to feel her heartbeat.

She’s mine. This incredible woman who just gave me the greatest gift in the world…is mine. “I love you so damn much, Ellie.”

She smiled at me, and my world stopped. I’d do anything for that smile.

“Drew, I love you more than life itself. I’d be lost without you,” she whispered as she put her hand on my face.

Just then, Alex started moving around, barely letting out a cry.

“That’s my girl. She waits until Daddy gets his lovin’ before she wakes up!” I leaned down and kissed Ellie on the nose.

“And so it begins…the late-night feedings.” Ellie giggled.

I reached down and picked up her gown from the floor. After I helped her put it on, I slipped on my shorts and T-shirt, washed my hands, and then walked over to my little bear. Gus sat up and watched as I leaned down and picked up Alex. I moved to the changing table to change her while Ellie went to heat up a bottle.

I figured Gus would have followed Ellie because he never left her side, but he didn’t. He sat next me, watching my every move.

I lifted up Alex and walked into the kitchen with her in a full-blown screaming cry.

“Shit, I think she’s pissed ‘cause I changed her first!” I smiled at Ellie.

She was testing the milk on her arm with a frown I knew she was upset that Alex hadn’t taken to breastfeeding. Ellie had been looking forward to that. She had talked about it the whole time she was pregnant. When we had ended up having to bottle-feed, I thought Ellie was going to break down and cry. She was a trooper though, and she’d made a joke out of it, saying I had no excuses now to not get up in the middle of the night.

Alex was still crying, so I pulled out the little binky blue thing the hospital had given us. I put it in her mouth, and she sucked on it five times before she spit that bitch out. I swore that it flew halfway across the kitchen. I looked up at Ellie as she started laughing.

“Beautiful and smart!” Ellie said as she handed me the bottle.

When I put it up to little bear’s mouth, she went to town.

“Holy hell, this girl likes her milk!” I said as I followed Ellie into the living room.

I sat down on the sofa, and Ellie curled up next to me. Gus practically sat on my feet with his head on my legs, just watching my every move.

The next thing I knew, he slid down my legs and began snoring. My beautiful bride was sleeping next to me, and the most amazing little girl in the world was looking into my eyes while she ate.

“Life doesn’t get any better than this, baby girl.”

Then, I thought about Josh and Heather. We’d gotten a text from Amanda earlier, saying that Josh didn’t remember Heather…and something about him thinking he was still in college.

When Alex stopped drinking, I looked down at her, and she was just staring back at me. I smiled at her and said a prayer for Josh, hoping that someday, he would be looking down at his little girl while Heather slept peacefully next to him.