Keeping Her 18+ (Her Series book three)

Wilder

I sit at the table with my son in my lap while I watch my woman interact with my family like they've known each other their whole lives and I can't keep the smile off of my face.

We've all just finished eating breakfast and I hear the front door open, knowing River just arrived. Two seconds later he comes around the kitchen to where I can see him and gives me a subtle nod of his head, letting me know he finished packing up all of Alex and William's items from their apartment like I asked.

What Alex doesn't know yet, is that she no longer lives there. She now lives with me in my house, which is located on my family's property, where we will be going next. It's underhanded, I know, but I'm not holding back this time around.

"You must be Alex." River holds his hand out to her to shake. "I'm Wilder's older, more handsome brother, River." I roll my eyes with a smile on my face as she shakes his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, River." She says softly, but I don't miss the way she puts an emphasis on the word meet, making sure she doesn't mess it up again. I chuckle lightly and she shoots me a narrowed eye look, but I see her lips twitching.

River looks at me and from the look on his face, the look on all my family's faces, I can tell they're happy about the changes in my usually surly personality now that I have Alex back in my life and William. I don't think I've been this happy or smiled this much since the week Alex and I spent at the beach. I love it.

"And this must be William Wilder." River smiles at him while ruffling his hair. William smiles at him with bits of grits all over his chubby face.

"I think you're wearing more of your breakfast than you ate, little man." I smile down at Wiliam while taking a napkin to clean the grits off his face.

"Pie, daddy?" The breath stalls in my chest at him calling me daddy.

I look at Alex and see her giving me a soft look of understanding. I feel the tears in my eyes and I don't do anything to keep them from falling.

My son just called me daddy for the first time. Fuck, this feels good.

"I explained to him last night who you are to him." Alex looks down at her lap while her hands are clasped tightly together. Everyone has gone quiet and it feels as if the room has stopped breathing. "He's always known about you. He's young, so he only has a vague idea about what a father is, but I told him about you over the years. I told him who he was named after and what you were like." She smiles sadly down at William even though he's not paying attention to what's happening in the room right now. "I told him his daddy was busy making a watering hole so all the animals could find water." She brushes a tear away from her cheek where it had escaped. "It was a silly story but it made me feel a little closer to you."

I grab her hand with my free one and squeeze. Memories of the first time we met and she went on a nervous ramble about watering holes and dehydrated animals will forever be one of my favorite memories.

"You were actually right about that." I say, and she gives me a confused look. "I opened a bar here in town and named it The Watering Hole. The patrons aren't much different from animals either." I laugh at the shocked look on her face before leaning in and giving her a quick kiss. "I told you, Goldie. You've always been mine."

"Well, shit. I didn't know you had it in you, brother." Colt jests.

"Language." I scold him, making everyone's eyebrows shoot up. I can't blame them, out of all of us I'm the one with the dirtiest mouth.

The silence is broken by a loud cry when my newborn niece, Nash and Alice's daughter Olivia, starts wailing. Alice is trying to get her to take a bottle of the milk but she refuses to drink it.

"Sorry guys. I started pumping my milk into bottles so Nash can help out with feedings, but she refuses to latch onto it." Nash looks defeated as he stares down at his wife and daughter. I know he told us he wanted to start helping with feedings because Alice was having to get up every couple of hours to feed her and it was wearing her down. From the looks of it, it isn't going well.

"Can I see that?" Alex gently asks for the bottle.

"Sure." Alice hands it over and Alex inspects the tip of the nipple before standing up and going over to the sink like she's on a mission.

We all watch her as she has a singular focus while grabbing a small kitchen knife and poking the tip of the nipple with it. She nods to herself before coming back over and nodding down at Olivia. "Do you mind if I try something?"

"Anything." Alice says in exasperation as she hands Olivia right over to Alex's waiting arms.

Alex coos at Olivia while cradling her in her arms. She brings the nipple to Olivia's cheek, close to her mouth, and we watch as Olivia roots around for it until her little mouth finds it and latches right on, silencing the cries and closing her eyes as she drinks.

"How did you do that?" Alice asks as she looks up at my woman like she's a saint. Alex finally takes her eyes off the baby and blushes as she looks around and sees we're all watching her.

"The hole wasn't big enough in the nipple for her to get the amount of milk she's used to getting with each pull. I had the same issue with William when he was a baby." She looks back down at Olivia in her arms and smiles sadly. "I was only able to breastfeed for a couple of weeks because I had to go back to work, so he had to be switched to formula."

I squeeze William a little tighter in my arms and stare at my woman in amazement. I knew she was an amazing mother, but she's also a strong woman.

Watching her hold Olivia, seeing her mother William, fuck. It wakes something primal inside me, and now the image of her round with my baby won't leave my mind. I want that. I want that right fucking now.

"Thank you. God, thank you so much. You have no idea how much you've just helped." Alice gushes, making Alex turn even redder.

"It's nothing."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now maybe my wife can get some rest while I wake up in the middle of the night to feed Olivia." Nash kisses his wife's cheek with unshed tears in his eyes. My big brother has never been a softy, but he's damn near a marshmallow for his wife. I can see the gratefulness in his eyes when he thanks Alex for her help, knowing he's been feeling helpless while his wife struggles.

"Pie?" William looks at me with a confused look on his face, but I'm just as lost as he keeps asking about pie.

"He's gotten used to having a slice of pie at the diner every morning when he finishes his breakfast like a big boy." Alex reveals.

"We don't have pie, but we do have fresh baked cookies." Mia tells Alex.

"What about cookies, little man?" I ask him. He thinks about it hard for a minute like it's the most important decision of his life.

"Yes, pweese." He nods his head in an affirmative, making all of us laugh.

We all finish breakfast and soon everyone is clearing out to go about their day. The anticipation and excitement to show Alex her new home is riding me hard now. I know she's going to freak out, but she's just going to have to come to terms with the fact that I'm not letting her go anywhere.

It took hours last night getting William's room all set up in my house. I had no idea how much shit kids needed. It just made me realize how much Alex and William have gone without. That won't be an issue anymore, though.

I'm going to provide everything for them. A home, food, money, love, basically anything they could ever need or want. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Alex has been struggling on her own for years to take care of herself and our boy. I have a lot to make up for and it's time someone else took care of her. She deserves it, probably more than she knows. I'm going to spoil the shit out of them for the rest of our lives.