Page 135 of Hade

She narrows her eyes. “For the record, your daughter didn’t want to paint with me because I told her she couldn’t paint on the dogs.”

I bite back a laugh. Why is it always “my daughter” when she does something naughty?

“Iris, we talked about this.” I try to catch her eye, but she’s busy staring at the ink on my chest. “Archie and PowPow are our family, and we don’t paint on our family.”

“We don’t paint on pets at all, family or not,” Riley chimes in, coming closer. She tugs on one of Iris’ braids. “Do you hear me?”

Cheeks puffy, our little girl looks from me to her mom and back again before she nods. “I love Achie and PowPow.”

“Then please remember they have feelings.” I brush my thumb over her cheek. “How about you draw a couple of pictures for your grannies? Then we’ll go swimming.”

Eyes alight, she frantically nods and wiggles in my arms. Placing a kiss to her forehead, I set her down and make sure she’s stable before I let her go. With another shriek, she races to the low table outside. In no time, she’s drawing, her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth.

“Thank you,” Riley whispers.

I pull her back against my chest, my hands on her belly. She’s only two months along, so I can’t feel the baby moving, but I close my eyes and recall the way it felt when she was carrying Iris.

“Mom and Wade will be here on Monday. Dad is flying with them too,” she tells me. “Your mom and dad are set to arrive on Wednesday. Hunter and Piper and the kids will be here on Friday, and my birthday is Saturday. What are we going to do with so many people in this house?”

“We’ll make it work.” I drop a kiss to her shoulder. “Just think about how many nannies you’ll have at once. Iris will always be busy.”

Melodic laughter bursts out of her, her body shaking against mine. “That’s a good point.”

Her birthday is next week. She thinks we’re keeping it simple—just our family and a few friends—but I’ve got something else planned. Ines and Santi will join us too, and Riley has no idea. She’s going to lose her mind when she sees them. My wife misses them as much as I do.

We sway from side to side, watching our daughter, listening to the waves lap against the shore. Lulled by the peacefulness of it all, my mind drifts to my studio, where I hid the flash drive containing the song I wrote on tour. Another song about her, her and our little girl, because they are my whole world.

“You’re too quiet.” She turns in my arms. “What are you hiding?”

I smirk. “You’re imagining things.”

With a shake of her head, she huffs a laugh. “You’re a terrible liar, Hayden.”

God, I love her.

I press my lips to hers and pull her in tighter. She kisses me back sweetly, her soft mouth molding to mine. The ocean roars, the seagulls scream somewhere in the sky, and a beachgoer laughs nearby, adding to the soundtrack of the moment. With her, every moment is perfect.

“Whatever you’re planning for my birthday,” she murmurs, smiling against my mouth, “don’t go overboard.”

“I make no promises, Ry baby.” I peck her nose. “You know I love spoiling you.”

She cuddles against my chest, and I soak in the feel of her, watching our daughter draw.

My little family. I would do absolutely anything for them. I can’t imagine my life without them.

They are my love song, the one I rewind the second it stops. The one I tweak every so often, adding new verses. The one I will never stop playing.