Page 90 of Rogue’s Reckoning

There’s still not been any word on Ivy or her whereabouts. My parents called once when they found out I was back in Boston. Mom’s bullshit started the moment I answered the phone and she demanded to know where her daughter was. I still have no idea why she’d believe I’d know where the hell Ivy is. But she didn’t want to hear that and began calling me a disappointment and a failure.

Ezra heard her and took the cell from me, and he let Mom know that she wouldn’t be calling me again; that if he ever found out she tried to get in contact, he’d make her life hell. He ended the call, and thankfully, I think that’s the last of my family we’ll hear from.

It doesn’t matter. Family doesn’t always mean blood. It’s the ones who find you that mean the most. We build our own, and I have the best family in the world.

Hands slidearound my waist the moment I walk into the kitchen after putting Wren to bed. “Tell me,” Ezra says thickly.

This home is gorgeous. Ezra surprised me with it a month ago. He wanted us to have a place we could live in and be together. My house was on the smaller side, and as Wren’s getting bigger, not to mention having Ezra with us, it madethe home we had feel small. But I’m loving our new home. It’s spacious, giving us the room we need as our family grows.

“Tell you what?” I ask, spinning in his arms and looking up at him.

Ezra's eyes search mine intently. "Something's been on your mind, Little Flower. I can tell. What is it?"

I bite my lip, suddenly feeling nervous despite my excitement. "Well..." I start, then pause, taking a deep breath. "I have some news."

Ezra's brow furrows slightly in concern. "Is everything okay?"

I nod quickly, a smile spreading across my face. "Everything's wonderful, actually. Ezra, I'm... I'm pregnant."

For a moment, Ezra just stares at me, his eyes wide with shock. Then a grin breaks out across his face, so big it looks like it might split his cheeks.

"Really?" he asks, his voice filled with awe. "We're having another baby?"

I nod, happy tears welling up in my eyes. "Yeah, we are."

With a whoop of joy, Ezra lifts me off my feet, spinning me around the kitchen. I can't help but laugh, clinging to his shoulders.

"God, I love you," he says when he sets me down, cupping my face in his hands. "You've made me the happiest man alive, you know that?"

I lean into his touch, my heart swelling with love. "You've made me pretty happy too," I tell him softly.

Ezra drops to his knees then, pressing a gentle kiss to my still-flat stomach. "Hey there, little one," he murmurs. "I'm your daddy, and I can't wait to meet you."

Tears spill over as I watch him, overwhelmed by the love I feel for this man and our growing family. Ezra stands, pulling me into a tender kiss.

"Thank you," he whispers against my lips. "For giving me everything I never knew I wanted. For being my redemption."

I wrap my arms around his neck, holding him close. "Thank you for loving me," I whisper back. "For loving us."

I stand in his arms, knowing that this time, our lives are going to be so different than when I had Wren. Ezra isn’t the man he was almost six years ago. He’s changed so much. He’s a man I’m proud of. He’s the man that I love so very much.