Wicked Things We Crave

Epilogue

"They're on their way!" Astrid called out as she set her cell phone down on the kitchen counter. "Are you sure we have everything we need?"

Jonah walked into the room and tugged her into a hug, a half-smile on his handsome face. "We have everything and then some, sweetheart. Dresser's full, closet's full, toy box is overflowing. The bed has new sheets, our bedroom door lock is installed in case we're feeling a little frisky, and her bathroom is fully stocked."

Astrid had this churning in her stomach all day, like she was missing something, yet everything from the list had been checked off and looked over twice just to make certain. Maybe the churning was from knowing that today she'd become a mother after being on the adoption list for over a year. Had they been going for a baby, who knows how long they would have waited. 

But neither of them wanted a baby. Not only did it look absolutely exhausting, but with Jonah turning forty-seven tomorrow, they decided to nope right out of dealing with a toddler. That, and children over five had a more difficult time finding a home, and Astrid wanted a child who needed them. 

"Can you believe they agreed to give a kid to two sexual deviants?" Jonah joked.

Astrid shook her head, a smile peering through her otherwise serious expression. "Hardly deviants. Just... interesting?" If that was the right word for it. 

After five years together and three and a half years of marriage, she expected some sort of fizzle. But Astrid still had butterflies every time he looked at her in that way she'd learned so well. when the sweet-hearted husband faded off into the background, and the semi-dominant one took his place. 

"Speaking of interesting, your dad knows not to come until tomorrow and to leave his drama back home, right?"

"Yes," Astrid reassured him. "He promised to behave and to give her a day to settle in."

Her father had been good for a while, up until Jonah proposed three months after they moved in together. Then Jonah was back on his shit list up until the wedding, then they were fine again for a while longer until Astrid forgot to hide the handcuffs. That was a year ago, and every time they'd seen each other since, things were extremely uncomfortable. 

"And Rachel isn't coming until next month, right?" Jonah asked, finally releasing her from the hug Astrid immediately missed. 

She gave a single nod of the head before sitting down on one of the kitchen stools. "If she shows up at all. It's easier being a grandparent than a parent, so maybe she'll be on board. I guess it's just a wait and see," Astrid told him. "But I laid down the ground rules. Either she's in Sarah's life, or she keeps her distance. I'm fine with the way things are between us, but a little girl has expectations in life, and I don't want Rachel letting her down."

Astrid and her mother would never have a mother/daughter relationship, but Rachel had been trying over the last few years. Ever since her breast cancer diagnosis, Rachel had an awakening of sorts. Astrid was guarded, and remained guarded to this day. But even after being declared cancer-free last year, her mother still seemed to care. Friendly terms was the best Astrid could do.

"Well, she seems to have warmed up to being a step-parent, so I'm sure things will be fine. If not, she just gets cut off permanently, which I'm not at all opposed to."

A fist landed on the door and Astrid nearly jumped out of her skin. "Shit. It can't be that time already. What if she doesn't like us? What if we suck at being parents?"

Jonah rubbed her arms and gave her a warm smile. "She's already met us half a dozen times. I promise you that she at least doesn't hate us. And if we end up sucking as parents, we'll just give her away online. No harm, no foul."

Although Astrid glared, a smile forced its way out. "This adoption cost us too damn much to give her away for free. I at least want half of our money back."

"Deal," Jonah agreed. "But if you're half as good at being a mother as you are a wife, we're going to be just fine."

Astrid placed a kiss on her husband's lips, wishing she could take her time with it. "I'm crazy in love with you. Did you know that?"

"I did," Jonah told her, still smiling. "And to think, you were going to bail on us after that first night."

She remembered that night as if it were yesterday. That dark look in his eyes, the way he held her when they danced, the way he kissed her under the stars surrounded by people. She remembered seeing him in her apartment after she fled the bar, his quiet nature, and the way he took over her body like he knew exactly how to touch her. Like he'd already been well versed in everything she wanted. 

The relationship between he and her father was destroyed because of them, which still broke her heart, but things had all worked themselves out with time. For the most part. 

Another round of knocks, and Astrid realized they couldn't put it off any longer. "Ready to be a father?"

"I've been ready for a long time," Jonah told her. "I just had to find the right woman. Who woulda thought she'd already been there for more than half my life?"

And who would have thought Astrid would find the love of her life with the man who'd shared so many titles in her life? Her father would never let go of the title he bestowed on Jonah, but more than anything, Astrid fell in love with her best friend. 

Author's Final Notes:

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