Sky’s P. O. V.
A Few Years Later
“Sky…” I wake up in the morning as Zoe shakes me.
“What happened?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.
“Zeke is missing.” She tells me, her voice filled with concerns.
I completely wake up, listening to her words. “What? How can he disappear like this?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Let’s find him.”
We both hurriedly climb down the bed to find Zeke, our six-month-old son who keeps getting in trouble like her Mommy.
“Zeke…” Calling out for him, first, we check the bathroom, but it’s empty. Then we head to the walk-in closet.
As we enter, we find Zeke sitting in one of Zoe’s open drawers. A triumphant grin stretches across his tiny face, a pink lace bra perched on his head like a crown, while the rest of her undergarments are scattered across the floor.
God! He’s an unbelievably naughty kid.
“Zeke!” Zoe exclaims, irritated. “What did you do?”
He responds by giving us the naughtiest little smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
I can’t stop myself-I burst out laughing. He looks so adorable. Who can say he’s just six months old? He’s already this naughty. As soon as he wakes up, the trouble starts.
Zoe glares at me, though her lips twitch as if she’s fighting a smile. “Stop laughing, Sky. Your son don’t let me rest for even a single second.”
Shaking my head, I walk over and scoop him up into my arms. “Troublemaker,” I scold him in a playful tone, “Why do you bother your mama so much?”
Zeke, still full of energy, leans forward and starts sucking on my cheek with his toothless mouth.
“Little boy,” I chuckle, “my cheeks aren’t your mommy’s chest.”
Zoe lets out a laugh, shaking her head at the scene. “Let me nurse this hungry baby before he gets angry. He’ll bring an earthquake if that happens.”
“Yeah right, feed him.” I immediately hand him over to her.
As we walk outside, he sucks on Zoe’s cheeks, making her laugh. “Mama is just feeding you, hungry boy. Have some patience.”
As she sits on the bed and opens her shirt to nurse, Zeke attacks her nipple hungrily.
I sit beside them, watching the two of them, my heart full of love. This is my life, my world. My Trouble and my little troublemaker. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’ll never take a second of this for granted.
Although my entire time goes into pulling them out of trouble, I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
Zoe catches me staring and smiles. “What?”
“Nothing,” I reply, leaning in to kiss her forehead. “Just… I love you.”
She grins. “We love you too, don’t we, Zeke?”
Zeke pauses for a moment and lets out a tiny coo. I laugh, pulling them both into my arms. This is all I’ll ever need.
After Zoe finishes nursing Zeke, she asks, cradling our wriggling little troublemaker in her arms. “Bath time?”
I nod with a grin. “Bath time.”
Zeke lets out a delighted squeal as I pick him up and walk towards the bathroom, his little legs kicking in excitement. He already knows what’s coming. Every day, the bathtub is like his personal playground. He splashes water all over the bathroom.
As Zoe steps inside, I give Zeke to her and start filling the tub with warm water. Zeke claps his tiny hands, already eager to jump in. Zoe chuckles as she undresses him, planting a quick kiss on his chubby cheek before handing him to me.
As soon as his little body touches the water, Zeke bursts into giggles, splashing wildly with his hands and feet. Droplets fly everywhere, soaking our clothes.
“Zeke, calm down.” Zoe laughs, trying in vain to shield herself.
“Troublemaker,” I tease, sitting on the edge of the tub and splashing him back lightly. “You’re going to flood the bathroom one of these days.”
He responds with a high-pitched squeal, his little hands grabbing at the bubbles forming in the water.
Zoe climbs in behind him, settling into the tub. “Come on, Sky. Join us.”
“Of course.” I shrug off my shirt and climb in, sitting on the other side of Zeke. He’s now surrounded by both of us, his laughter echoing in the bathroom. It’s music to our ears.
These moments-filled with laughter, warmth, and love-are the ones I’ll treasure forever.
As I lean back in the tub, watching Zoe play with Zeke, I think back to the day I finally put my father behind bars. It wasn’t easy. Taking down a man as powerful as him required every bit of courage, strategy, and strength I had. But when I saw Zoe’s face-free of fear for the first time in years-I knew it was all worth it.
That same day, I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed her to know that she was my everything and that I’d spend the rest of my life making her and our future family feel safe and loved.
I’ll never forget the way her eyes lit up, the tears streaming down her face as she nodded and said yes.
Zeke splashes water at Zoe, making her laugh, and my smile grew wider.
Zoe glances at me, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “What are you thinking about, Mr perfect?”
“Just how lucky I am.” I move closer and brush a strand of wet hair from her face. “You and Zeke-you’re my everything.”
She smiles and leans forward to kiss me. “And you’re ours.”
Zeke babbles something, splashing harder as if trying to steal the attention back. We both laugh, pulling him into a hug between us, causing him to giggle.
I close my eyes for a moment, letting the sound of their laughter fill my heart. This is my life now-a life of love, laughter, and family. And I’ll do whatever it takes to protect it.
I continue to take the bath with my little boy while Zoe steps out and goes out with the bathrobe.
She returns, wearing the bathrobe. “Bathing time is over, Zeke. Mama will dress you up.” As she takes him out, he cries out because he doesn’t want to leave the water yet.
Zoe sighs, holding him close and rocking him gently. “Oh, come on, little troublemaker. You can’t live in the bathtub, you know.” She kisses his damp forehead. “Mama will dress you up and make you look handsome like Daddy.” She glances at me with a smile on her face.
Zeke’s cries soften into little whimpers as Zoe wraps him in a fluffy towel, drying him off with care. His chubby cheeks are rosy after the bath. I step out of the tub, grabbing another towel for myself. “He’s already handsome like his daddy, trouble.”
Zeke looks at me with his big blue eyes full of mischief.
Zoe grins at me, cradling him close after making him wear the bathrobe on which his name is written. “And he’s cute like his Mama.”
“No doubt.” I peck on their cheeks.
After coming outside, as I get dressed, Zeke’s babbles fill the room as Zoe starts dressing him in a tiny onesie with little bear ears. She clicks photos of him.
“Sky, come. Let’s take family photos.”
“First, get ready, Trouble. You’re turning me on.” I point at the open bathrobe which is exposing her body.
“Shit! I completely forget about it.” She slightly hit her forehead, making me chuckle.
As she stands up, I pull her closer to me by her waist before kissing her hard. We pull apart, listening to Zeke’s cries.
Damn! Our baby is possessive like me. He hates it when their parents give each other attention instead of him.
“Just handle him. I’ll be right back.” Zoe rushes to the walk-in closet to get ready while I pick up Zeke to soothe him.
***
I paint, standing in front of the canvas in the garden of our home. It’s a painting of Zoe sitting on the mat with Zeke in her lap, the sunlight kissing their faces as they laugh together.
A few feet away, Zoe is playing with Zeke, lifting him into the air and nuzzling his little belly. His laughter fills the garden. It’s so peaceful.
“Sky…” Zoe calls out after a while. “Looks like someone wants his daddy now!”
I glance over as Zeke starts to fuss, holding out his tiny arms toward me. Zoe stands, cradling him, and walks over. As soon as he sees me, his face lights up, and he claps his hands excitedly.
“Hey, buddy.” I set my brush aside and take him from her arms. His little hands immediately grab at my face.
But then his attention shifts to the canvas. His eyes widen, and he lets out an excited babble, pointing at the painting.
“You like it, don’t you?” I ask, smiling.
Zoe steps closer, her eyes moving over the painting. “Sky… it’s beautiful. I’ll say again, I’m so lucky to have such a talented husband.”
I shrug, grinning. “It’s easy when I have the most perfect inspiration.”
She laughs and leans in to kiss my cheek. “Thank you for always making us feel so special.”
“Thank you for making my life complete, Trouble.” I capture her lips in a soft kiss, feeling so grateful.
We pull apart when we hear Zeke’s giggle. We look down to see streaks of red and blue smudged across his face. In his hands, he’s clutching two of my paintbrushes like trophies.
“Zeke!” I shout, unable to stop the laugh that escapes me. “When did you-”
Zoe bursts out laughing. “Sky, he must’ve grabbed them while you were busy kissing me.”
I shake my head in disbelief, taking the brushes from his tiny grip. “You’re unbelievable, kid. You really are.”
Zeke giggles again, clearly proud of himself, while Zoe gently wipes the paint from his cheeks with the corner of her scarf.
“Looks like he is getting ready to become an artist like his daddy.” She kisses his forehead.
I smile, holding both of them close. “I can’t wait to see him becoming that.”
Zoe rests her head on my shoulder. “Me too…”
I place a kiss on her hair. Zeke wiggles in my arms, reaching out toward the painting again, his tiny hands still eager to create more chaos. Zoe and I exchange a look, both of us laughing at our little troublemaker.
This is my life-messy, colourful, and absolutely perfect. And I wouldn’t change a single thing.