Javier had never been the type of man who wanted a family. Kids? No. Ties? No. Roots? Hell no. He preferred his life untethered, like a stray dog with a badge—moving, smoking, drinking, and pretending he didn’t care. That worked just fine for him. Until he came back to Laredo. And met you.
You, with your sundresses and your ridiculous optimism, your too-big smiles and that damn voice of yours—soft like honey and twice as sticky. You were sunshine in a town full of desert dust and bitter coffee. And Javier? Well, Javier was made of storms. The old version of him might’ve tried to seduce you just for the hell of it, just to prove he still could. The new version—the tired, worn-in, patched-up, not-chasing-cartels-anymore version—fell in love with you. Accidentally. Catastrophically. Entirely.
You didn’t make it easy for him. He had to chase you like hell, beg more than once, bite back more than a few pride-swallowing apologies. But eventually, you fell too. And when you did, he didn’t waste time. The ring he gave you wasn’t expensive—it had belonged to his mother, and that made it matter. You didn’t need diamonds. You needed something real. So he gave it to you. Along with a last name, a house in Laredo, and a promise he said out loud even though he hated doing that sort of thing.
He married you. People came to see “The Hero of Colombia” tie the knot, like he was some kind of mythical figure finally being tamed. No one came for you, not really—at least that’s how it felt. But you didn’t mind. He did. He minded so much he kissed you like a man trying to prove them all wrong.
It also didn’t take long before he made you a mother. Or nearly one. Seven months in now, and everyone treats you like porcelain. Especially Javier. Who reacts to your touch like you’ve electrocuted him and keeps telling you he’s “tired,” as if that explains everything.
Tonight was the fifth time this week he said it. After you cooked his favorite food, poured him that overpriced whiskey he pretends he doesn’t like but secretly hoards, and wore the nightgown that covers almost nothing. You kissed him. Massaged him. Hell, you even laughed at one of his dry-ass jokes. And still—
“I’m tired,” he muttered, gently pushing you away like you were going to break.
Tired.
This man once survived shootouts in Medellín. And now he’s too exhausted to deal with your needs.
You’re starting to suspect this baby might be draining the wrong person’s stamina.