Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
She lifts her eyes and looks into mine. “I love you, Austin. I always have and I always will.”
Our lips meet, and I ravage her mouth, putting every emotion I’ve felt today into this one kiss. She tilts her head to the side, and I deepen the kiss, wanting to consume her. I could get lost in us until I hear Kennedy’s soft whimper.
Ally raises her head to look at me. Her lips are swollen, and her hair is mussed. She glances at the baby and then back at me. “I’m sorry. I should feed her.”
I nod. “Don’t ever apologize to me, Ally. We have forever. Have a seat. I’ll bring her to you.”
She sits down, and I go pick up Kennedy. Feelings erupt inside me as I hold Kennedy in my arms. With her and Ally in my life, I want to be a better man… the best man.
I kiss Kennedy’s head and then place her in her mom’s arms. She was waiting for her, and she holds her to her breast. Kennedy immediately latches on, and I sit and pull Ally against me. I don’t take lightly the fact that I have my whole heart in my arms.
Epilogue
Ally
I get home from the salon and rush through the door. I was hoping to get home before Kennedy went to sleep, but I know I didn’t make it.
After kicking my shoes off at the front door, I drop my purse on the kitchen counter and make my way up the stairs, practically sprinting to the nursery. But once I’m in the doorway, I stop in my tracks.
Austin is sitting in the rocking chair, holding a sleeping Kennedy against his bare chest. I could watch them together for hours. I have done just that plenty of times.
I lean into the doorway with my arms crossed over my chest.
Austin’s eyes slowly open, and he smiles at me. With a whisper, he says, “You’re home. I tried to keep her awake, but she wasn’t having it.”
I nod. “It’s okay. This is the only day I’m working this week. I’m okay,” I reassure him. Over and over, he’s told me he’d support me in whatever decision I made. He didn’t care if I never worked another day in my life, or if I chose to go back to my regular schedule, he would support me. The decision was mine. In the end, I knew I didn’t want to be away from Kennedy—or him—all the time, so I made the decision to only work one day a week. However, this time, that one day was literally all day.
I whisper to him, “How was it spending all day with a baby? Are YOU doing okay?”
He shrugs, and I have to admit he looks completely refreshed and happy. “I’m fine. My brothers all took turns coming today, so Kennedy and I have been pretty busy.” He looks at me sheepishly. “Plus, Natalie, Elle, and Isabella came by, so yeah, I pretty much just sat here all day.” He gestures to Kennedy in his arms. “And she, the little traitor, ate it up. I thought for sure she’d hate having my brothers or the girls holding her, but nooooo, she enjoyed every minute of it.”
I move into the room and sit on the arm of the chair. “You’re jealous.”
He shrugs. “Yeah, I am. But also, it feels good. This little girl has a lot of people that love her.”
I put my hand to my chest. “Yes, yes she does.”
Austin leans his head against me. “Also, just so you know, Natalie went into labor.”
I jump up from the arm of the chair and look at him. “What? Austin, we need to be there, right? We should go. Or you should go.”
He shakes his head and stands up from the chair. He kisses the top of Kennedy’s head before laying her in her crib. When he stands up, he reaches for me. “We should go, but I already told them that we’d be there tomorrow. When we get up, we’ll go.”
It doesn’t feel right. “Austin, your family is…”
He interrupts me. “My family is right here.”
I put my hand to his chest, letting his words breeze over me. It’s always amazing to me that he can just use his words to soothe me.
He wraps his hand around mine and threads our fingers together. I pull his hand into my lap and run my other finger along the back of his hand. “So, is this how you thought you’d be spending your Friday nights?”
He releases my hand and then brings his fingers up to my face. I tilt my head into his hands. “Are you asking me if I thought I’d be spending my Friday nights with my daughter against my chest? Or that I’d be waiting at home, counting down the minutes until my beautiful wife and best friend would come home and look at me as if I just hung the moon?” He smirks and shakes his head. “No, Ally, I dreamed of this. I wanted this more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, but no, I never let myself believe I would have it. You made my life what it is, and it’s perfect.”