Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
I’ll never let go, no matter what.
ONE YEAR LATER
Bridget
“I still think we should get her checked out,” Ash says, sounding more worried than I am.
“She’s fine, Ash. Just cutting her first tooth,” I remind him.
But Ash has always been super protective of little Amy.
I am too, but if it wasn’t for Ash helping deliver her at home when things didn’t quite go to plan, well.
I don’t ever think about what could have happened because he brought our beautiful, healthy baby into the world right where I know we all preferred it.
At home.
She’s our firstborn, and Ash, me, and little Amy made a bond that day that’ll never be broken.
So when I see him worried like this, I understand. But I also know as her Mom, that Amy really is fine. She’s just got a sore mouth and if all her teeth are like the one pushing through she’ll have her dad’s smile as well as his good looks.
“Okay then,” I sigh, creasing my mouth. “Call Doc Winters. He can come out and take a look at her.”
It’s all Ash needs to hear, and he’s on the phone.
Amy takes a break from squawking and shoving her amber teething ring between her gums, she sucks and slurps loudly. Kicking her legs, knowing it’s all I need to start making her favorite goo-goo noises.
Her wide, brown eyes shift from her dad to me, knowing something’s up. I get lost in how beautiful she is. How perfect she is.
I almost forget all about Ash on the phone with the doctor.
Ash makes it sound way more serious than it is, so once Doc Winters arrives with a serious face, even I start to hope I’m right.
But she is fine. We all are.
And our local country doctor is the first to remind us and tell us it’s great to see us all again, that there’s nothing too big or small that he wouldn’t come out for.
Everything in the country is so different from the city, and even though Ash was offered the promotion to chief, even if he only sat in the chair for one day before retiring, he still said no.
“Stack’s the only chief the brigade’s ever needed, and once he retires, then so do I,” he said, and I know he really only did that because of us.
I didn’t even have to ask him not to go back to active duty after he had his extended leave extended another nine months so we could have Amy.
He just knew.
He knew that he was our hero now, and although he did great things for the city and so many people owe him their life, we need him here with us.
Waving the doc goodbye at the door, little Amy fell asleep as I hold her close to my chest in my arms. Ash pulls us both gently closer to him.
“Now you can say, ‘I told you so,’” he chuckles, but I don’t say it. I never have.
We both watch the doc’s car disappear down the quarter-mile road that’s our driveway. His old pick-up is throwing up a cloud of dust, his hand still waving at us long after we can’t make it out anymore.
“I’m glad you called him, Ash,” I tell my husband, looking up at him, seeing his eyes soften as he smiles at his family.
“You always know just how to make us feel better, even when nothing’s really wrong,” I add.
Speaking for little Amy, too, I guess.
“And it never will be,” he reminds me. “Not on my watch.”
We go inside, and I put Amy down for her afternoon nap.
Her crib that Ash made for her is right by our bed, which I sit myself down on, looking down at our baby. Then around the room, the whole house we’ve finished together.
And all with grouchy, pregnant me, then always changing or feeding baby me.
I was so worried about all parts of the new me, even frightened a little when I knew I was going to be a Mom.
Ash’s weight sinks the side of the bed as he takes a seat next to me, seeing us both tumble back onto our backs, laughing softly. Always making sure we don’t make too much noise when Amy’s asleep, which isn’t very often, so we make sure not to blow our chances.
Staring up at the ceiling, his hand slips into mine, and he presses it to his lips.
Beating me to tell him the same ‘I love you’ we tell each other every chance we get.
But neither of us gets tired of hearing it.
Those three little words are the foundation of everything we have. It’s everything we are.
“I love you, Ash, and thank you,” I whisper, leaning over to peck his cheek, watching him blush as he turns to face me.
“Thank me?” he asks, cocking his brow.
“Thank you for giving me two beautiful babies…I love you all so much it hurts sometimes,” I say.