Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88114 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
We lapse into silence for a while. I feel the baby kicking, a slight fluttering like butterflies trying to escape in my belly. I press my hands against my bump and stare into the garden. I’m too pregnant to do much out there since it’s too hot when the sun’s up and my doctor said I have to take it easy, but I’m chafing against my restrictions. I miss the soil and the plants and the breeze. But it’ll be there still after the baby comes.
Goldie’s nurse wheels her back inside after Goldie says goodnight and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I stay outside as darkness falls and enjoy the cool breeze that kicks up from the rocks in the west. I don’t have to wait long before the outdoor lights turn on and Kellen appears with two drinks, one in each hand.
He places mine down in front of me. “Faux-hito,” he says and kisses my softly. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, bored, and ready to give birth.”
“You’ve got a few more months still.”
“God, I know, don’t remind me.”
He laughs and pulls up a chair right next to mine. He leans over and kisses me again and places his hand on my bump, grinning ear to ear.
“Has she kicked much today?”
“Constantly. She’s so freaking active, I swear she’s going to be a terror.”
“Damn right she will be. She’s my girl.” His smile gets even bigger, if that’s possible.
Kellen’s been busy. He’s more active with the company than he thought he’d be and the dark side of the family takes up a lot of his energy. There are constant fires and emergencies, but from what I can tell, things are good. He’s flourishing, fighting, living his best life, and when he comes home, he leaves all that work stuff at the door and is all about me.
It’s wonderful. Overwhelming, scary, but amazing. He worships the ground I walk on, especially since he knocked me up.
“I wanted to ask you something.” I chew my lip, suddenly nervous, and decide to just blurt it out and skip the foreplay. “I want to name our girl Caitlyn.”
He stares at me in surprise then nods once. “I’d love that.”
“Caitie, or Cat, or whatever she wants to go by, but you know. Caitlyn.”
He kisses me and holds my hand tightly, and I wonder if those are tears in his eyes, but no, it must just be a reflection. Kellen doesn’t get that emotional.
“Since you surprised me, I might as well surprise you in return.” He stands up slowly and holds out a hand. “Come with me.”
My eyebrows raise and I follow him into the house. We walk down the halls, but instead of turning toward our usual wing, we go deeper into the darker, unused sections where Cormac and Irene used to live. He pushes through the French doors and stops outside of a room I vaguely recognize.
“The white room?” I ask, head tilted. “Why are we here?”
“I know you’ve been really itching to get outside again, and the doctor told you not to spend too much time in the sun, so I thought I’d come up with a compromise.” He pulls the door open and steps inside, flicking on the lights.
The floors are hardwood. The walls are painted dark green. And there are windows, so many windows. The two exterior walls are practically all window, massive and airy, and I can only imagine how much light this place gets during the day.
“Is this what all that construction’s been about? I thought they were repairing old sections of the house.”
“They were. These are the repairs.” He gestures around him at the empty space. “I’m thinking you can have an indoor garden. Lots of light from the windows. We can get shelves and tables and whatever you want. I know it’s not the same, but you can fill this room with as many plants as you want and take care of them until you have the baby.”
“Kellen,” I say, at a total loss for words.
“I know, it’s a silly idea. But I don’t know. I like the idea of taking this awful fucking room and turning it into something good.”
I walk to him and bury my mouth against his.
He kisses me back and grins when we break apart.
“I take it you’re happy?”
“I love you,” I say, nuzzling his neck and hugging him tight.
“I love you too, princess.”
We stand in this room and this incredible man, this thoughtful and loving man, the father of my baby and the husband I’ve always dreamed of, he holds me against him and hugs me tight, and I stay in the moment, breathing in it, letting the joy flow through me. We’re bringing life into the world. We’re making our own home.
We’re doing it together.