Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Isaac beams, his black hair messy from rifling through all the materials. I’ve seen photos of Felix at his age, and he looks so similar, with the same wide shoulders and cutting jawline.
“Do you like it, Mommy?”
I grin, rocking Angela gently from side to side. She’s our youngest and the steadiest sleeper of all our children.
Isaac was the second-best, and Lila and Tommy were the loudest kids I’ve ever met. But I wouldn’t have them any other way. As they grow older, I miss their baby cries, even if they do so much else that makes my heart soar.
“I love it,” I tell Isaac.
“What about these, Mommy?” Tommy walks over, our five year old grinning as he holds the fabric to his head. “It’s a hat, look. It’s an awesome hat.”
“It’s awesome.” I smile, taking in the sight of his wavy brown hair poking out of the fabric and his full cheeks. “You look great.”
“Thanks, Mommy.”
“What about over there, though?” I nod to the corner, at the big box.
It’s where I normally keep my cutoffs. Since starting my business during Isaac’s pregnancy, I’ve grown a respectable clientele, some of my more deluxe pieces even featuring on awards shows. It’s a beautiful life, working on my passion and being with my family, and even better because family has a wider meaning now.
Rachel and Sebastian have two sons, and Lucy has, after all these years, found herself a husband.
“What’s in there?” Lila creeps toward the box with a seven year old’s caution.
“Is it something special, Mommy? A special dress?”
“It’s something special,” I say, barely containing my laughter. “But no, it’s not a dress.”
Lila mock glares at me, staring with her father’s blue eyes. “It’s something special but not a dress? Then what the hecking heck is it?”
I laugh at her phrasing, even if I probably shouldn’t. Hecking heck is such a Lila thing to say, and that’s one of the sweetest things about being a parent, learning all the different things that make your children unique.
“Maybe Isaac should do it,” I say. “Since he’s the superhero.”
“Yes,” Lila beams. “You hear, Isie? You have to open it. Pretty please with a cherry on top. Thank you.”
Isaac leaps down from the bed, his makeshift cape trailing behind him. He walks over with bravado, reminding me of the way Felix walks during important meetings.
Grabbing the lid, Isaac lifts it…
He leaps back when Felix explodes from it, growling and battering his chest.
“It’s Daddy!” Lila sings. “Daddy, Daddy. I thought you were gone.”
He’s been on a business trip. So when he arrived home early to surprise us, I just knew we had to do something special for the children. The looks on their faces proved we made the right choice.
After recovering from the shock, Isaac is grinning from ear to ear. Lila is already walking over to him, her arms extended. Tommy is running with his barely containable energy.
Even Angela murmurs sleepily, as though she can sense him.
“I missed you all too much,” Felix says, swiping Tommy up in one arm and Lila with the other.
He walks over to Isaac, grinning, and Isaac smiles up at him and wraps his arms around his waist.
My smile feels like it’s going to make my lips burst.
Felix is wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, showing how strong his body has become as the years have passed. He’s grown a light gray shadow of a beard, but his eyes are more youthful, if anything, more alert.
He looks at me, grinning just like he did on our wedding day.
When our eyes meet, I know he’s thinking the same thing.
He’s thinking about how lucky we are, how blessed we get to call this our life.
He’s thinking about what a wonderful thing a text message can be.