Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
She shakes her head, ducking her face away from my view. “They say I stink.”
“Oh no.” My heart shrinks for her. I lean closer and take a deep breath, then say, “Nope, you don’t stink. You smell pretty.”
Her eyes dart to my face again. “Really?”
With an affectionate smile, I nod.
We stare at each other for a moment, then I open my arms and ask, “Can I hug you?”
She hesitates before she crawls into my lap. I hug her tightly and press a kiss on her hair.
Armani comes closer, and crouching, he places Diego in the sandpit. He ruffles the little girl’s hair, then says, “Hi, Karina.” He gestures to our son. “This is Diego.”
She gives Armani and Diego a shy look, then whispers, “Hi.”
“Diego wishes he could have a sister,” Armani says. “Do you think that’s something you’d like?”
Her little face furrows. “A brother?”
I nod. “And a mama and papa.”
Her eyes widen as she looks at us, then her face crumbles, and she hides her tears against my shirt.
I hold her tight and pepper her hair with kisses. “Would you like to come home with us?”
She nods and mumbles, “I thought no one would want me because I wet the bed.”
Brushing my hand up and down her back, I say the words every child in an orphanage wants to hear, “I want you.”
We sit for over an hour outside, and Karina doesn’t move from my lap. I learn she likes milk, monkeys, and just about anything that starts with an M.
Her eyes are glued to my face as she admits, “Mostly, I’d like a mama.”
“And I’d like a daughter,” I admit.
A smile curves her mouth, and pushing up against me, she wraps her arms around my neck. With the innocence of a child, she whispers, “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.”
“I like the sound of that.” My eyes meet Armani’s, and I swallow hard on the tears of happiness.
Not once has this man stopped doing everything in his power to make me happy.
With Karina in my arms, I climb to my feet. Armani picks up Diego, and as a family, we walk to the office to sign all the documents so we can take our little girl home.
The End.