Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 64617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
She was a beauty.
A flawless beauty.
But it wasn’t until I saw their wedding photo, that I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
They were no doubt a stunning couple, and from the looks of it, very much in love. The devotion to their family emitted off every photo, causing me to smile as much as they were in the pictures. They looked like the perfect family, something you would see in catalogs and magazines. Without a care in the world.
“They were married young,” Skyler shared, standing behind me. Noticing what photo my eyes were fixated on the most.
“I’m sorry.” I spun, looking at her, blushing. “I didn’t mean to stare.”
“Trust me, it’s hard not to stare. I remember the first time I met Aiden. I think I stared at his piercing blue eyes and dimples the entire time he was talking to me. He’s always been easy on the eyes. You’d have to be blind to not be attracted to him. And don’t get me started on Bailey, she’s like a living, breathing beauty.”
“That’s exactly how I just thought of her.”
“She looks like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, right?”
“Yes! That’s what—”
“Everyone says. The first time they took the kids to Disney, they actually had children asking her if she was the real Belle. Aiden calls her Beauty because of it. It’s been their thing since they were young.”
“So, they’ve known each other for a long time.”
She nodded. “A very long time.”
“I can’t wait to meet them. I mean … that’s if I get the job.”
“I would lo—”
A baby’s wails echoed through the halls and off the monitor in her hand, interrupting us.
Skyler smirked, and with loving eyes she peered down the corridor where the cries were coming from.
Announcing, “Get ready to meet the sassiest baby girl in the world.” Without saying another word, she nodded toward the room at the end of the hall and started walking as I followed behind her.
Moments later, she opened the door to the pair of bright blue eyes I had only just seen in photos.
Making me fall in love…
Instantaneously.
Chapter 5
<>Camila<>
Now
__________
“Meet Journey Pierce,” Skyler announced, picking the baby girl up from her crib and nestling her tiny frame against her chest. “Shhh … it’s alright, Journey, it’s okay…” she cooed, bouncing her in her arms as she made her way over to the changing table. “Are you wet? Huh? Is that why the world is ending?” She continued trying to calm her down while changing her diaper, but Little Miss wasn’t having it.
She fell into a fit of rage as soon as the cold wet wipe hit her bottom, causing her pretty face to turn bright red as she made her presence known.
“She gets like this sometimes, and there’s no calming her down, until she passes out from the exhaustion of her own meltdown.” She buttoned up her onesie and straightened her outfit before picking her up again. “The doctor says it’s normal, though, like anything else, it’s just a phase that will pass. She’s only six months old, but it still hasn’t passed,” Skyler shared over Journey’s tantrum while she rocked her in her arms.
“I guess it’s pretty handy to have a doctor in the house, huh?”
“Oh … no.” She shook her head. “Aiden … he’s … I mean he’s not her doctor. He hasn’t even held—”
BANG!
A door slammed shut from somewhere within the house, startling us both. Interrupting Skyler and making Little Miss even more pissed off.
What was she going to say?
He hasn’t held what? His own daughter?
“That must be Jackson and Jagger. Is it three-thirty already?”
Looking at the time on my phone, I nodded.
“Do you mind holding her for a few minutes, while I go take care of the boys?”
“Not at all.” I smiled, wanting to hold Journey from the moment I saw her. “Are Jackson and Jagger their sons?”
“Yes. Just wait, they’re more of a handful than this one.” She nervously chuckled, carefully handing the baby off to me. “Well, Jackson more than Jagger. You’ll see soon enough.”
I cradled Journey in my arms, positioning her flailing body next to my heart. There was something about the rhythmic beating that reminded babies of their time in the womb. It used to work for my siblings whenever they were losing it.
“How old are they?”
“Jackson is going to be thirteen, and Jagger is going to be eleven.”
“Wow. That’s quite the age gap between them and her.”
“Yeah.” She cautiously nodded with an expression on her face I couldn’t quite read. “They tried a long time for Journey. She was so loved and wanted before she was even born. They all were, but she was on a whole different level. Especially for Aiden.”
I wanted to ask why the sudden sadness in her tone, when she was talking about such a beautiful creation. A baby girl who was obviously made from so much love.