Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I give our little boy a kiss on his forehead, and the nurse takes a picture of the three of us and then takes him back to get him cleaned up and checked out while other nurses do the same for Ana.
About a half hour later, Ana is wheeled to recovery, and our little boy is brought in. She’d like to breastfeed for as long as she can, so the lactation specialist shows her how to latch him on, and I swear to everything, there is nothing more beautiful than watching my wife feed our son for the first time.
Without her seeing, I snap a picture of them. She might not feel beautiful right now, but one day, she’ll want to see this.
After she’s fed him and he’s swaddled up and asleep, she asks me to bring her dad and Selene in first. When I step into the waiting room, both our families stand.
“Mom and baby are both doing great,” I tell everyone. “She delivered naturally and is in recovery. He’s seven pounds exactly and twenty inches.” I look at Samuel, who looks like he has aged ten years in the past eight months. “She’d like to see you first.”
Since everyone knows about his health issues, nobody is surprised. Selene says she’ll come soon but lets him go see Ana alone. I walk him back, and when we enter, Ana’s face lights up.
He quickly washes his hands and then walks over to her bedside.
“Dad,” she says through her tears, “I’d like for you to meet your grandson.” She lifts our little boy and hands him to her dad while I take pictures. “Kingston Samuel Parker.”
Samuel chokes out a sob at hearing his name. “Oh, Ana. He’s perfect.” He glances at his daughter. “Your mom would be so proud of you.”
At his words, Ana breaks down in tears.
Samuel hands me Kingston and pulls his daughter into his arms.
“Thank you,” he murmurs. “Thank you for coming home and giving me another chance and for giving me a precious grandson. I couldn’t have asked for anything more in this life.”
“No, don’t say that,” Ana snaps. “That sounds too much like goodbye. And us Kingstons are fighters. Besides, I still need you to walk me down the aisle.”
Because she didn’t want to get married while pregnant, we’ve planned the wedding for later this summer, and she’s determined to have her dad walk her down the aisle. With her dad having lung cancer, he had to have surgery, and then there were some complications with blood clots, but now, he’s doing better, and he’s in the middle of getting chemo. If anyone is determined to make it through this, it’s him.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Samuel tells her, giving her a kiss on her forehead.
After holding Kingston again, he excuses himself to go let everyone else know they can visit.
While he’s gone, I sit on the edge of the bed and give Ana a kiss.
“Thank you for giving me everything I never knew I wanted,” she says, her voice filled with emotion.
“You never have to thank me for loving you, Red.” I give her another kiss. “This thing between us was inevitable. The moment I laid eyes on you, I was drunk on you.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re so cheesy, Mr. Parker.”
“Only for you, Mrs. Parker.”
Anastasia
Four Months Later
“You look beautiful. Like a princess.”
I spin around to find my dad standing in the doorway of the dressing room, dressed in a black tux, ready to walk me down the aisle. It’s been three months since he finished his cancer treatment, and he’s officially cancer-free. Of course, he’ll have to get rechecked every so often, but right now, he’s okay, and that’s all that matters.
“Thank you,” I choke out, my emotions getting the better of me. “And look at you.” I stand and walk over to him, adjusting his bow tie so it’s perfectly straight. “As handsome as ever.”
“This is from your husband,” he says with a chuckle, handing me a small box.
I already had his mom bring my gift over to him—a bottle of scotch I had made for him for today, along with another last-minute gift he’s going to freak out over.
I open the top and find a gorgeous Tiffany bracelet nestled inside with a few charms already attached. The first one I look at is a heart-shaped locket that has Marry Me inscribed in the middle. On the back, it reads, Forever drunk on you.
I laugh at my romantically cheesy husband. My engagement ring also has the same inscription. He had it engraved before he proposed again while we were on a babymoon vacation, which he surprised me with, at the place where we fell in love—Maui.
Another one is of a heart with Mom engraved in the center. My heart swells. These past four months of being a mom have been the best of my life. I was so worried about failing at it, but what I didn’t consider was that unlike when I isolated myself in London, here, I have family. Even my best friend, Paige, made the move to the States—after her boyfriend took a job in Houston and she moved with him—and is now working for Kingston as the new chief marketing officer.