Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“Baby,” he whispers, and my gaze drops to Jenna as my eyes fill with tears. It hurts to think she might never get the chance to know her grandparents or uncles.
“Hey, now.” He rises from the chair, with my sweet little girl nestled in his strong arms. Once he settles on the edge of my bed, he places his hand on my cheek. “You’re not alone anymore. You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere.”
I wipe the tears off my cheeks and reach for my baby girl, needing to hold her. Once I have her cuddled against my chest, he places his forehead against mine then drops a kiss to my lips and pulls away. I tilt my head back and smile at him. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m actually grateful for my piece-of-crap car.”
His brow wrinkles in confusion. “What?”
“If it wasn’t for that hunk of junk, who knows if we would have ever gotten together.”
His blue eyes lock on mine as he shakes his head. “Your fucked up car might’ve given me a push to make my move, but I noticed you long before that.”
What he just said registers, and I tip my head to the side. “You noticed me before you gave me a ride to work the first time?”
“Babe.” He strokes Jenna’s palm with a finger, and her tiny hand clamps around it. “You’re hard to miss.”
I look down at my belly, which I thought would’ve gone down more now that I gave birth. “Yeah, I guess I was.”
“It wasn’t your belly that caught my attention.” He loops a lock of my hair around one of his fingers. “I didn’t even notice you were pregnant until after I saw your long blonde hair and perfect ass.”
“Really?” I narrow my eyes on him.
“What can I say? I’m a man.” He brushes his lips against my cheek before shrugging his broad shoulders. “Still, it wasn’t your looks that kept my attention. It was your sweet disposition and courage.”
“Courage?” My nose wrinkles. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but I’m the least courageous person I know.”
“Only because you don’t see yourself the way I do.” He glances at his phone when it beeps. “And I must not be the only one.”
“What?”
“Kenton says there’s a whole group in the waiting room. Shelly, Johnny, and a few girls from Dolly’s.”
My eyes go wide in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He pulls his eyes off his phone to look at me. “How do you feel about having a few visitors?”
“I don’t know.” I look down at Jenna, who is nestled in the crook of my arm, and then lift my other hand to tuck my hair behind my ears. “She’s just so new, and I’m sure I look like crap.”
He bends his head, sliding his nose against mine, whispering against my lips, “It’s your call, sweetheart, but you should know you look more beautiful than I’ve ever seen you.”
I sigh. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have company, but can I have my bag, so I can brush my hair?”
He brings it to me then lifts Jenna off my chest. “Do whatever shit you think you need to do to make yourself prettier than you already are, even though you don’t need to.”
“You’re good for my ego.” I give him a tired smile when he chuckles then dig through my bag for my brush and makeup kit. I tie my hair up into a ponytail and swipe on some mascara then give up, too tired to do more. I drop my bag on the floor by my bed and settle back against the pillow, in as much of a sitting position as the hospital bed will allow. “Maybe if I’m holding her, no one will notice me,” I say, reaching out my hands for Jenna.
He shakes his head and laughs before crossing the floor to give Jenna to me. After I get her settled in my arms, he tilts my head back with a finger under my chin and brushes his lips across mine. “You’re fucking gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” I rub my hand against the five o’clock shadow on his cheek, enjoying the feel of it against my skin. “You’re not too shabby yourself, especially when you’re all scruffy like this. But you’re going to have to clean up your language around the baby. I don’t think it would be a good thing if her first word was an F-bomb.”
“Our girl’s not even a day old yet.” He grins. “I think I have time to work on how often I swear before it’s going to be a problem.
Our girl. I love that, and I really love how he talks about the future like he fully expects to be in Jenna’s life and mine. Honestly, I’m not sure what I would’ve done without him today or the past few weeks. Meeting him changed everything, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel alone.