Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Sorry I threw you out,” she says, her tone drained.
“It’s okay. I was being obnoxious. I probably would have thrown me out too.”
“Yeah. You were being pretty obnoxious,” she says and laughs weakly.
“She’s… she’s beautiful,” I whisper.
Cassie pushes the blanket aside to let me see our baby girl’s face fully. It’s pink and wrinkly, but absolutely gorgeous. The tiny human opens her eyes, and I draw in a sharp breath when I see those little green eyes sparkling at me.
“She’s got your eyes,” I say.
“And she’s got your temperament,” Cassie says. “She hasn’t cried once. This little girl is going to be stubborn as hell.”
“Sounds like she’s got the best of both of us then.”
“We’ll see how much you enjoy her temperament when she gets to be a teenager,” she replies with a laugh.
“Dear God.”
“Exactly.”
My eyes travel from our baby girl to Cassie, the love of my life. She looks tired. Worn out. It was hard labor, but she looks happy. I brush a thick lock of her rich, red hair away from her forehead and plant a soft kiss on it. She looks up at me, and although she looks like she wants to close her eyes and sleep for the next three days, she offers me a lovingly warm smile.
“Do I look terrible as terrible as I feel?” she asks.
I shake my head. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
“That’s sweet. But you’re a liar.”
“I’d never lie to you.”
She searches my eyes, and a weak smile curls the corners of her mouth. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. But only because you’re afraid of me.”
“That’s very true.”
She looks down at the bundle in her arms then back up at me. “We have a family.”
“We do.”
“We didn’t plan for this. Are you okay with it?”
“As long as I’m with you, I’m okay with anything,” I say. “Besides, I believe it was you who said the universe puts people in our lives that need to be there or something like that. I guess this is the universe telling us our baby girl needed to be in our lives.”
“Yeah. I did say that, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“I’m pretty smart.”
“You truly are.”
Her eyes glimmer and her smile nearly steals my breath away. It’s crazy to know that after all these years together, she still has the power to bring me to my knees with nothing more than a casual glance. I love that about her. And I love this life and this family we’re building together. Everything from meeting Cassie to having our baby girl has been unexpected. Everything in my life since Cassie walked into it has been a surprise.
I never used to like surprises at all. I’m a creature of habit and routine. And the last four, almost five years now, have been anything but that. But it allowed me to experience a life I never thought I could have. It’s given me a joy I never thought was possible. And it’s allowed me to embrace a love I thought you could only find in fairy tales. Cassie has turned my life upside down. She stormed through like a tornado and smashed every wall I built around myself.
But if not for her, if not for that twist of fate, or the hand of the universe at work, or whatever you want to call it, I wouldn’t have the happiness and contentment I have right now. I wouldn’t have this big, beautiful life I’d never contemplated having before she found her way to my doorstep that rainy night. Without her, I would never have embarked on this beautiful and glorious adventure we find ourselves on. And every single day I wake up not just thankful to have somebody like Cassie by my side, but eager to see what the day brings and what new adventure awaits us.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she says.
“Is that all they’re worth?”
“Tell me what you’re thinking, and I’ll let you know.”
I laugh softly then take her hand and give it a squeeze. “I was just thinking about how much I love you and that there is nobody I would rather be on this journey with. You are the love of my life, Cassie Robb.”
“And you’re the love of my life, Cash Teague.”
The End. Thanks for reading!