Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Like killing you.”
“That good, huh?”
Ronan tries to jump onto me and Shane stops him, hanging on to our little monkey when he tries to belly-flop on me and his soon-to-be-born brother. “No, Ronan, Mommy needs a minute.”
“Mom?” Amanda says, seated on the other side of her father. With her big brown eyes and long legs, she’s the spitting image of her father. But the tiny beauty mark… that she got from me.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Why does Aunt Mona do this every year?”
“To celebrate life. To bring everyone she loves together. Don’t you like her parties?”
“No, Mommy. I mean why does she put bow ties on all the donkeys?”
We look beyond the empty archway where the service will be held shortly and watch Hazel and her herd in the pasture, munching on hay, all of them wearing what look like tuxedo bibs. Not to be outdone, Billy and his goat girlfriend, Gladis, have them on, too.
“Aunt Mona is a Siamese cat and you know what those are?”Amanda gets that same skeptical look I’ve seen on her father’s face a million times. “Playful and full of trouble.”
“What animal are you?” she asks after a thoughtful pause.
“I’m a collie.”
“Like Lassie?”
“Yep.”
My daughter is still very skeptical of this animal talk. “And Daddy?”
“He’s a grizzly bear.”
Shane makes a grizzly noise at Ronan who finds it hilarious.
Amanda smiles, showing off her crooked teeth. “Oh, yeah, Dad is a bear.”
“You’re still the strangest girl I’ve ever met,” Shane whispers, leaning in for another kiss.
“But you love me anyway?”
“More than ever.”
Amanda looks pensive again. “Mommy, what am I?”
“You’re a swan, baby. A beautiful swan.”
She smiles. “And Ronan?”
“He’s a monkey, of course.”
She nods. “And the new baby?”
My face falls, my eyes widen. Shane looks at me and frowns. “What’s wrong?”
In the silence, we all hear a drip, drip, drip.
“He’s here. The baby’s here!”