Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
When Ally had told me she was pregnant, my life, which I didn’t think could get any better, expanded to contain joy I couldn’t even imagine. She did it in perfect Ally fashion, handing me a small book of pictures she had taken, telling me she had a new project. I was confused as I looked at them.
A picture of a bread roll. One of the oven in the kitchen. One of her pointing to the roll inside the oven. And finally, a selfie of her grinning and holding a positive pregnancy test.
A bun in the oven.
My clever girl.
Teddy squirmed and kicked his feet, his tiny fingers grabbing at the two rings I wore. Theo’s ring on my right hand, the heavy silver and black glinting in the light. My wedding ring was made of the same white and rose gold as Ally’s. Inside, she included the same words engraved into the thick metal, along with one more.
Always Forever Yours ~ Ally.
I never took it off. Teddy loved to pull at it, grinning and babbling when the light caught it as he yanked on it with his eager hands.
I stood, glancing at the clock. “It’s bottle time, isn’t it?”
He cooed and made his little grabby hand motions as I heated the bottle, sitting down in the living room to feed him. He gripped the side of the bottle, sucking away as he stared up at me, his eyes blue and similar to Ally’s. I ran my fingers through his hair, grinning at the mess of red curls on his head. He had my facial features, although his smile was more like my wife’s, and he had her dimples. He was long and lean—a large baby when he was born, weighing in at almost ten pounds. Ally had been huge while she carried him.
When he began to squirm and make his grizzly noises, I lifted him to my shoulder, patting his back. I was soon rewarded with one of his loud burps, and he spit up on my shoulder. I chuckled as my shirt became wet. I always forgot the damn cloth.
“Nice job, buddy,” I crooned, lifting him away. “Did you get the sofa again? Mommy will be thrilled.”
He beamed down at me, then spewed again. I glanced down at my shirt with a wry grin. Ally was right. I never learned. I held him with one arm and tugged the disgusting shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. How something so fucking cute could make smells like he did was beyond me.
I grabbed a blanket and flung it over my chest then settled Teddy back down with his bottle. His eyes started to flutter, and I knew he’d be out soon. Our son loved to sleep, and when he did, he slept hard.
The nipple fell from his mouth, and I pulled it away, setting the bottle on the table. I was in no hurry to take him to his crib to lay him down, though. These moments were special. I loved being a dad, and I was surprised how good I was at it. I looked forward to watching him grow, teaching him about football and photography, and being with him. I never thought I would be a homebody, but he and Ally changed all that. The only traveling I was interested in now was when they were with me.
Today, we’d gone to the park and hung out with Peter. I got some great pictures to show Ally when she got home. She’d love them.
With another sigh, I turned and stretched out on the sofa, settling him close on my chest, keeping him safe in my arms. I’d lie here for a while, and then I’d put him down in his crib.
Just a little while.
Gentle fingers ran through my hair, while the voice I loved the most whispered my name close to my ear. “Adam.”
Blinking at the light, I squinted up at my wife.
“I love coming home and finding my boys having a snuggle.”
Teddy was still wrapped in my arms, his warm weight sunk into my chest. I smiled up at Ally. “We had a busy day.”
“Take lots of pictures for me?”
“Always.”
“How long have you been asleep?”
I glanced at my watch. “Only about an hour.”
She rubbed Teddy’s back in long, tender strokes. “Did he eat?”
“Some. He fell asleep pretty fast. Took me out with him too.” I grinned.
“Okay, I’ll feed him when he wakes up.”
“How was the afternoon?”
“Good. We got a lot of interest.”
“Of course you did. You and Edwina worked hard on the luncheon.” I paused but had to ask, “Was Sarah there?”
A look of pain passed through her eyes, but she simply shook her head. Anger still simmered in my chest every time I thought of that woman. She hadn’t been as blind to Ronald as we thought she was, and when the scandal broke, she distanced herself immediately, portraying herself as the victim. He ended up in jail, dying not long after of a massive heart attack. Sarah was like a phoenix and somehow rose from the ashes, marrying yet another wealthy man and carrying on with life. She never once attempted to reconcile with Ally.