Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“She’s going to love that.”
She chuckles. “Yes, she is.” She hands me the glass and I set it on the nightstand. “What time is it?”
“Just after seven.”
“What time are they coming?”
“I told Mom I would text her.”
“I should get up and get moving so they can come over.”
“There’s no rush.”
“I don’t want your parents to have to watch her again today.”
“Delaney.” I reach out and cradle her face in the palm of my hand. “Baby, it’s fine. I promise. They would keep her forever if we let them. She’s not a burden to them. I can guarantee you they’re enjoying their time with her as much as she is with them. They’ve been waiting for me to settle down and give them grandkids. She’s being spoiled rotten. That you can count on.”
“I know they’re taking good care of her, but I don’t want to use them like that.”
“Like what? Like two loving grandparents who are enjoying the hell out of getting to know their only granddaughter. Trust me, they want us to use them. Just wait and see. They’ll be calling and asking to keep her all the time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Why are you so surprised?”
“That’s not what I’m used to. My mother would complain if I asked her to watch Kendrix for me. Didn’t matter that it was usually for school or for work. She would complain. My dad, on the other hand, if he was home, he was glad to watch her, but he never did fun things like build a fort in the living room with her. It’s just… different and amazing. I don’t want her to lose that.”
“She won’t lose it. They’re her family.”
She nods. “So are we staying in bed or are we getting ready?”
“I’d love to choose option number one, but I can see in your eyes that you need a hug from our little girl.”
“I miss her.”
“Come on then. Up you go.” I stand to help her from the bed. I walk her to the shower, turning on the hot spray, and then help her remove her clothes. There’s no messing around, just a few kisses as she lets me wash her body. No way am I going to risk hurting her. I know she’s just bruised, but she’s still hurt, and I won’t risk that. Not with her.
Once we’re out of the shower and I get Delaney propped up on the couch—though not without her complaints that she’s fine—I call my parents. “They’re on their way,” I tell her. “Mom made a casserole or something so it’s ready to eat.”
“They didn’t have to make breakfast.”
I shrug. “That’s just Mom. That’s what she does. I’m going to call Ridge and thank him for the car seat.” I tap his contact in my phone, and on the fourth ring, he finally answers.
“Hello.”
“Knox?”
“Yep. Do you want my daddy?”
“I do, is he there?”
“Yep. My mommy is froing up so I’m watching my sister.”
“Ah, okay. Well, tell your daddy that Uncle Kent called.”
“Okay. Love you,” he says, and the call ends.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Knox answered and said his mom is throwing up. My guess is morning sickness.”
“I remember those days.”
“Were you sick a lot while you were pregnant?”
“Not too bad, but there was a small stretch of about four weeks that it was pretty terrible. I’m not sure why they call it morning sickness when it’s morning, noon, and night.” She goes on to tell me about how she craved strawberry ice cream, and how hard it was to be having a baby by a man she couldn’t remember.
“I’m going to be there for the next one.”
“How do you think my husband will feel about that?” There is a sparkle in her eye that tells me she’s kidding, but that’s not a joking matter.
“I will feel damn proud to have created another tiny human with you.”
She opens her mouth to reply but quickly closes it when there’s a knock at the door. Leaning in, I kiss her quickly before going to the door. As soon as I pull the door open, Kendrix grins. “Daddy!” she cheers and leaps from my dad’s arms to mine.
“Looks like Daddy’s not the only one who carries you around,” I say, stepping back to let them in.
“Papaw carries me,” she answers.
“I can see that. Did you have fun?”
Her little head bobs up and down. “I played a whole bunch.”
“Let’s go see Mommy, and you can tell us all about it.” I carry her into the living room and, with her on my lap, we sit next to Delaney on the couch and listen to her tell us how much fun she had at my parents’.
“Are you all ready to eat?” Mom asks.
“Let’s go fill our bellies,” I tell my daughter. She hops off my lap and rushes into the kitchen on my mom’s heels.
“She’s so happy,” Delaney states the obvious.