Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
It’s the little moments like this that make me sure we’re meant to be together. It’s not the passion between the sheets or the protective instincts he has with Daisy. It’s the way he cares for me and lets me care for him in return.
I didn’t know about his past or the heaviness that fills him. I’m even more in awe of this man’s strength and the way he’s carried on. He was a scared little boy who had to face overwhelming evil. He did it without letting it consume him. His mom would be proud.
I wish I could meet her. I know that when I get to heaven, the first thing I’ll do is throw my arms around her and give her a big hug. I’ll thank her for raising the man that would become my guardian angel.
We walk hand-in-hand to Dorothy’s house. When we come into the living room, she’s snoring lightly in the recliner, her mouth agape. Russell is rocking Daisy as a detective show plays in the background. She’s fighting sleep, her eyelids fluttering closed only to open again seconds later.
I reach for her, delighting in the sleepy smile she gives me. The moment her weight is in my arms, and her tiny body is snuggled against my chest, contentment sweeps through me. Everything is right in my world when my baby is in my arms.
“Thank you,” I mouth to Russell as I walk back to the guest bedroom.
Griffin stops to talk with him for a moment before he joins us. He gives Daisy a kiss goodnight before I settle her in her crib. We both stand over her, staring down at the most perfect girl in the world. I can’t believe I got so lucky that I was picked to be her mom.
“Tomorrow, I want to take her out, both of you, and show you around the farm.”
“That sounds perfect,” I tell him as I stifle a yawn. It’s been a long day, and I’m glad I don’t have work tomorrow. Instead, I’ll get to spend the day with the two people I care most about in the world.
I wake late in the morning to find that Griffin’s side of the bed is already cold. He slept in here again last night. His aunt has to have noticed what’s going on, but she hasn’t said a word.
Daisy is gone from her crib, and I can hear the sound of cooking coming from the direction of the kitchen. I take a hot shower and throw on some old blue jeans along with a light blue T-shirt that makes my eyes pop. I pull my hair back into a high ponytail and add gloss to my lips before I head downstairs.
In the kitchen, Griffin is gliding across the floor with Daisy in his arms. He’s humming along to the radio, and she’s laughing. My baby is happy in his arms, and something about the sight turns me into goo. She’s going to grow up so differently than either of us did. She’s going to be loved and cherished and protected. She’s going to know what it is to have a stable home with two people that love her.
Dorothy is at the stove, scrambling eggs. She already smells like horse and hard work. She’s been up for hours. When I got up to use the bathroom at four in the morning, she was leaving the house. Like most farmers, she has an incredible work ethic.
She makes a big breakfast, and we eat together at her table family-style. It’s nice to have people to share a meal with, and I love that Dorothy got a highchair for Daisy. It’s been on my list to get since she started sitting upright without any assistance.
When we’re done, Dorothy goes to continue her farm chores. Griffin cleans the kitchen while I wrangle Daisy into clean clothes. She got the baby cereal she’s been trying everywhere. She doesn’t seem to care too much about the taste. She loves making a mess with it.
It takes a bath to get all of the tiny flakes out of her hair and when I’m done, I dress her in her cutest outfit. It’s little suspenders with blue birds on them. I add a floppy sun hat and smear some baby-safe sunscreen on the tip of her tiny nose. “Do you want to see some farm animals today?”
She gurgles, which I take as a yes, and we return to a spotless kitchen.
Griffin’s gaze rakes over my figure. My T-shirt is wet, splashed from the bath. But we’re about to go out into the hot August sun so I don’t mind. Guessing by the way he’s staring, he does mind. “Honey, you need to change.”
“It’ll dry,” I quickly reassure him. “Besides, I can’t change every time Daisy splashes me or makes a mess.”