Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
I look down at the water as it goes down the drain and my heart starts pounding.
“My water just broke.”
It takes him a second to realize it, but then he’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. He helps me out of the shower and wraps a towel around me before taking off and sprinting around the house to get everything we need.
I just focus on my breathing as I slowly get ready, knowing that my man is going to take care of me just fine.
“Let’s go meet Lauren,” he says when we’re finally ready to leave a few minutes later.
I grab the back of his neck and pull him down for a kiss.
Lauren.
It sounds perfect. It feels right.
“All right,” I say with a smile. “Let’s go meet our girl.”
He holds my hand and we leave, knowing that when we get back, nothing is ever going to be the same.
And excited for every second of it.
Epilogue
Lily
Ten years later…
“How are you not cold?” I ask Lauren as she runs by with the sled. The freaking girl has her jacket wide open and only a t-shirt on underneath. No hat. No scarf. Meanwhile, I’m freezing with more layers than a royal wedding cake.
“It’s hot, mommy,” she says as she jumps on the sled and starts sliding down the hill in our backyard.
I look around at my four kids and my gorgeous husband as my fingers and toes freeze, and I think that I must be a different species or something, which I kind of am. They’re never bothered by the cold.
Blake is smiling as he pulls the sled with our twins, Vincent and Eric on it, up the hill toward me. “It’s their polar bear blood,” he says with a satisfied grin. “We never get cold.”
“I should have dragged you to Miami,” I say with a laugh. “I would have loved to seen the five of you sweat while I bask in total comfort in my natural habitat.”
“Great idea,” he says as he ducks down and lines up the sled. “We could have lived with four hot sweaty miserable children who are constantly complaining about the heat.”
I laugh as he pushes Vincent and Eric. They squeal on the way down.
“Actually, that sounds horrible.”
“I know, right?” he says as he stands up and turns to me. My body gets that tingly feeling as he comes over and wraps his big comforting arms around me. I’m already warming up.
Blake isn’t even wearing a jacket. He’s got a thin sweater on.
“I’m glad you wanted to stay in Montana,” he says. “Although, I would have lived on the side of an active volcano if that’s what you wanted.”
“Oh, I’d like to see that,” I say with a laugh. “It’s much too dangerous and you’re way too protective. You probably would yell at the volcano every day and threaten to kill it if the lava came near me.”
He grins as he holds me tighter. “And that volcano would listen if it knew what’s good for it.”
I smile and lean into him as I look at our family and our adorable house in the distance. I love the life we’ve made.
I have the best friends in all of the wonderful ladies in our crew and the best kids on the planet. And of course, Blake is the pillar that holds it all up. I don’t know what my life would be like without him.
“Why don’t you go warm up inside?” he says as he slaps my ass, which is covered by underwear, thermal pants, jogging pants, and snow pants. “Get the hot chocolate going while I get these kids to let their bears out.”
I look back at our cozy house nestled among the tall trees and it looks irresistible. Especially with the smoke coming out of the chimney and knowing that it must be toasty warm inside.
I lean in close to his ear. His hair is almost all grey now. I blame the kids, but I’m sure the majority of it came because of me. “Are you going to come and warm me up?” I whisper.
He lets out a little growl and my heart starts beating faster when I see that hungry look flash in his eyes.
“Give me five minutes,” he says in a thick husky voice. “Take some of those layers off if you don’t want them in shreds.”
I rush down the hill with a grin on my face as Blake hollers out for the kids to start phasing. They whine and complain, but eventually tiny polar bears start popping out all around me. When I hear the loud rip behind me, I turn and look up to see Blake’s polar bear looking down at me, watching me carefully with those protective eyes.
I blow him a kiss and then dodge Vincent’s bear as he tries to leap onto my boots—that crazy cub is always trying to attack my tassels—on my way to the house.