Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
The basket makes a dull thud as she rests it on the floor and reaches her arms behind her to cradle the base of her spine.
“Mommy’s baby is naughty….” Hallie giggles, and the room falls silent again.
The crew all look up from the feast as it slowly begins to sink in.
Smiles spread on their faces, and Aiden stands up and cheers when he sees Finn and West beaming at Hallie’s comment.
Hallie starts clapping her hands together in delight, and before long, we are all toasting to the inadvertent announcement that Skye is expecting our baby. We found out last week but wanted to sit on the news until Skye had her first scan, which took place yesterday.
I take out the scan photo, which I‘ve been carrying in the chest pocket of my shirt, close to my heart. I trace my finger around the tiny bean-shape who will be the next member of our family.
I’m so ready to cherish another tiny person.
One that will bond us all together by blood as well as love and loyalty.
For the first time in my life, it will mean something.
As the afternoon winds down, all I can think about is being back at the cabin with my family.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I was ruled by insomnia and darkness, driven by a desire for revenge and trusting nobody except West and Finn. All the wounds I carried made me sharp and bitter, but Skye has been like a healing balm, melting my heart and rebuilding my hope and belief that the world can be a good place.
The end of Skye’s contract came and went.
We ordered her to keep the money, but she decided to buy things for the cabin to make it homier and a car for herself. She’s put the rest into a savings account for rainy days, although I don’t see her ever having a reason to spend it. We will always provide for her, Hallie, and the children we have.
Skye and Hallie have turned on the lights in our lives and given us all a reason to be.
West and Finn, as huge, lumbering, and macho as they are, have been reduced to soppy idiots most of the time.
Hallie loves to kiss the tattoos on West’s arms and back and thinks they’re like cartoons. She ruffles and pulls Finn’s curls until his hair is like cotton candy. Hallie loves to grab my beard with both hands and pull my face down so that I can kiss the end of her sweet nose.
Finn was right to crave a woman’s touch in our lives. Skye brings us all to our knees but also makes us feel ten feet tall.
In five months, our family will grow again, and we’re all ready for the changes that are coming.
My mom passed away a few months ago, and whilst I didn’t ever get the chance to confront her about why she allowed my stepfather to abuse me, I decided that I would go to her funeral and offer her my forgiveness before slipping away unnoticed to return to my real family.
It was selfish really. A way to shed the last of the bitterness I carried in my heart.
I wanted it free to love.
I wonder if Skye’s pregnancy will be the catalyst for her to reach out to her parents.
I try to imagine losing contact with Hallie and wince at the thought.
I won’t pressure Skye. She’ll know when the time is right. And she’ll have our full support no matter what.
My carpentry has become something more than a hobby and a passion.
I’ve had items of furniture commissioned.
Ron Maggs is expecting his first grandchild and asked me to craft original bedroom furniture for the nursery. His daughter lives in one of the oldest and most beautiful houses in town and wanted me to provide something to reflect their home.
Word spreads like wildfire in this town, and more requests for bespoke wooden furniture have arrived steadily ever since.
We will have guests for Christmas this year. Shona is making a visit, and Aiden and his family are joining us for a festive meal. West has contacted a friend from his military days who’s flying in especially.
I walk alone through the forest back to the cabin, but I’m not lonely. Not anymore.
The frosty air I exhale forms plumes of smoke, but I’m warm on the inside. My body no longer aches from a lack of restful sleep but simply from tough physical labor. It’s a healthy ache that I know will pass.
Now, I often spend my nights fast asleep with Hallie next to me, curled up like a little kitten. Her breathing is like a white noise that soothes any thoughts that creep back to torment me.
This Christmas, I will give her a small bed that I’ve been crafting by hand. It is almost finished.