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Her eyes are closed, and her breathing is almost even when she calls out my name.
My body is wrapped around hers, my hand resting on her belly. I know it’s impossible, but I swear, I’m half convinced something flutters under my hand. “Yeah, sweet girl?”
“I want my panties back,” she mumbles.
I chuckle and press a kiss to her head. This was the best day of my life. The beautiful woman in my arms agreed to be mine forever. I’ll always cherish, protect, and love her. All the days of my life.
Epilogue
Sadie
“Now the beautiful princess lived in a magical land, the land of sweet treats. She herself made the tastiest donuts in all the kingdom. People far and wide came to eat her donuts because they were that good,” Barrett’s soothing baritone wakes me from my peaceful slumber.
I rub my gritty eyes and glance at the clock, realizing it’s the middle of the night.
His voice continues, crackling through the baby speaker, “One day, the beautiful princess went to see her friend. Her friend was a very special lady who made magical candles that healed people.”
I smile at his story and crawl out of bed, pausing to grab my fuzzy, pink robe as I do. It’s not unusual for Barrett to get up in the middle of the night to feed our six-month-old daughter and tell her bedtime stories.
But this is the first time I’ve heard him tell our story, and I can’t wait to hear it. I pad into the nursery and spot him sitting in the oversized armchair giving Marie a bottle.
Our baby girl looks so tiny in my big, strong cowboy’s arms. “While she was visiting her friend, she was lamenting—that’s a big word, but you’re a smart girl. Lament means to expressgrief or sadness. See, the beautiful princess did not have any…donuts…of her own.”
I can’t help chuckling at his G-rated version of our fairytale.
In the corner, Coco snores loudly on her doggie bed. Her doggie bed is Skip, who never minds that my little furball loves to sleep curled up next to him. The two of them are the best of friends, and they’re fiercely protective of our little sprinkle.
Barrett glances up. “Did we wake you?”
“Some things are worth losing sleep for,” I answer as I squish into the armchair next to him. I didn’t understand his insistence on getting the huge seat that takes up so much space in Marie’s room until the first night the three of us cuddled together in it. “Hi, Marie. Mommy’s here.”
She holds up a hand as if she’s waving, but really, she’s just trying to touch the bottle.
I smile at her. Every time I see this little girl, I’m reminded that miracles happen every day. That a girl who was once an unwanted loner can build a family of her own and create a beautiful life for herself.
Barrett yawns. He’s been staying up extra late recently to work on restoring the car in his workshop. I’m glad he’s getting back into his hobby. He spends so much time taking care of me and Marie. I want him to have something he loves doing for himself. “Now, where was I?”
“The princess had no…donuts…of her own,” I smirk at him. I love being squished up next to him in this oversized chair. I can’t wait for the day when we have so many babies that we need another big chair.
“Oh, yes. So, while the princess was feeling very sad about having no donuts, something amazing happened. The biggest, handsomest cowboy in all the land—”
I snort.
He glares. “Some even say he was the handsomest cowboy in all the world—”
“Who? Who is this mysterioussome?” I tease.
“People! People all over. Now, do you want to tell it?”
I focus on Marie. “So, there’s something you should know about fairytales—”
“They happen everyday, and in this house, we believe in them.” Barrett sends me a mock glare.
“Your daddy is right. We believe in fairytales,” I finally give up teasing him because I really do want to hear his version of the story.
“So, the cowboy offered to give the beautiful princess donuts if she would only come to his kingdom and be his queen. But the princess was scared because she hadn’t been loved before. She needed to be shown that love is good to you.”
I smile at his words. “Love is always good to you. It means the other person cares more about you than they do themselves.”
