“Don’t judge me. It’s the best flavor combination there is.” I point my pickle at Russell who’s side-eying me as I alternate between bites of my ice cream sandwich and bites of pickle spears.
“No one is judging you,” Aunt Dorothy says as she takes a sip of her morning coffee.
“So it’s five in the morning, and the pregnant lady has already started eating. It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t mean I’m gaining so much weight that pretty soon I’ll sink the Titanic.” The final words come out as a desperate sob.
There’s the sound of pounding footsteps then a second later Griffin is by my side. His hand is on my back, but there’s no mistaking the fury in his voice. He bellows loud enough to wake the dead, “Who upset my bride?”
“It’s fine. It’s fine,” I try to reassure him which only makes me sob harder even though I don’t mean to cry. It’s these hormones. Last week I realized that Daisy had outgrown her cute little sun hat, and I cried for twenty minutes.
Aunt Dorothy and Russell decide that now is the perfect time to leave. They both murmur some excuse about checking on horses, closing the door quickly behind themselves. I’m alone in Aunt Dorothy’s cheerful yellow kitchen with my handsome husband.
“Listen, honey.” Through my blurry vision, I see that Griffin is kneeling on the floor next to my kitchen chair. He cups my wet face and thumbs away my tears. “No one is making pregnancy look sexier than you. Now, here, blow your nose.”
I blow my nose on the tissue he offers. We’re supposed to be moving from Aunt Dorothy’s house into our own today. It’s only two miles down the road since Griffin bought some of her land.
I love that we’ll be next door neighbors to the woman who raised my husband, and I love that we’re getting our place. I can’t wait to start decorating it.
I already have dozens of those cute little home décor boards saved online. Audrey and I have been adding pictures to the boards for weeks now. I can’t wait to get everything just right for Daisy and our new baby.
“You think I look sexy?” I croak out when I’ve finished blowing my nose. My ankles are swollen to twice their normal size. My hair is dry and brittle. My bladder is constantly waking me, and I get up to use the bathroom every three seconds. It seems I’m still waiting for that promised pregnancy glow.
He puts a hand on my bump. Our bump. Our little baby is inside of me, getting stronger every day. “Every moment of every day, you are sexy.”
“Even with pickle breath?”
“Yeah, even then. Now, we have a house to move into today. Are you ready?”
I nod and hiccup a little. He’s been so good to me through this pregnancy. He always takes my hormones in stride. He never acts like I’m being dramatic or makes me feel silly about them. He does what he can to make things better. Even if he can’t fix the situation, he holds me through the tears.
“Good, I’ve got a special surprise for you.” The last time he said that I ended up pregnant. Not that I’m complaining. I feel like the luckiest person in the world, other than these crying episodes which Dr. Cash says are perfectly normal.
“I want to finish my breakfast first,” I tell him.
He gives me a patient smile. “You finish breakfast. I’ll wake Daisy.”
After breakfast, the three of us load our suitcases for our first day in our new house. The guys will be back later to get our bed and Daisy’s crib. Aunt Dorothy has donated a few pieces to our new place. Together, Griffin and I will buy the rest of the furniture we’ll need.
“I can’t believe it’s finally happening,” I tell him as he pulls into our driveway. I gaze up at the white clapboard porch with the porch swing and blue throw pillows. A weave basket filled with blankets sits between two rocking chairs. There’s a baby swing nearby, perfect for those nights when Griffin and I want to talk on the porch with our daughter nearby.
“It looks just like that board I designed online,” I sniff, surprised that Griffin did this. I hadn’t expected him to. He’s been working so hard on getting the house built and keeping up with his responsibilities on the farm and as a deputy.
“Daisy helped me,” he says as he pulls her out of the backseat. It’s getting harder for me to bend over with my bump. She grins and launches into a series of coos that sound as if she’s telling me about all the ways she contributed to the porch.
Hand in hand, we walk up the front porch. The front door swings open, and Lorna gives me a beaming smile. “Welcome home!”
She steps back to usher me into the foyer. My foyer. I can’t believe I own a house now. It’s wild to me that almost a year ago, I was on the run with nowhere to go. Now, I have a husband who loves me, a beautiful house, two daughters, and a community that’s here to support me and celebrate with me.
There’s a bright red rug covering the dark hardwood flood and a chandelier hanging form the ceiling that sparkles when the light catches it. There’s a framed picture of Griffin, me, and Daisy hanging on the wall with a sign above it that reads: Welcome to our home.
I blink back tears and turn to Griffin. “I love this so much!”
“Come in and see it all,” Lorna tugs me into the living room that’s filled with so many of our friends and family. Russell and Aunt Dorothy are here along with Sheriff Luke, his wife, Austin, and Logan and Audrey with Daisy’s new best friend, Paisley.
The living room has been fully furnished and decorated just like my online pictures. Even down to the vase of fresh wildflowers on the table behind the couch. The built-in bookcases are already filled with books for Daisy while the higher shelves are empty, just waiting for me to fill them with steamy romances that Audrey has gotten me into reading.
“How did you do all of this?” I ask Griffin, no longer able to keep the happy tears at bay.
“I had a lot of help,” he tells me as Audrey rushes forward to give me a big hug.
“All those online boards we were making,” I say. I thought it would take years to bring everything to reality, but my friends pitched in and did it all within a few weeks.
“Austin and Lorna helped. They were over here until midnight most nights,” Audrey beams.
“It was fun. You have great taste in décor,” Austin says, passing me a tissue for my face.
I spend the next few hours with our friends. They show me all the incredible things they did, every detail of the house is exactly how I wanted it. They didn’t miss anything. I’ve never felt so loved and seen as I do in this moment. The people here today are the family I spent so long searching for as a little girl.
When it’s lunchtime, Ernie goes onto the deck and starts grilling burgers for us. Our backyard is filled with picnic tables stacked with disposable dishes and big jugs of sweet tea. The afternoon passes quickly in a blur of good food and easy laughter.
Still, I’m relieved when everyone leaves, and it’s just our little family alone. I wave goodbye on the porch, Griffin’s arms wrapped around me. My back is pressed to his front. I love it when he holds me this way. It always makes me feel so protected.
“You do so much for me.”
His hands caress my bump. He’s always touching it these days. “I like taking care of my woman. You’re the most important person in my world, and I want you to know that every minute of every day.”
“In all of the excitement, I didn’t see our bedroom,” I tell him, a flirty tone underneath my words.
Daisy is already taking her first nap in her new nursery. I love the soft pink walls and the teddy bear mural. But what I really love is the plush recliner with the accent table. It’ll be the perfect place to enjoy quiet morning snuggles with my girl. There’s even space in the room for another crib when our second daughter arrives.
Griffin really did think of everything as he was designing this house. Every room is a testament to his great love for our family.
“I did save the best for last,” his tone deepening.
“I’ll need to think of a way to show my gratitude,” I murmur.
He scoops me into his arms effortlessly and smiles down at me, his expression filled with tenderness. “No, it’s me who will be showing my gratitude to my beautiful wife for all the love and joy she’s brought into my life.”
I giggle as he carries me down the hall into our bedroom. He spends the rest of afternoon thanking me in every way imaginable. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my days making a home with my cowboy husband.
***
If you loved reading about Griffin and Missy, be sure to read Audrey and Logan’s story in The Cowboy’s Soulmate. She’s the mail order bride that shows up with a baby in her arms. He’s the protective cowboy that’s going to marry her anyway!
