by Kelsie Rae
“Yes, Dr. Bennett.”
With a smirk, he stands up and disappears before returning a few minutes later with an iPad in hand. The screen is already lit up with two of my favorite people, and my face stretches into a grin when a little pink blanket bundled in Sway’s arms comes into view.
“Hey,” I greet them.
“Hey, Marcy. I heard you experienced quite the roller coaster ride over the last thirty-six hours,” Anthony replies.
“Sure did. How was the flight?”
“Good. We were lucky to catch the first one out and made it here a few hours ago. How are you feeling?”
I roll my eyes, but it only amplifies my headache. Grimacing, I answer, “I’m okay.”
“Bullshit. Is there anything we can do to help?”
“Don’t worry. Ben’s taking good care of me.” My gaze darts over to him as I smile shyly.
“I have no doubt,” Sway quips, grabbing my attention. “I heard you haven’t had a chance to formally meet our Little Miss yet.” As Anthony angles the camera down, she gently nudges away a bit of the pink blanket to give me a glimpse of the most precious baby girl I’ve ever seen.
I gasp and cover my mouth. “Oh my gosh…she’s beautiful, you guys. I wish I could hold her. She’s so tiny!”
“I know! I can’t believe how little she is. She feels like a doll.” Gently, Sway rocks her back and forth while Anthony gives me a close-up of the baby girl who’s been hanging out in my uterus for the last few months. I melt instantly. Red chubby cheeks. Soft, black hair. A cute button nose just like her mama. She’s sleeping, but her little pink lips are puckered and wiggle up and down in tiny movements like she’s sucking on a bottle.
And that’s how long it took for me to be wrapped around her little finger. Two seconds flat.
“What’s her name?” I whisper mesmerized.
I can practically hear Anthony’s smile as he answers, “Stella Marcy Wright.”
Marcy.
My bottom lip quivers, but I try to get a grip on myself and take a slow, deep breath.
“You guys….” My voice cracks. “You didn’t have to do that––”
“We wanted to,” Anthony interrupts. “Besides, we think it fits.”
My heart wants to burst with joy at the miracle on the screen. “I love it. And I love her. She’s absolutely gorgeous. But I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep her in the oven a little longer.”
Sway laughs, but her eyes are glassy. “You cooked her just enough. The doctors say her lungs look great, and she shouldn’t have any complications. It’s…she’s a miracle, Marcy,” Sway cries, finally losing the battle with her emotions. “You gave us our miracle.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“You did more than you’ll ever know,” Anthony corrects me. “Thank you.”
Sniffling, Sway runs her finger along Stella’s rosy cheek. “You have no idea, Marcy. Thank you so much.”
The world starts to spin, and I squeeze my eyes closed before whispering, “You’re welcome. The drugs are making me feel a little crappy, though, so I think I should follow doctor’s orders and get some rest.”
“Of course. You must be exhausted. We’ll chat later, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
The mattress compresses as Ben leans closer, takes the iPad away from me, then sets it on the small tray beside the hospital bed. With a gentleness I’ve grown accustomed to, his warm hand grasps mine, and I peel my eyelids open.
“Hey,” I croak. “I don’t feel good.”
“Unfortunately, that’s kind of normal for a girl who’s recovering from preeclampsia,” he admits with a frown. “Like I said, the mag sulfate has some shitty side effects, but you’ll feel better soon.”
“Do I need another needle?” I pout.
He laughs, and it’s the first one I’ve heard since my last appointment. “To be fair, I warned you about the crash course in needles…but other than the IV, I think you can take a break from them for now.”
“Promise?”
“For now,” he reiterates with a grin.
“Thank goodness my trusty doctor is here to take care of me.”
Trust being the key word. If anyone else were here to take care of me, I’d be freaking out. But it’s Ben. And I trust Ben with every fiber of my being. I love him too. So damn much that it hurts.
“You should get some rest.”
31
Marcy
The next few days go by in a blur of needles, medications, and waiting––lots of waiting. People drop by to visit me, coming and going like the tide in the sea. But one of them is constant and refuses to leave my side.
Ben.
And while I appreciate it more than he’ll ever know, I’ve officially been deemed out of the woods and will go home tomorrow, which means he can finally breathe easy. Or at least, he should.
“You can go home, you know. Get some rest.”
Ben shakes his head. “Not until the nurses let me sign the discharge papers.”
“Which they will tomorrow morning, remember?”
“That’s not soon enough,” he argues.
“Ben, I’m okay.”
“I know.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know you are. I’m the one that delivered the news, remember?” he quips with a relieved smirk.
Grinning, I pull my freshly washed hair over my shoulder. “Then why have you refused to go home and shower instead of using the one here? And there’s no way that chair is comfortable for sleeping.”
“You’re my home,” he insists. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“You’re being ridiculous right now. Adorable, but ridiculous. You know that, right?”
“I love you, Marcy.”
“I love you too, which is why I’m insisting you take care of yourself right now. You’ve already spent the last week taking care of me. Please?”
“On one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“Move in with me.”
“Ben….”
“Why not?” he argues.
“Because I don’t want us to move our relationship forward just because you’re scared to let me out of your sight.”
“That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. It’s not about that. It’s about the fact that life is precious. And precarious. I don’t want to waste it by taking the slow, traditional route that society deems acceptable. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If it wouldn’t freak you out, I’d be on one knee right now, but I figured I should probably take it one step at a time.”
The hint of a proposal causes my pulse to spike, and my words to fail me.
“I….”
“I told you it would freak you out,” he teases. “One step at a time. But I wasn’t kidding about the whole moving in part. What do you think?”
I consider his proposition, but it doesn’t take me long to jump on board. He’s right. I love him. What else matters? And who cares what other people think? I want to spend the rest of my life with this man by my side, a few little kids toddling around, and even a pet pig.
But I’ll still settle for a dog if I have to.
“So?” he presses, looking anxious and adorable at the same time. I stride toward him and kiss him softly.
“I think I’d like that, Ben. I think I’d like it a lot.”
Epilogue
Ben
“Daddy!” Sydney calls as she pitter-patters down the hall toward the master bedroom. My mouth stretches into a warm smile. The title never gets old.
After mowing the lawn, I hopped in the shower to clean up for tonight, but I should’ve known my privacy was finite. As I slide a T-shirt over my head, my daughter skids into the room and starts bouncing on our bed.
“They’re coming! They’re coming! They’re coming!” she squeals. Her little body can only handle so much excitement, and a visit from her best friend is almost more than she
can bear.
“Did Mom say when Stella would be here?” I ask her.
“In twenty-nine minutes.”
I laugh. “Are you sure it’s not twenty-eight yet?”
“Mom put a timer on her phone. I just checked it,” she answers matter-of-factly. That girl is way too smart for her own good.
“Sydney Kate Bennett!” Marcy yells from the main floor of our home, interrupting Sydney’s impromptu jump session. We both freeze as she gives me a panicked look.
“Did you remember to feed Penelope?” I whisper conspiratorially.
Her eyes widen in fear. “Uh, oh.”
Marcy’s order makes the house shake as she adds, “Get your cute butt down here, missy!”
“Coming!” Sydney returns. Her braided pigtails flip through the air as she leaps into my arms without waiting for an invitation. Thankfully, this isn’t my first rodeo with her jumping on the bed, and I’m ready to catch her.
Oomph.
“What’s your mama feeding you? You’re getting too big, Syd!”
Beaming with pride, she wraps her tiny arms around my neck and squeezes me with every fiber of her being. “Mom feeds me cereal and fruit snacks.”
I bite my tongue to keep from laughing. “Good point. I guess I only have myself to blame for feeding you healthy, nutritious food that’s making you grow up too fast. I’m going to have to start slipping anti-growth pills in your dinner from now on. Now, go feed the pig before your mom comes upstairs looking for you.”
“Fiiine,” she whines. Her tiny feet skip out of the room and down the stairs while I take a moment to collect myself.
It’s September 18th.
The years seem to fly by faster and faster, then come to a screeching halt on days like today when memories of my previous life rise to the surface until I’m left with whiplash.
My eyes find the wedding photo that Marcy had framed for me, insisting I put it somewhere to remember Kate. It’s a small 5x7 photograph that rests on the dresser in our room. When we moved in together, she found the room I’d filled with storage boxes that were full of Kate’s belongings. She spent hours going through each of them with me. The clothing. The old stuffed animals from Kate’s childhood. The prom pictures. All of it. When she found Kate’s lemon-printed apron, she held it to her chest and wept.
I never expected my second wife to be so accepting of my first. Sometimes, it feels like I’ve lived two separate lives until Marcy clears away the haze and reminds me that it’s okay to find happiness in both of them.
Sometimes, I still can’t believe Marcy gave me a chance. That she has the patience to put up with me. That she’s so accepting of my past and the love I still have for Kate. Hell, Marcy even insisted on naming our daughter after her. She really is a saint.
Gliding my finger across the simple black frame, I take in the happy expressions that shine back at me from my first wedding.
Kate and I were so young when we got married. So naive about what life had in store for us. Sometimes, I still feel naive when it comes to life. On more than one occasion, Marcy has had to remind me that she’s okay. That our daughter, Sydney Kate, is okay. That the little boy in her swelling stomach is okay. That life is good. And it really is.
After we moved in together, the pieces fell into place more smoothly than I ever could’ve imagined. I proposed a few months later, and we found out she was pregnant shortly after that.
We didn’t bother with birth control because we both knew what our five-year plans entailed. And even though we understand that we don’t always have control over much in life, we did our best to reach for our dreams. So far, I’ve been lucky enough to capture each and every one of them.
As I continue staring at the image in the black frame, my first wife’s eyes shine back at me in the photo, glinting in the light as if they hold a secret.
“I miss you, Kate,” I breathe. “But I hope you’re happy. That you’ve found someone to make you happy.” Swallowing thickly, my attention slides to the photo beside it. “Marcy makes me happy.”
Heels click-clack down the hall, and I drop my hand to my side. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I find Marcy watching me closely. Studying me.
This isn’t the first time she’s caught me talking to Kate, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Waddling toward me with her Hot Mess apron stretched across her pregnant belly, she wraps her arm around my waist and pulls me into a side hug.
“I really wish I could’ve known her,” she admits with a sigh.
“Me too.”
She squeezes me tighter. “I’m sorry that tonight was the only night that worked with Anthony and Sway’s schedule. If you want to stay up here, you totally can. I know how hard your anniversary can be.”
“It’s fine, Marce.” I brush my lips against her forehead. “And I’m okay.”
“You sure? You don’t have to put on a brave face with me. You know that––”
“I’m not putting on a brave face.” I laugh dryly. “I really am okay.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah. I love you, Marcy Bennett.”
“I love you too.” She raises onto her tiptoes and presses a kiss against my lips. “Now, if only Stella would get here already. I’m about to strangle your daughter. You’d think that the age gap between those two might’ve tainted their friendship, but holy crap on a cracker, they are going to be hell on wheels this weekend.”
Holding her closer, I pull her toward the hallway and down the stairs. “Of that, I have no doubt. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Neither would I. Who would’ve thought that a silly crush on my OB/GYN would’ve turned out the way it did? We’re pretty lucky.”
I drop another kiss to the crown of her head. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
I’m so damn lucky.
The End
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Interested in more Kelsie Rae?
Signature Sweethearts Series
(Contemporary Romance Stand alones)
Liv
Luke
Breezy
Jude
Rhett
Sophie
Marcus
Anthony
Skye
Saylor
Advantage Play Series
(Romantic Suspense/Mafia Series)
Wild Card
Dark King
Little Bird
Bitter Queen
Stand Alones
Fifty-Fifty
Hired Hottie- Cocky Hero World
Drowning in Love
Bartered Souls Duet (Urban Fantasy Series)
Gambled Soul
Wager Won
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Dear Reader,
I want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for taking a chance on Crush, The Everyday Heroes World, and for giving me the opportunity to share this story with you. I couldn’t do this without you!
I would also be very grateful if you could take the time to leave a review. It’s amazing how such a little thing like a review can be such a huge help to an author!
Thank you so much!!!
-Kelsie
About the Author
Kelsie is a sucker for a love story with all the feels. When she's not chasing words for her next book, you will probably find her reading or, more likely, hanging out with her husband and playing with her three kiddos who love to drive her crazy.
She adores photography, baki
ng, her yorkie, her boxer, and her devon rex. Now that she's actively pursuing her writing dreams, she's set her sights on someday finding the self-discipline to not binge-watch an entire series on Netflix in one sitting.
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