The Army Doc's Secret Wife

EPILOGUE

Five years later

‘HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY, Mrs Abrams.’ Ben kissed her gently awake as the first rays of dawn poured through a gap in the curtains.

‘Happy tenth anniversary,’ she mumbled sleepily, wrapping her arms around his neck and getting ready to pull him back into bed for a proper good morning celebration.

But Ben quickly detached her grip with a rumble of amusement.

‘Sorry, my love, but no time. You’d better brace yourself.’

‘Brace myself...?’

‘Happy Mummy’s day to you, Happy Mummy’s day to you...’

Their three-year-old burst excitedly into the room with a delightfully out of tune, improvised rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. She stopped, glancing at him for guidance, and Ben was only too happy to jump into the fray and sing along with his daughter.

Then, waving a handmade card with a colourful, splodgy footprint on the front, she leapt onto the bed, and Ben felt a burst of pride as he watched his little girl snuggle up to her mummy, almost shoving the card up Thea’s nose in her eagerness.

‘I made it for you, Mummy. It’s my footprint—see?’

She waggled her foot in the air, as if fearing her mother wouldn’t recognise it otherwise, and Ben was amused to see Thea actually checking the foot. Mercifully, it was clean—which was more than could be said for the bathroom floor right now.

As Thea shifted up the bed to wrap her daughter in her arms Ben lurched forward to help her.

She batted him away good-naturedly. ‘I’m pregnant. I’m not ill.’

‘I know that, but you’re over a week overdue and you look ready to pop,’ he chastised her as a fresh surge of love crashed over him.

‘Which is why they’ll be inducing me on Wednesday if he hasn’t been born by then. I’d say he’s definitely your son.’ Thea shot him a wicked grin. ‘He won’t arrive until he’s good and ready.’

‘A brother, a brother... I’m getting a brother,’ came a sing-song cry of delight. Then the little girl stopped, a look of concern clouding her perfect features. ‘Do you think he’ll know that it’s my birthday next weekend?’

‘I’m pretty sure he will,’ Thea reassured her, with a quick glance to Ben.

He nodded in confirmation. He had collected a couple of gifts and some party supplies yesterday, knowing that it would reassure Thea. She was adamant that this would be the first party their three-year-old daughter would remember, so they were going to throw one this year.

With all the attention she knew was bound to be lavished on their new son by well-meaning friends, Thea was determined not to let their daughter feel even a little bit left out.

She was an incredible mother. An incredible woman. After the bad start their marriage had suffered, those first five years, Ben had been determined to ensure these last five years had been the best years of her life. They had certainly been the best of his.

They worked alongside each other occasionally, but staggered their shift patterns so that one of them was almost always home with their incredible little girl. He couldn’t be happier. Except, perhaps, when their new son joined them properly and they would be a foursome.

‘Come on, munchkin.’ Ben leaned over the bed and swung his daughter up. An excited shriek came from the little girl. ‘I promised you a morning in the park whilst your mummy sleeps. She might have a busy day ahead of her soon.’

‘Um, Ben—’

The catch in her voice made him spin around quickly.

‘I think that day is now. I’ve been having light contractions all night, and my waters have just broken.’

‘We’re going in?’ Ben confirmed.

Last time Thea had taken a bath and baked her favourite carrot cake before finally letting him drive her to the hospital.

Thea pushed herself out of bed and took her daughter for a last cuddle. ‘Phone the Colonel first.’

‘Colonel Grandpa! Colonel Grandpa!’ The little girl jiggled, delighted at the fulfilment of a long-standing promise of a day or two exclusively with her grandfather.