Because of You

“How’d they take it?”

I chuckled softly. “Your dad wasn’t that happy. My mom was surprisingly supportive. When I started showing and let them see the ultrasound, your dad fell in love with her. He’s done a complete turn on his hardened self.”

Sutton snorted. “Yeah, it was like walking into an episode of the Twilight Zone with him today.” He looked up at me. “I love you so damn much.” He winced and looked down at the baby. “Sorry. I need to learn to watch my mouth around my daughter.” Lifting his head, his eyes were wide again. “My daughter. I’m a dad.”

I covered my mouth with my hand and nodded, my vision becoming blurry as the tears started to fill my eyes.

Maddie started fussing and Sutton looked panicked. I chuckled and stood, taking the baby from him and setting her back in the car seat. She settled right down. Before I could take my seat again, Sutton reached out and took hold of my hand, his thumb moving over my pulse point.

“I’m never leaving you again. I’m never leaving either of you.”

I smiled.

“I love you, Catherine, and I love Maddie.” He stood and I craned my head back to look him in the face. “I’m going to work so damn hard to provide for both of you, to give you guys the life you deserve.” He reached out and ran his finger along my cheek, wiping my tears away.

Sutton held me tighter and I closed my eyes, resting my head on his chest. I don’t know how long we stood there, but the one thing I’d thought about over and over again this past year rose up. I pulled back just an inch, my heart in my throat. “What did you say when you were in the back of the cruiser, right before they drove off?” He cupped my cheek, his thumb smoothing over my bottom lip. “You probably don’t even remember what I’m talking about—”

“I remember,” he said softly. “I said, I’ll come back for you.” He pulled me in for another embrace.

“And you did.” He cupped the back of my head and I felt everything fall right into place.

“I did.”

Epilogue

Sutton

Ten years later

I smiled as I sat in the corner of the hospital room looking down at my son. God, how on Earth did I get so lucky? He had a little blue and white polka dot hat on, and a matching swaddle blanket wrapped snugly around his tiny body. Our daughters, Maddie and Rainy Rose, sat on the bed with Catherine.

My wife.

Soul mate.

My whole fucking world.

Catherine was video chatting with her mother, the smile on her face happy, sweet. After all these years, a somewhat taboo romance, a perfect wedding, and two little girls, we’d brought our third child into the world.

A little boy.

Sutherland, the name Catherine had picked out because she wanted his name to resemble mine.

I held Sutherland in my arms, staring down at how perfect he was. The little baby grunted softly in my arms and made my heart fill with even more love. I didn’t think it was possible to care for another person as much as I did about my three girls.

“When do you go back to work?”

I heard Catherine’s mother say.

“I’m taking six weeks off.”

“Not the full twelve? Honey, you own the bakery. You can decide when you return, set your own rules.”

I looked up at Catherine, knowing that bringing up the fact she owned the bakery would make her sad. Over the last ten years a lot had changed. Catherine had stayed at the bakery while going to school for management, on top of being a mother and wife. He goal had been to help Rose with the business aspect of running the place.

But then Rose got sick, hung on for a few years, but ultimately passed away, and I knew Catherine was left with this huge hole in her heart.

I knew she had seen Rose as a second mother. And it was that close connection between them that had created this unbreakable bond. So much so that after Rose passed away, Catherine found out she’d been left the bakery.

“Mom, six weeks is plenty.” There was definite sadness in my wife’s voice. I wanted to go to her and pull her in close, to tell her everything would be okay.

“Okay, honey. Maybe I’ll come out and help with the baby in a couple weeks?” I saw Catherine smile.

“That would be great, Mom.”

I looked up at Catherine, who had passed the phone off to the girls to talk with Grandma. I could hear my father in the background, his voice animated as he told the girls about his fishing trip. While growing up he’d been a hard ass with me, but as soon as the girls had come along, I saw the change. He was a grandpa now, and a good one at that.