Inn Love

I’ve got Olivia to thank for the direction my life has taken for the better. In fact, I have her to thank for everything. She’s the one that sewed the pieces of my life back together. She’s the person who has made life worth living once again. And I know today when I see her walking down the aisle toward me, I won’t be able to contain my love. She is everything to me, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.

I stand at the altar, waiting for her to come in. I hold my breath, preparing myself for the beauty of her to grace the room. I can still barely believe that she’s mine. This goddess from the heavens…she’s going to be mine forever. There’s no way in hell I’m ever letting her go.

The doors to the church open, and the guests gasp collectively. Because Olivia, this beautiful ethereal creature, is gliding down the aisle in a lace dress fit for a princess. My mother proudly asked Olivia if she would like to wear her wedding dress for the special day, and, of course, Olivia said yes. This response put my mother over the moon.

Walking down the aisle, Olivia has never looked so incredible, and that’s saying something. She grows more beautiful every day I spend with her. She keeps her eyes on the ground shyly, but she’s smiling.

And when our eyes meet, sparks fly. It’s like everyone else doesn’t exist. It’s like it’s just her and me here right now. That’s all I care about. I don’t need anyone else in the world. Not when she is so perfect for me. Not when she makes me so damn happy. She takes my breath away as she stands next to me at the altar, ready to commit to me forever.

And I can’t wait for forever to begin.

ONE YEAR LATER

Olivia

I wake to the sound of my baby girl snuffling in the crib beside my bed, and I smile. I’m getting used to being woken up in the middle of the night by the sounds of my child, and I can’t say I mind one bit. Not when it fills my heart with so much love to take care of my baby.

I stir and scoop her up into my arms, holding her close to my chest. She wants to be fed, so I let her suckle on me, her tiny fists clenching and unclenching as she drinks. It’s one of the little features of her that I love, one of the things that makes her unique.

One of the things that make her mine.

Elijah also wakes up beside me, and he wraps his arms around both of us as Fay feeds. She’s such a beautiful little creature. Of course, all babies are beautiful, but I can barely believe how gorgeous my baby is. She looks so much like her father already, and I love seeing his features reflected in her. It only makes me love her even more.

“You’re such a good Mom,” Elijah says in a sleep rough voice, kissing my bare shoulders. I close my eyes with a smile. Hearing those words is like music to my ears. After everything I went through as a child, especially being abandoned by my parents, it’s good to know that I’m not repeating the pattern. I pour all my love and attention into my family, even Elijah’s Mom and Dad. They have been so wonderful to their granddaughter and me. I don’t have a single complaint about my in-laws. They are always there when we need them, and I hope to give them many more grandchildren. I’m finally able to give everything to my daughter, to my family, and it feels good.

“And you’re the perfect father,” I tell Elijah, kissing his lips gently. Elijah pulls me even closer and then kisses the top of Fay’s head.

“I’m so lucky,” he says, and I smile.

“We both are,” I whisper. And it’s definitely true. In the past year, we have had so many blessings. Almost too many to count. We have had the arrival of our baby girl. We got married in the most beautiful ceremony I’ve ever known. We bought our first home together, a beautiful ivy-covered house in the town where we first fell in love. Elijah has retired from acting to focus on our family, and I do a couple of shifts a week at the Inn cooking for the guests. I love being in the kitchen, but being at home with Fay is more important. This way, I get to live out both of my dreams; being a mother and being a chef. I guess I was born to be a provider, the person who gives and gives and gives.

And that’s why being married has been perfect, too. Elijah is my priority as well as my baby girl and my new parents. I give everything I’ve got to him and make sure that he’s happy and satisfied. I make love to him every single day, not just because I want to, but because I can’t bear the idea of him being unsatisfied. I want to give him everything the way he has given to me. He’s made my life so much better, and I want to provide the same for him.