I do need to sleep, so I don’t argue with her. I let her walk with me to the stuffy spare bedroom I’ve only used twice since I bought this place. Alyssa pulls back the covers and finally, finally, I sink into bed.
This mattress isn’t nearly as comfortable as the one I’m used to sleeping on, but right now, it feels like heaven.
Feels even more like heaven when my little angel snuggles up beside me and throws her arms around me, curling up as close as she can.
She doesn’t say anything, and I don’t either. A little bit out of habit, a little bit because I just need to know our daughter’s okay, I rest my hand on Alyssa’s tummy.
I close my eyes, soaking up the peace and quiet. I’m just about asleep when all of a sudden I feel a little movement against my hand and Alyssa gasps.
Her eyes are wide with wonder when she looks up at me. “Did you feel it?”
A shit-eating grin spreads across my tired face. “I sure did.”
Alyssa grins even wider and throws her arms around my neck, pulling herself half on top of me. “That was the first big one. Oh my God, that was so adorable.” Easing onto her back but staying close to me with my arm around her, Alyssa puts her hand on her belly. “Mackenzie, what are you doing in there?”
She waits and waits and waits, but the baby doesn’t kick her.
It doesn’t seem to dull her excitement any.
Once Alyssa settles back down and turns more on her side like she was before, I put my hand back on her tummy. I only put it there because I like to feel like I’m holding both my girls, but when I press my hand against her, I feel another little kick.
Alyssa’s jaw falls open. “Hey! Why are you only kicking for him?”
I can’t stop another grin as I look over at Alyssa. “She’s gonna be a daddy’s girl.”
“Oh, that’s not even fair,” Alyssa says, but even as she objects, she can hardly contain her own happiness.
I chuckle and my arm tightens around her, tugging her closer since I can never seem to get her close enough to satisfy me.
Sighing with contentment, Alyssa settles in against me and runs her hand up and down my abdomen in soft, relaxing strokes. Just as I’m about to drift off again, she leans up and gives me a little kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“I love you so much, Brant.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
Epilogue
Two years later
Brant
“Bam, bam, bam, bam!”
I crack a smile, looking over at my nephew as he bangs his little plastic hammer against a block of scrap wood I gave him to play with.
Drawn by all the racket we’re making, Amber passes through the doorway into her daughter’s bedroom and shoots me a look while she twists her blonde hair up and secures it with a clip behind her head. “Can you not? Mommy’s getting a headache.”
Rudy turns to look at her. “I fix it,” he says, holding up his hammer proudly.
“He’s doing a real good job,” I assure her.
He looks over and flashes me a smile then resumes his task. “Bam, bam, bam!”
Amber sighs in defeat and walks back out of the room.
About six months ago, Pappy passed away. It was a sad time for the girls, but the loss brought with it something pretty good for Amber. Turned out, Pappy didn’t leave his house to their mom like everyone assumed he would—he left it to Amber and Alyssa.
Alyssa doesn’t have much use for a house, so she signed it over to her sister. I used my powers of persuasion and had a chat with their mom when she tried to contest the will and take the house. Mutually, we came to the conclusion that not only was Robin going to let her daughter have the goddamn house, it was also high time she moved out.
Now, Amber and her two kids have a lot more room to live. Over the months, I’ve been fixing the place up for her. I’ve done a lot to the place, but the most satisfying thing was the smallest: I finally got to take down that shitty screen door I was always itching to fix and put a new, sturdier one in its place.
Today, I’m working on the built-in bookshelf Amber wanted in Rianne’s bedroom, and Rudy’s helping me fix things up for his sister like a good brother should.
After a lot more banging, Rudy tuckers out and I get enough done to call it a day. While Amber takes him to his room to put him down for a nap, I pack up my tools.
I lift my tool box and stand, preparing to head out. Before I go, I take a look around Alyssa’s old bedroom, the place where we first met. It doesn’t look much like it did that night. Alyssa did her best to make it nice with what she had available, but I didn’t have such limitations. I gutted the whole room and put up fresh drywall, changing little things here and there to make it just what Amber wanted.