Page 37

ONE YEAR AND SOME CHANGE LATER

I grab Cade’s tanned hand and play with the championship ring he received after the Cutters won the World Series. It’s hard to believe it was almost two months ago. And right now, we’re sunning by our private pool, in the Caribbean… more specifically St. John, one of the US Virgin Islands and we get to stay an entire month. Auggie is asleep in the shade of the lush tropical landscape in a pop-up portable crib. I study my sleeping man. He’s so beautiful. His long dark lashes fan his cheeks. He’s already tan from the week we’ve spent lazing around the pool.

After the whirlwind of the playoffs, followed by our weddin’, we needed this. Wendy and Mark will join us the last week we’re here. Funny thing about that. Wendy and I have gotten over our differences and have become pretty tight. She loves August and is a wonderful grandma. She’s even taken up for me on occasion when Cade and I have disagreed.

I close my eyes thinking of our weddin’ day. We kept it as simple as Wendy and Mama would allow. It was beautiful. I wore a gorgeous sparkly cream-colored gown and felt like a princess. Mama did everybody’s hair, even Wendy’s. Would you believe me if I said they’ve become friends? Doyle gave me away, with tears welling in his eyes. Ava, Darla and my brother Asher were all in the weddin’ party. Quinn was Cade’s best man. Emma and Grayson walked together down the aisle with Auggie in the middle. Of course, most of Cade’s teammates showed up. Ava was in heaven with all that testosterone floating around. Darla too. It was a fairy tale kind of day.

Cade wakes up and catches me staring. His eyes crinkle as he smiles. I sigh.

“Hey you,” he says with a yawn.

“Hey sleepy head.”

He glances at my growing belly and rests his palm against the slight swell. How’s Lester?” he asks.

“Quit calling her Lester.”

“Okay, Bettie Sue, then.”

“Your mom would kill us both.” He throws back his head and laughs. Holy cow, my heart still stutters for this man.

I roll onto my side and prop my head on my hand. “Seriously, what are we gonna name this baby?” He doesn’t need to know just yet, that I secretly call her Daisy. Call it intuition. I think it’s a girl.

“I’ve always liked the name Ella, for a girl,” he offers.

“I like that. What about Gabriel if it’s a boy?”

“Not bad. How about Benjamin?”

“It’s an honorable mention,” I say. “I like Daniel.”

“Meh,” he says. I give him the stink eye.

“Mama, Daddy,” August calls from his pack and play crib. He’s standing looking at us with a big grin.

“Hey, baby boy,” I say as Cade jumps to his feet like lightning.

“Come here little slugger,” Cade says lifting him out of the crib. “Did you have a nice nap?”

August burrows into Cade and sticks his thumb in his mouth. “Yesh.”

“Need to go potty?” Cade asks.

“Yesh, Auggie potty,” Auggie replies.

“Mama, we’ll be right back,” Cade calls over his shoulder before disappearing through the open wall leading indoors.

I roll onto my back and rub my belly. “Well little one, we can hardly wait to meet you. You have the most handsome daddy in the whole wide world and your brother is going to be the best big brother ever.”

Cade and I talk to our baby all the time. Auggie is so excited to have a little brother or sister. His favorite book right now is a sweet little story about becoming a big brother.

If you’d have told me a year ago my life would end up like this, I would have said, “Great story, now tell me the one about a talking dog!” I honestly have to pinch myself sometimes. I hear August talking to his daddy before he darts out of the villa heading straight towards me. I sit up and hold out my arms and he flies into me. He is agile and sure-footed with a grace like his daddy. I’m not going to say it out loud but we may have another future MLB player on our hands. He’s obsessed with baseball. Sound familiar?

Auggie lays his head on my belly and listens. “Baby sleep?”

“Yes. The baby is being very quiet this mornin’.”

Cade approaches and hands me a glass of iced sweet tea. “You read my mind,” I say. “Thank you.”

He crouches down to Auggie’s level. “You ready to get in the pool, big guy?”

August claps his hands. “Me go swim.”

“Let’s do it.” He leans down and kisses me like he means serious business and whispers, “I’ve got big plans for you and me tonight after Auggie goes to bed.”

“Are you sure you can stay awake long enough?” I tease.

He laughs and says, “Hey, I’ve got a good excuse… I’m still recovering.”

“You did play hard, I’ll give you that.”

“I promise not to fall asleep on you tonight.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

He puts on Auggies inflatable arm floaties then grabs his hand and walks him to the edge of the pool. My lover and his mini-me. They are adorable. Cade picks him up and jumps in with a big splash. My heart is so full it feels like it might explode. My phone rings and I see it’s Mama callin’. We haven’t talked for a few days and I can’t wait to catch her up on this fabulous life I’m living. I answer with August squealing in the background as Cade tosses him high in the air over the water.

“Hi, Mama…”

The End