Page 40

Five Years Later

“Mom?” I call out as I let myself into the meadow cottage as we all now call it.

Mom and Betty both live here on the mountain now.

After spending most of their lives living next door to one another, it only took six months of Mom living in the cottage before they both admitted that they didn’t like having more than a fence between them. That’s when Case and I suggested that Betty and Mom become roommates.

It means Mom has a live-in caregiver on the days when she struggles to move without the help of her walker, and Betty has companionship and a purpose–her words, not mine. Her husband passed away many years ago and her children live in the Lower 48 so we’ve all adopted her as another Grandma.

It also means that Mom can spend more time with our three-year-old daughter and her namesake, Jessie-Lynn, and she has Betty there to help out. It's not surprising that Betty is just as tightly wrapped around Jessie’s finger as the rest of us.

Not finding Mom, Betty, or my rambunctious daughter in the house, I go searching, finding them all outside at the far end of the garden we planted for her and which we all take turns maintaining.

“Mama!” Jessie squeals, spotting me immediately and jumping up to run to me. Crouching down, I hold my arms open for her, closing them around her as she buries her cherubic face in my chest. “I missed you.”

My heart melts. “I missed you too, baby. Have you had a good time with Grandma and Nanny Betty?”

“Yup. They’re making me a wreaff of flowers. I’m gonna be a princethess , Mama,” she states emphatically with her adorable lisp.

I tickle her, loving the sound of her giggle. “Daddy says you’re already his princess.”

She swings from side to side, her knee-length tulle tutu moving with her. She’s also wearing pink cowboy boots which are near impossible to get off her feet at bedtime.

She’s the perfect mix of a girly girl and a strong, very independent mini-rancher in training. Believe me, life is never boring with our girl around, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

She was a very much wanted surprise that came a little sooner than we’d expected. Now I can’t imagine a life without her chocolate eyes and matching brown curls waking me up every morning.

“Where’s Daddy?” she asks, a frown scrunching her brows. “Gramma said Papa was comin’ to fix her sat—sat—” She stomps her foot, getting frustrated at herself.

I wait patiently, knowing she’ll work out what she wants to say. Years of working with patients of all ages at the hospital have definitely come in handy. They have given me the patience and empathy needed to be a mom.

Her eyes light up. “The dish! Grumps headbudded it and it went splat! ” She even reenacts it by going stiff as a board and falling over onto the grass.

“Jessie-Lynn Cooper, my goodness. Why are you rollin’ around the grass?” Mom says, her voice laced with amusement as she joins us. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you feelin’?”

I slowly stand straight again, my six-month-round baby belly threatening to tip me too far forward. “I’m OK. Just tired. Birdie and I were jokin’ that these second pregnancies seem so much harder than the first.”

Mom’s eyes dance. “I have no experience with that. I got it perfect my first time out and decided not to mess with fate,” she says with a wink. “But feel free to send our princess down the mountain anytime you want a break. I love havin’ her around. Especially out in the garden.”

“I heard you were makin’ her a wreath?”

“Oh yes. She woke up thinkin’ she was going to be a future Queen. We compromised on Princess.”

“Hence the wreath,” I add.

“Exactly.”

Jessie runs off after a butterfly, following it through the path winding through the wildflowers that none of us could bear to clear when we were building the cabin.

Mom’s gaze drifts over to my daughter. “She's just like you, you know?”

“Cheeky?” I tease.

Mom meets my eyes. “Energetic, smart, beautiful… perfect.”

“Now you’re just flatterin’ me,” I joke, but it’s just to mask the lump in my throat and the tears stinging my eyes. Damn pregnancy hormones. That’s my excuse anyway and I’m sticking to it.

“No. I’m tellin’ you that I’m damn proud of you. You’re my biggest achievement and one of the people I cherish most.”

My lips quirk up. “After Jessie-Lynn of course.”

Mom shakes her head, her own eyes glassy.

“There’s no her without you and Case. I hate my disease but at least one good thing came out of it.

You met the love of your life, and now you have your own perfect image of yourself and another on the way.

” Leaning forward, she rests her head on the side of my stomach, getting a hearty kick for her troubles.

“Maybe we’ve got a mini-Cayson in there this time? ”

I narrow my eyes her way. “You know we’re not findin’ out this time. We want to be surprised.”

“I know,” she sighs. “Can’t blame an old lady for tryin’.”

“You’re not old, Mom. You’re just experienced .”

She hugs me, resting her cheek on my shoulder while we laugh at Jessie trying to pounce on the poor butterfly, who thwarts her attempts but keeps fluttering in and out of reach.

“Are you happy, Lala?”

“Didn’t think I could be this happy. Every day I wonder how life could get any better. Then I wake up with my husband next to me and my daughter smilin’ at me and realize that it's not that the days get better, it’s that I see and appreciate everythin’ more.”

“I’m glad. That’s all I wanted for you–the same happiness you’ve brought me since the day you were born.”

“Mom, stop! You’re goin’ to make me cry for real.”

“Oh well. You’ve been doin’ that since you were born too,” she says with a laugh.

“I love you, Mom. Don’t ever forget it.”

“I won’t, sweetheart. How can I when you prove it to me every single day.”

“That’s it. You’ve done it now,” I say, smiling as a tear drops onto my cheek.

She looks over at me and grins, leaning up to wipe it away. “Don’t worry. We’ll just tell your husband it’s pregnancy hormones.”

“You’ll tell me what?” The man in question says, coming up behind me and kissing my temple.

“Mom made me cry,” I say, tattling on her.

“Jessica,” he says, sounding like a growly father. “Why are you makin’ my wife cry?”

“She started it. She wouldn’t tell me the baby’s gender,” Mom argues.

Case's eyes are dancing when they meet mine. “Should we tell her?” I shrug, playing along.

“What? You said you didn’t know!” she exclaims.

We both go quiet, waiting until Mom’s eyes narrow to slits before a snicker escapes me, followed by a snort from Cade. Then we’re both laughing as Mom realizes she’s been duped.

“You’ll keep. Just you wait.”

Case cradles my stomach from behind, pressing another soft kiss to the back of my neck. “Yeah, we’re all waitin’, remember?”

“Jessie-Lynn, I’m comin’ to play with you. Your mommy and daddy are bein’ mean to Grandma.”

Unfortunately for Mom, that’s when my daughter spots her father, and like every day for the past three and a half years, everyone else is forgotten. We all become invisible when Case is around.

With hearts in her eyes, all we hear is a screeched “Papa” as my two favorite people run to each other.

The thing is, I don’t even mind. Who would when I get to fall deeper in love with my husband—my One—while watching him fall deeper in love with our beautiful daughter every single day.

And I won’t mind when it happens all over again with our son either.

But shh, that can be our little secret.