I wrap my fingers around his wrists and bathe in the love he’s giving me.
“An extraordinary life for an extraordinary man. You have no idea how amazing it is to love and be loved by you.” I push up on my tiptoes and kiss him tenderly. “You are my source of comfort, strength, and every beat of my heart. I live only for you, Levi. Now and until my very last breath.”
Epilogue
Levi
Six years later . . .
Sitting on the porch with my laptop resting on my thighs, I’m supposed to be writing, but my eyes are locked on my wife as she comes walking back from the lake after feeding the ducks.
Starburst and Skittles, our two mini–Highland cows, follow behind Kelcie, stopping every few feet to graze on some grass.
Lick lifts her head and barks, which has Rocket leaving Kelcie’s side and running ahead. His tongue is lolling out of the side of his mouth, and as he lies down beside Lick, he pants from all the exercise.
“How’s the writing coming along?” Kelcie asks as she climbs the steps to the porch.
I set the laptop aside and get up from the chair. Brushing my palm over her heavily pregnant belly, I lean in to give her a kiss. “It’s not.”
Suddenly, there’s a dripping sound, and both our heads snap down to the floor.
“Oh crap,” Kelcie gasps. “My water just broke.”
“We’ve got this,” I say, instantly jumping into action.
I’ve done so many practice runs with Kelcie, we’re well prepared for this moment.
Placing my arm around her to make sure she doesn’t slip and fall, I guide her into the house and to the restroom. I grab a washcloth, and while Kelcie takes off her wet dress and underwear, I wipe off her legs and feet.
She hands me her clean panties, and I help her put them on before I grab the dress she’s chosen to wear to the hospital.
Once we’re done, I pause to press a kiss to her lips, then I take in her flushed cheeks and a panicked look in her eyes.
“I’m going to be with you every step of the way. You can do this, baby,” I say to encourage her.
She nods, but a second later, her features tighten, and she lets out a gasp as her arm cradles her belly. “Oh God.”
I move to her side and rub her lower back and hips as I wait for the contraction to pass, keeping my mouth shut while she deals with the pain. The last thing I want today is to annoy or upset her.
“Okay.” She sucks in deep breaths of air as she begins to walk. “Let’s move.”
I shoot into the living room and grab my set of keys and Kelcie’s hospital bag.
As we step out onto the porch, I look at Lick and Rocket. “Stay.” I add a hand signal to make sure they understand, then I go to open the passenger door. I place the bag inside and turn to help my wife onto the seat.
“I’m just rinsing off the porch real fast,” I tell her before jogging to where the hose is. It takes me a minute, then I’m climbing in behind the steering wheel.
Stay calm. Panicking won’t help shit. Focus on the road and get your wife and unborn child safely to the hospital.
After giving myself a quick talking-to, I start the engine and steer the truck away from the house and in the direction of Madison.
During the thirty-minute drive, Kelcie’s contractions start coming faster, and each time she digs her nails into my thigh while doing her best to breathe through the pain.
Jesus, and this is only the beginning?
When I pull up to the hospital, there’s a fine layer of sweat on my forehead. I wipe it off on my sleeve while getting out, then run around the front to help Kelcie out of the truck.
Grabbing the bag, I keep an arm around her as we head inside. Seeing as we made all the arrangements ahead of time, we’re quickly shown to our private room. I made it clear to our doctor that I’m willing to pay whatever it takes to make sure Kelcie gets the best care.
