AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Daddy! Emma! The ocean is right there!” Zoey said, screaming with delight as she stared down at the beach from our cozy little hilltop. “We can surf whenever we want now, Emma!”
Emma laughed and looked over at me. Zack lost interest and ended up quitting the surfing lessons after a while. That became Emma and Zoey's thing and Zoey was getting really good at it too. Emma kept telling Zoey that she was going to be really, really good and that sponsors would be knocking down her door any day now, something that never failed to make Zoey beam with pride
Zack just didn't have any interest in surfing. He preferred walking along the sand and collecting shells on the beach to playing in the waves, much like his daddy. That was exactly why when he told me he wanted to quit, I hadn't forced him to stay. I was just grateful that Zoey had someone in her life to share that newfound passion with.
Hand-in-hand with Emma, we walked over and opened the patio door. Both kids rushed out with us, nearly knocking us over in their haste to get to the patio. The sound of the crashing waves was heavenly, and I knew Emma appreciated it as much as the kids. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the fresh sea breeze and smiled.
“Life is wonderful,” she said.
“Yes, yes, it is,” I said, kissing her hand. The ring on her finger caught the sunlight and sparkled dazzlingly.
“When you and daddy get married, you should do it right here, on the beach,” Zoey said.
“That's the plan,” Emma said, squeezing my hand.
“Yes!” Zoey said, grinning from ear-to-ear. “Now let's go see our rooms!”
We followed the kids inside and upstairs, although, they were in such a rush, they beat us upstairs by a wide margin. The kids each had their own rooms with a shared bathroom between them. They marveled at their rooms, obviously pleased, and then we showed them the rest of the house.
“And this will be daddy's office,” Zoey said.
“No, my office will be downstairs,” I said. “Off the living room.”
“Then what will this room be for?” Zoey asked. “It's just extra.”
With a smile, Emma knelt down,
putting herself eye level with my little Zoey and said, “Well, we were thinking it would be a nursery someday,” she said. “For a little brother or sister. Would you be okay with that?”
Zoey's eyes went wide. “Really? A baby?”
“Maybe,” Emma said with a laugh. “One day. Hopefully once we get settled in and after the wedding, we'll talk about it.”
Emma had told me she wanted lots of kids. We agreed to maybe having three or four total, including Zoey and Zack . Our new house was big enough to allow us to grow if we wanted to. And we did want to, which was something that surprised me. I didn't think I'd ever have the desire to have another child, especially since that child wasn't going to be mine and Gina's.
But as she'd done with so many things in so many ways, Emma had helped me see it all very differently.
Emma stood up and I kissed the side of her head. I so badly wanted to grow my family with her, but she was right; we needed to wait. The first step in our plan was to buy a home for us. Now that we’d done that, we could look forward to the rest. The next of our plan was the wedding, and that was happening in a few months. After that, we'd start trying for a baby of our own right away. By that time, Emma would have her early childhood education degree and could work with kids or she could stay home with our little horde. The choice was up to her.
Either way, this was our family.
The End
Roped in By the Cowboy
Chapter One: Sydney
The sun is beating down on me as I drive through the flat lands of Middle America. My olive skin is drinking in the rays, thirsty for the warmth. A few strands of my auburn hair have escaped from my ponytail and are whipping about my face as I push the gas pedal to the floor.
I haven’t seen another soul in almost twenty minutes on this God-forsaken road, so I figure what the hell? I revel in the feel of the wind on my face, grateful that my oversized sunglasses are keeping the swirling dust out of my eyes. As long as I remember to keep my mouth closed, I can avoid the extra protein boost of a renegade bug, which means no singing along to the radio.
After what seems like forever, the outskirts of a small town come into view and I ease up on the accelerator. After a particularly rough year, my shrink had suggested I take a break from the rat race and “re-center my spirit,” whatever the fuck that means. All I know, is that I need a reprieve, and I need it bad. I sigh as the long journey is finally coming to an end. To be completely honest, I’m looking forward to some time away from my fast-paced city routine after the epic shit show my life has been over the past year.
I enter the small town and immediately start catching glances. Apparently candy apple red convertibles aren’t the norm around here. I sit at what must be the town’s only stoplight and smile to myself as I feel the eyes of nearly everyone on the street on me. I sit up taller and arch my back slightly, pushing my big tits out to strain against the thin material of my white tank top. I giggle as an old woman swings her purse at her husband who is openly staring now.
As the light turns green, I hit the gas and peel away from the intersection in search of the address Dr. Ferrell printed out for me. I leave the main street and all of its curious stares in my rearview mirror, waving as I go. Look out Sheepshead, Montana, Sydney Baines has arrived.
Barely ten minutes later, I’ve driven through the entirety of the tiny town and find myself on an open road with cattle pastures on either side of me. I slow down and slip my sunglasses down my nose to better read the addresses carved on the fence posts. I find the one I’m looking for and turn up the drive, my green eyes growing large as the house comes into view. I was definitely not expecting what is sitting in front of me.
