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“Can I please hold her? It’s literally my birthday. I can demand whatever I want,” Mitchell says, gently taking baby Addison from Tess. I’m watching her fine auburn hair, bound in a white ribbon, her eyes glinting just like her father’s. My baby makes a face and spurts a little milk on Mitchell, and everyone laughs.
“That’s a sign, people! She loves me more than her own parents,” Mitchell says with a laugh.
The entire Bridges family is gathered in Mitchell’s garden to celebrate his birthday, everyone wearing white and talking excitedly. There are white ribbons decorating the yard, chairs wrapped in white silk and white roses scattered on the tables. Soft country music is wafting from the speakers, and there’s that smell in the air. The smell of freshly cut green leaves, a sign of life and genuine joy.
My daughter, Addison, just turned six months last week. Harrison is obsessed with her. Sometimes, he insists on working from home so he can spend every second with her. Everyone present is fussing over her and Tess’s new baby, a three-month old princess with a permanently questioning look on her face, so much like Roscoe.
Mitchell’s kid is running around with Tess’s oldest son, flying a kite fashioned out of a food menu.
I’m sipping white wine and trying not to smile to myself as Bryce approaches Mitchell. For a few months during my pregnancy, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to forgive him, but I started noticing changes in him. Apparently, he is now getting back to who he was before the surgery. And he is learning from his mistakes. I realized I was punishing Harrison as much as his dad when I wasn’t willing to attend family gatherings, because Harrison refused to go without me. So, one day, I put on my big girl pants and decided to face the beast head on. After a heartfelt apology from him, we started to bond, and now Harrison’s parents are at our house as often as they can get away with.
Bryce is wearing a dramatically large white hat that covers half of his face as he reaches for Addison.
“I’m just gonna take her from you. Go find some birthday stuff to do. Let a girl be with her grandpa for a bit.” Addison bubbles and pulls at her grandfather’s hat, grabbing onto it with so much grip that the entire thing came off his head. She cackles at her own antics.
Everyone laughs at Bryce.
“This one’s an absolute fighter,” Harrison’s mom says, rushing over to Bryce with a napkin to dab at Addison’s mouth. She dotes on the child for her entire life, loving her to bits. There is something deeply special about the first child of one’s youngest.
“Okay, Daddy coming through!” Harrison bustles out of nowhere and takes our baby from her grandfather, lifting her up in the air like an airplane. She giggles, grabbing her father’s hair whenever she comes down close.
From where I’m sitting and enjoying my wine alone, my heart brims with so much joy and warmth. A year ago, I would never have imagined such bliss and happiness.
Now, I have a beautiful support system of amazing people, lovely kids, and parents who love me so much that I often feel like exploding.
“Oh my! Your baby is one strong little princess. And she’s so cute too,” Beth says, settling down beside me with her own glass.
Laughing, I push my waves behind my ear. “I know, right? Her grip is even stronger than mine and she won’t let go unless she wants to.”
“My baby is half her age and already has a grip. These girls are about to be some powerful women in the next few years,” Tess says, appearing out of nowhere with a plate of chicken fingers and a bottle of fruit juice.
“I’m glad they’ll get to grow up together, literally the same age. Just like we did,” I say, smiling at Tess. Her pregnancy had been such a pleasant surprise.
“Do the Bridges know that Addison’s mommy and daddy are soon to be married? And where did you put that ring of yours?” Tess asks, winking at me. Beth laughs and picks up my hand for an inspection.
“I left it at home,” I say with a smile, staring at my hand. “We haven’t actually told them yet. You guys still have to be hush-hush about it.”
“Why are you keeping it from them?” Beth asks, and Tess leans in for the scoop.
“We’re just waiting for the perfect moment. It’ll be soon, though. They are at our house every week to see Addy. Grandma can’t stay away from her for too long.”
With Garfield and Wade now behind bars for fraud, Building Bridges’s popularity has soared beyond imagination. The company has so many small businesses filing in every day that a new branch is being planned.
Turning toward the house, I fix my gaze on Harrison, thinking about how much I’ll painfully miss him when he travels to start the process of building another branch in Seattle. My husband has become one of the biggest financial and investment advisors in the country. When he‘s not at work or at home spoiling us with love and attention, he’s busy consulting privately for some of the highest-level businesses in the country.
“Someone can’t imagine being away from her sweetie boo for too long;” Tess teases me and I make a face at her. Beth laughs, reaching into Tess’s plate with a pick for a chicken slice.
“Still considering that plan of yours?” Beth asks me.
“I don’t know. Right now, I just want to focus on my baby and the love of my life. Go into the office three times a week and touch base. Maybe I’ll make a move toward that soon.”
I’m considering moving on from Building Bridges to stay at home with Addison while I work on my own marketing business.
“You’d make one heck of a mind-blowing consultant,” Tess says, affirming me as always.
I smile at her, my heart bursting with joy.
Just then, Harrison comes over with our baby, who starts clapping excitedly at the sight of me. I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I’ll see Harrison or Addy and my heart doesn’t start flipping.
“Hey, little munchkin,” I coo to my child, bathing her with kisses and tickles.
Harrison is squatting down in front of me and I plant soft kisses on his face as well.
We are both staring at our baby in awe, while I wonder how we got so lucky.
The End.
