“I’ll have my phone in my pocket. Every time you want to see her, just FaceTime me. Now, go have fun,” I said, swatting her on the ass and nodding my head toward the door.
She grinned and rolled her eyes at me. “Fine. I’ll go,” she agreed, but then leaned in to kiss Lila Kate’s head one more time. “I’ll be back soon,” she said.
Lila Kate got so excited by Harlow that she buried her face in my chest. I kept my hand at the back of her neck, because she’d throw it back again to see if Harlow was still nearby any second now.
“She looks more like you now,” Harlow said, touching her little arm.
“She’s too pretty to look like me,” I replied.
Harlow cocked an eyebrow at me. “I know you don’t like hearing this, but you’re pretty, too, pretty boy.”
Chuckling, I opened the door and kissed her lips one more time just as Blaire’s Mercedes SUV pulled into our driveway. Harlow waved good-bye and blew us kisses, then finally left the house for the first time.
I watched until she was safely in Blaire’s car and was pulling away until I closed the door. “Want to bet your mommy calls us in the next ten minutes?” I asked Lila Kate as we walked to the kitchen to get her a bottle and finish my coffee. “She won’t be able to help herself. Being away from you isn’t something she’s fond of. But I need her to get that dress so I can marry her. Then we’ll be official. The Carter family. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
To the woman who gave me everything,
Today’s the day I get to give you my name. It doesn’t seem like enough, but then, you’ve had my heart and soul now for more than a year. This is all I have left to give you. What you’ve given me is so much more.
I decided, since Lila Kate and I had so many letters from you, that it was time you got a letter, too. You deserve a letter more than anyone else. You are, after all, the hero of our story. Without you and your determination, we wouldn’t all be standing in front of family and friends today with our little girl in our arms, pledging forever to each other. As if we needed a ceremony for that.
You became my forever even before I realized it.
Thank you for being brave. Braver than anyone I know. Thank you for showing me that when we want something badly enough, it’s worth taking all the risks and chances to get even a taste.
When I thought I had lost you, not once did I regret letting myself love you. I was shattered, but in my heart, I was so damn thankful for those memories. For letting myself have that time with you. I found out that life is about experiencing those moments when you’re so happy you feel like your chest will burst. We need those cherished memories to hold on to during those moments when the world comes crashing down.
I didn’t understand that until I was there. While you were asleep, all I could do was remember the good times. The sound of your laughter and how incredible you felt in my arms. How being with you made everything right. It’s what got me through. It’s what helped me hold our baby girl for the first time alone, not knowing if you’d ever see her face.
Thank you for loving me. I’m the luckiest man in the world. I know a lot of men claim that, but they have no idea. They don’t have you. And they haven’t held my baby girl. I have it all, and I couldn’t ask for more.
With love from your adoring, lucky-as-hell husband,
Grant
Harlow
I folded the letter and wiped away the tears that were now running down my face. Crazy man had to make me cry before I walked down the aisle. I used the tissue in my hand to blot away the wetness and took a deep breath. I would probably need to frame this, because I was going to read it so often the paper was going to wear through.
“Why are you crying?” Blaire asked as she stepped into the room.
I held up the letter. “This. It’s from Grant,” I explained. “I don’t think it was supposed to make me cry, but it did.”
“Ah, I understand. Rush had me in a fit of tears before I walked down the aisle.
Smiling, I remembered their wedding. It had been beautiful and much more elaborate than this one would be. I had wanted simple, and Grant had agreed.
“We have a five-minute drive. You ready to go?” she asked me.
“Yes. Is Lila Kate ready?”
She nodded. “Yep. She looks like an angel. Her mommy might not be wearing white, but she’s rocking her own fluffy white gown.”
Laughing, I slipped on my flats and tucked the letter into my jewelry box. “Let’s do this,” I said, heading out my bedroom door and toward Lila Kate’s room. She was lying in her crib, looking at her slipper-covered feet in fascination. When her gaze found mine, she kicked happily. “We have a handsome prince waiting for us. We need to go.” I scooped her up.