Page 121 of The Last Thing
Hope lets out an angry wail and Sophia’s eyes go wide.
Hallie stands up, but I pull Hope into my arms before she can. What can I say? I’m already a goner for her.
Hallie laughs and carefully sits down next to Sophia.
“Hey, Hallie.” Sophia’s voice is quieter than usual, and I already know what she’s about to ask.
I nestle Hope against my chest and shift so I can watch this moment play out.
“What’s up, sweetheart?” Hallie gently runs her fingers through Sophia’s hair.
“I wanted to ask you…” She bites her lip and looks at me, so I give her an affirming nod.
“Go ahead.”
She takes a big breath, then looks at Hallie, eyes shimmering. “Now that Hope is here, and she’ll call you Mommy, I was wondering if I could call you Mommy too.” She rushes out the words, her big heart on full display.
Hallie’s eyes fill with tears. “Oh, honey. I would love that. As long as?—”
Sophia’s smile is giant as she jumps in. “Daddy already said I could. He just said I had to ask you.”
Hallie wraps Sophia in her arms. “I’d love that. And I love you.” She looks at me and whispers, “I love us.”
With one hand splayed over Hope’s back, I reach for Hallie’s hand with the other.
It hasn’t even been a year since she walked into my life and changed everything, but I never want to go back. Not to the man I was before, and not to the life I had. There were beautiful things, but it was dull without her. For me and for Sophia. Now our lives are filled with the beautiful mixture of peace and wildness that Hallie brings, and the vibrant joy we’ve created together.
Hallie
I usedto think of home as an apartment in the city. A place where I laughed with my friends and family and crashed after long days of nannying.
Now this is home.
The trees and flowers in the backyard blooming. The windows cracked open, letting in the cool spring air, the birdsong outside, and the sound of cars going by. It’s the place I spend my days with my family, whether there’s laughter, tears, or sleepless nights.
There’s been a lot of those lately.
It’s only been a week since Hope was born and our beautiful little house officially became a home.
I set a cup of coffee on the table next to the couch for Wilson, who smiles up at me and catches my hand. I give it a squeeze before setting my tea on the coffee table and curling up next to him on the couch. He wraps his arm around me as he yawns, one hand constantly cradling Hope, who is asleep on his chest.
He’s an incredible dad.
It’s crazy to me that not so long ago, I felt completely alone and didn’t know if my baby would even know their father. Fate intervened—or maybe put me on this path in the first place.
As much as I like to tease Wilson about being a grumbly curmudgeon sometimes, he has the biggest, softest heart.
He’s up in the middle of the night as often as I am, usually helping me and making sure I have water or a snack while I’m nursing Hope. He’s rubbed coconut oil on my cracked nipples and soothed me every time I’ve felt like I was failing.
I love getting to do this with him by my side. I love the way we laugh together and tease each other. Though it’s easy to see now how quickly you can get lost in being a parent and nothing else, I’m determined to keep having fun with Wilson, which means scheduling date nights, and when Hope gets older, at least a couple of times each year when we have a night all to ourselves.
Sophia plops down beside me and snuggles up to me. “Mom, can we read a book?”
I still want to ugly cry every time she calls me mom.
I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I had no idea how much becoming Sophia’s mom would mean to me.
I’ve become sappy and ridiculous, and I’d hate it if I wasn’t so happy.
