Rainey
Each day was a gift. The second I opened my eyes, the smile that flitted across my face was a precious reminder of the life that was mine. Today was no different, even though I was three days past my due date, my feet wouldn’t fit into any shoes, and I waddled like a duck.
“Mommy? Daddy said I had to wake you up.” Gia, my daughter, stood at my bedside, her unruly curls a mess as they cupped her pudgy face. She held my eyelids open with her little bony fingers, something I told her wasn’t necessary to wake someone up. She insisted, every single day.
I rolled over to the other side of the bed, my belly balancing precariously over the side. I glanced at the clock. 9:00 a.m. Ever since becoming a mother, I couldn’t remember that last time I slept this long.
I wished I could say I felt well rested, but I’d woken up seven times to pee last night and tossed and turned. It was difficult to get comfortable when you had eight pounds lying right on your bladder and doing calisthenics at 2:00 a.m.
“Why’d Daddy let me sleep so long?” I asked through a yawn.
Gia frowned and shoved her favorite bear, Mr. Pickles, under her arm.
“He said you had to finish cooking the baby.”
Laughing, I swung my feet over the edge of the bed, my large swollen stomach taking my breath away. I rubbed it as the baby kicked.
“Any day you want to make your appearance, Lucas.” Just like his sister, Lucas had decided to be late.
“You shouldn’t cook my baby brother. He’s going to get burnt!”
I laughed. “Oh, sweetie. He’s not actually cooking. Just growing big and strong in Mommy’s belly.” She shrugged and ran out of the room, her wild curls flying behind her.
Her attention span never lasted long.
At almost four years old, Gia kept us running. She was spunky and carefree, too adorable for her own good, which resulted in her getting what she wanted way too often. But she was ours. Our greatest treasure.
I padded down to the kitchen, one stair at a time, wanting to find Levi and thank him for letting me sleep.
“Levi?” I called as I wandered the halls. Following the laughter, I stood at the back door that led out to our yard and watched my husband and daughter play. Levi had Mr. Pickles on his shoulders and was running as Gia laughed and tried to catch them. Lucas kicked, and I smiled, rubbing circles on my stomach.
“Soon, buddy. You’ll be here soon.”
Levi stopped once he saw me, and handed Mr. Pickles to Gia. She properly sat in the grass with the rest of her dolls. I smirked at her outfit, which I hadn’t noticed before: a princess dress, combat boots, a tiara, and a cape around her neck.
God, I loved that girl.
As Levi walked toward me, I took in all of him. The years had only made him more handsome, if that were even possible. His body was still lean, his beard perfectly grown in. I clenched my thighs together, feeling phantom brushes of if against my skin.
Despite all of that, my favorite thing was that his hair was still a bit too long and dipped into his eyes. Just like it had when we first met.
Levi stared at me intently, licking his lips as he moved slowly toward me.
“Morning, Raindrop.” He bent down and kissed my stomach before wrapping his lips around mine.
“Mhmm,” I murmured against his lips. “Morning. Gia informed me that you let me sleep so I could cook her brother. She isn’t pleased that he might come out burnt.”
Levi laughed as he caressed my stomach.
“Well, if he stopped being so stubborn, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”
I smiled and nestled into Levi’s arms as we watched Gia playing in the yard.
When suffering from depression, it seemed impossible to think that I’d be able to get up in the morning and face the world, let alone move past my demons and find love. But here I was, surrounded by family and friends who never gave up on me.
Levi brushed a kiss to my forehead.
I never gave up on myself. Deep down, part of me knew back then that I had the strength to do what was best for me, to move on and pursue what I knew I should have had all along. My happiness. My future that wasn’t plagued with nights crying myself to sleep, or struggling to find worth in anything.
I was strong. I was a nurse. I was a wife. I was a mother. I was—
“Mommy, you’re peeing.” Gia giggled as water gushed down my legs.
I was peeing my pants, apparently.
Levi looked down at me.
“It’s time,” I said calmly.
“It’s time?” He quirked his eyebrow. “We have plans today?”
Trickles of water continued to fall as I lifted Gia and placed her on my hip.
“Are you ready to meet your little brother?” I brushed her hair out of her face.
“Yay!” she screeched. “He’s done cooking!”
Levi’s eyes widened before he sprinted into the house, leaving Gia and me standing outside.
“I’ve got to call my parents and sister and Ava. Oh, your bags. Where are they?” I laughed and kissed Gia’s cheek as I watched Levi totally lose his mind.
Finally, he stopped and looked at us, his girls, standing in the sunlight, and smiled as he leaned against the doorframe. I would never tire of seeing him look at me like this.
“I’m the luckiest man alive,” he said, as he opened the door for us to come in.
“How about we agree that we’re both lucky and go have us another baby?” I placed Gia’s feet on the floor. She took my hand in hers.
“Fine. I still think I got the better end of the deal.”
“Why’s that?” I laughed.
“I got two beautiful girls.” He ruffled Gia’s hair.
“Can’t argue with that.”
Levi was a lucky man. He didn’t have just two girls. He had three. Lucas turned out to be a Luna. Much to our surprise, we gave birth to another bright-eyed curly-haired girl who instantly had her daddy wrapped around her finger.
With Gia sitting at the edge of my hospital bed with Mr. Pickles, Luna in my arms, and Levi snoring in the chair next to me, my hand gripped in his, I closed my eyes.
“Thank you,” I whispered to anyone who could hear. I’d never take my family for granted. Levi and I had both had to go through a lot to get here, and we’d never forget that, the struggles that led us to our own happiness.
“Still happy, sweetheart?” Levi asked, his eyes shut.
“Still happy,” I murmured, my own eyes flitting shut. Levi could ask me that every day for the rest our lives, and my answer would always be the same. My happiness had only grown, as had my love for Levi and my life that was everything beyond my wildest dreams.
It’s not over yet!
More Than Words, the first in Parker’s story, is coming in 2018!