Rosemary lay on my belly and stared at me with her big blue eyes. On the top of her misshapen noggin, a shock of red hair stood up in spikes accenting the hematoma the doctors assured me would go away in a few days.
Blood smeared her forehead. Cheesy white vernix dotted her blotchy skin.
My daughter. The most beautiful child ever born.
“Our baby.” John leaned his head near mine. He ran his finger over our newborn’s fingers. The huskiness of his voice conveyed his awe and wonder.
Never had we been so in love—and don’t tell my mother or my sister they were right about forgetting the pangs of childbirth once Rosemary entered the world. I’d never hear the end of their “I told you so’s.”
I learned this from over twenty years of experience. And most recently, they nagged the grace of God out of me when I dropped out of college and married John. Fortunately, this little one waited a year after our nuptials to arrive, or else I’d be accused of a shotgun wedding.
Warm lips caressed my forehead. “Were we worth the forfeit of your dreams?"
I tore my gaze from my child and found John’s warm, brown eyes. Dark lashes and brows made everything about him safe and warm and heaven. I laid my finger on his lips. “I have no regrets.”
His smile?
Oh, melt my heart!
“Besides, we’ll have plenty of time for me to complete my studies after a million babies and an eternal honeymoon.”
The nurse scooped up my daughter for her last Apgar assessment. Losing her heft from my belly left me chilled. I studied every movement the nurse made. Having Rosemary gone this brief moment felt like a lifetime.
I’m glad I didn’t know then what I know now.
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My Story Title: Borrowed Lives
My Story Genre: Contemporary
My Story Has Released: Is on sale NOW!
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