Page 43 of Waiting to Love You

I passed.

I sigh in relief as I flop down on the couch, dropping my phone beside me.

“Your daddy is trying to put me into an early grave,” I say to Rebekah, who gives me a blank stare, as if asking who or what I’m speaking about. “Let’s get you out of that seat.”

I lean forward and unbuckle the many restraints keeping her safe before pulling her out.

“You are the most beautiful girl in the world,” I say as I kiss both her cheeks and nuzzle my nose into her neck, blowing warm air across her skin, which makes her laugh.

Seth

There’s no getting rid of me now.

I read the text and smile. “As if I wanted to get rid of you.”

If it were up to me, Seth and I’d never be apart again. He has kept every promise he has ever made to me, but there is still the fear that at some point, we won’t be enough for him. That he’ll find something more important to him than being here with Rebekah and me. Not wanting to go down that rabbit hole again, I fire off a response text before shoving the phone into my pocket and striding into the kitchen with Rebekah in my arms.

Bristol

That’s amazing. Congratulations! I should be finished with my mom soon. Can I call you in an hour?

I check the time as I put Rebekah into her highchair, grab a jar of chicken and carrots from the cabinet, and empty the contents into a kid-safe bowl. As I pull a chair in front of her, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Not wanting to ignore him again, I set the bowl on the highchair tray and pull out my phone.

Seth

I need to get back to work, but I’ll call you on my way back to the house.

That’ll give me enough time to feed Rebekah, give her a bath, and maybe even put her to bed if everything goes as planned. Just as I’m about to lock my phone, another text comes through.

Seth

I miss you.

My heart melts for the millionth time. This man is the personification of what every woman wants in a partner. However, the nagging voice in the back of my head chooses this moment to remind me that everything can change at the drop of a hat, igniting the flames of my fear again, reminding me for the millionth time since I left my parents’ place that I need to figure out how to tell Seth about our daughter before it’s too late.

Bristol

I miss you, too.

I add a heart emoji and a winking face before hitting send on the text and giving Rebekah my full, undivided attention. Just as I’m turning around to grab the bowl off the tray, I feel something splatter against the side of my face.

“Are we not hungry?” I smile as I turn toward my little girl and find her hands covered in what was supposed to be her dinner.

Apparently, we are now in the playing-with-our-food stage. Rebekah giggles before shoving one of her hands almost completely into her mouth and licking it.

“How about we use a spoon like a big girl, shall we?” I quickly grab a towel out of the drawer and clean her hands before getting back to feeding her dinner.

Things seem to go smoothly for the rest of the evening, although she doesn’t eat much. She does her evening workout in the umpire while I reheat some spaghetti from dinner the night before and shove it down my throat. Thankfully, I even get to eat it while it’s still warm tonight. That’s not always the case.

After I finish eating, we share a lavender-scented bath before I get her ready for bed and give her a nightly bottle. I’m just laying her down in the travel crib in my room when my phone rings. After checking to ensure the baby monitor is on, I leave the door cracked and answer the call.

“Hey, stranger,” I chirp into the phone, my southern drawl coming out a little more than I would like.

Seth chuckles, which sends a shiver of pleasure through my body. Who could have imagined that the sound of one person’s voice would affect me this much?

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Trust me, I’m far from beautiful right now,” I mumble as I look down at my oversized sweatshirt.

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