Page 12 of Texting the Handyman

I bend to kiss her, laughing against her lips, loving every silly, ridiculous part of the family we’re growing.

All I can think as I build the crib under her expert supervision is that I hope to God our child takes after her. A mini Hailey is exactly what the world needs, and I can’t wait for both of them to keep me on my toes.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

HAILEY

Four Years Later

I’m supposed to be paying attention to all the animals we paid to come here and see, but instead, I can’t take my eyes off my husband. Harvey is talking to our oldest two children, with our youngest, who is only a few months old, strapped to his chest in the baby carrier. Henry is fast asleep on his daddy’s chest, his chunky cheeks smooshed against Harvey’s muscles, looking comfy.

There’s literally nothing more attractive than seeing Harvey be a father. Seriously, he’s always been ridiculously hot, but since he held our daughter four years ago, it’s almost painful how much I love him. That’s probably why we’ve had three kids in four years, but in my defense, how am I supposed to keep my hands off him when he’s out here showing me just how incredible he is on the daily?

I swore we’d be done at three kids, but like, come on. If he keeps being so damn attractive, I’m going to end up pregnant again. God knows Harvey would have a minibus full of children, andwhile I always swore I’d never have more than three, he might just get his way.

It helps that we have the most amazing kids on the planet, too. Holly, our four-year-old, and Harry, our two-year-old, are listening intently to their dad read the little plaques attached to the goat pen to them like the information about Billy the Goat is the best story of all time. It’s so cute I can’t cope.

Shaking my head to force me out of my own thoughts and back to the present, I jog to catch up to my family just as Harvey finishes telling them all about the goats.

“Mommy, that one’s called Harry, like me!” Harry squeals in excitement, pointing to a small, round goat in the corner of the pen, snuffling for treats in the dirt.

I laugh, grinning at my kids. “Wow, baby, that’s so cool!” I say enthusiastically. “Do you guys want to give them some treats?”

“Yes!” Holly shouts, so excited she startles the big goat who I swear gives me a glare.

I hold out the little brown paper bag of animal food we bought, and Holly and Harry grab handfuls eagerly. I go to fold the top back over, but Harvey clears his throat beside me. I glance up at him and see him holding his hand out expectantly. I laugh.

“What?” he says with mock innocence, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Henry wants to feed them, too.”

I glance at our still-very-much-sound-asleep baby with a grin. “Uh-huh, sure he does,” I laugh, letting Harvey grab a handful of animal feed, too. “Just make sure you don’t get bitten.”

“Only one allowed to bite me is you, baby,” he says in a low voice, and I elbow him as I try to hide my laughter.

Holly and Harry are already reaching out to feed the goats, and I join them at the fence line, making sure they’re safe, too. They squeal with delight when the goats come trotting right to them, Harry jumping about in excitement when Harry the Goat runs towards him. He’s so excited, he spills the feed all over the floor, and the goat eagerly chomps it up while my son strokes his wiry fur, proclaiming that he wants a pet goat now.

I make sure Harvey didn’t hear that comment because, knowing him, he’d agree, and we’d have pet goats in our garden tomorrow. The kids have him wrapped around their little fingers, but I can’t complain because I do, too. He’d do anything for us, his family, and it’s one of the things I adore most about him.

“How about a kitten instead, baby?” I ask, smiling at my little boy.

“A CAT!” Holly shrieks, ignoring the goats in favor of begging for a kitten. “Please, Mommy! Can we call it Goaty?”

Harvey and I burst into laughter at that, unable to keep it in. But one glance at him tells me exactly what I suspected—that man will absolutely be looking up kittens for sale tonight.

I grin to myself, wondering how the hell I got this lucky. My kids, the most perfect husband ever, and the life I’ve always dreamed of.

I wouldn’t change anything for the world.

The End

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