Page 72 of More Than an Ex-Girlfriend

“Lettie, having your mom here on Thanksgiving makes the day even more special. I’m thankful she faced the pain of rehab for the reward of being a grandma.” I brush a tear off her cheek. “And whatever you made for brunch smells incredible. I’m going to be so stuffed by the end of the day.”

Lettie’s mom has been sober nearly a full year. And two months ago, she moved to San Antonio to be closer to us. For the first six months after she got out of rehab, every visit brought with it a string of apologies, but we’ve finally moved on from that.

Now, she’s just Grandma, and our kid loves her. The secret candy stash in her purse helps, but I don’t care about a little extra sugar. Lettie is getting something she never dreamed possible, and seeing her happy is why I get up every morning.

Well, that and the three-year-old prying my eyelids open.

I rub Lettie’s belly. “Hey, little one, if you can stay put at least until the end of the day, Daddy would be grateful. I really want to meet you, but I have my heart set on eating Thanksgiving dinner.”

Lettie tugs me to her lips. “Of course you do.”

* * *

I yawn,emotionally drained from the last few hours. But it’s Lettie who’s done all the work.

She motions me toward the bed, then reaches into my pocket.

“Oh, hello!” I wink at her.

Laughing, she pulls out her scrunchie. “Calm down, cowboy. I need to get my hair out of my face. I look like a train hit me.”

“You’ve never looked more beautiful, Lettie. Seriously. I look at you, and my heart feels like it’s going to explode into a million tiny heart-shaped pieces.”

“You’re just saying that because we make cute kids.” She pats my hip.

“We really do, but that’s not the reason.” I stare down at my baby girl—who decided to start her grand entrance before Thanksgiving dinner was served—and my heart swells. “Lettie, she’s perfect. And she looks just like you, olive skin, loads of dark hair.”

Rubbing my leg, she smiles up at me. “I’m sorry you didn’t get turkey. Ava said that she’d save some leftovers for you.”

“Are you kidding? This little muffin is way better than all that.” I nestle little Tillie—named after my mom Matilda—into Lettie’s arms. “Speaking of food, what can I get you? Tell me what you want, and I’ll get it, even if it’s halfway across the state.”

“I don’t want you driving halfway across the state, Hazy. Anything is fine.” She tears her gaze away from our daughter and glances up at me. “Have you checked in with my mom?”

“Mateo is sound asleep, and I think maybe she now understands sugar highs in a different way.” I pull the chair close to the bed. “She’s staying overnight, and Lilith will go over in the morning and stay with Mateo so that your mom can go to work.”

Lettie clasps my hand. “Remember when we were chatting on Reddit, and you told me to think about the life I wanted? This is it.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah. It’s chaotic, messy, busy, and absolutely perfect.”

“And I love that the kids are getting to grow up on the ranch. All the other kids are like cousins. And I hadn’t even thought about that before.”

We’re both staring at our baby as we talk.

I brush my thumb along the back of Lettie’s hand. “When I pictured my happily ever after, I could only see part of the picture.You. Everything else is just rainbows and unicorns.”

That smile I love spreads across her face. “I love you, Hazy.”

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