Page 126 of Rebel Heart
IVY - FOUR MONTHS LATER
It was the soft touch of tiny hands on my face that had my eyes fluttering open.
My girl.
My Kerrigan—or Kerri, as we called her—was staring at me with her blue eyes and her daddy’s smile. She was already three-and-a-half years old. Every time I looked at her, I wondered where the time had gone.
At the same time, one look at that precious face could have all my troubles melting away. Then again, these days, I found there weren’t many troubles to be had. Life felt as close to perfect as possible.
“Happy birthday, Mama.”
I smiled and reached up to wrap my arms around her. “Thank you, baby.”
A moment later, I felt movement on my opposite side. Twisting my neck to look behind me, I saw the man himself. My amazing husband, who had proven to be the world’s best father.
Marco leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss on the mouth. “Happy birthday, Princess.”
“Mmm. Thank you.” I belatedly noticed he had something in his hands. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast in bed!” Kerri declared proudly.
Sure enough, it seemed my two favorite people in the whole world had made me breakfast. I sat up, propping myself against a pile of pillows. “Did you do this, big girl?”
“Daddy helped.”
My eyes shot to Marco.
He chuckled. “She’s the ringleader in the kitchen, you know?”
I did know.
From the moment she was capable of being in that space, my daughter was constantly in the kitchen cooking. She’d scramble eggs in a pan, flip French toast, assemble sandwiches, and cook pasta. Obviously, we supervised her every step of the way, and the girl had yet to find anything she couldn’t do.
She reminded me so much of my sister. Only when Jules was this young, she preferred baking. Kerri, like her father, wanted meals.
“This looks so delicious. Are you going to share some with me?”
“And Daddy and Kobe.”
I glanced down at the spread. There was certainly enough food to feed all of us. My husband, my daughter, and my unborn son.
In just two more months, Kobe would be here. Kerri was beyond excited for a sibling. We’d been talking to hernonstop about her brother, and she was already such a great big sister.
“Of course. We can’t ever forget about our favorite boys, can we?”
She shook her head, and the two of us scooted over to give Marco enough room to slide in beside me after he placed the tray over my lap.
There were eggs, French toast, bacon, and fruit. My mouth was watering as the three of us dove in. “Oh, this might be my favorite breakfast you two have ever made for me. It has a little bit of everything.”
Marco had one arm draped over my shoulders. After giving me a squeeze, he said, “We wanted you to have some variety.”
“Well, I’m feeling very spoiled already, and the day has only just started.”
“You just wait to see what we have in store for you today.”
I cocked a brow. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
