ALICE
It’s been six months since Cole and I renewed our vows, and it seems like our lives have been a whirlwind since that day.
It’s like everything is trying to catch back up to where we should be had we not split up for those ten years.
I’m officially a full-time citizen in Loveville, Colorado.
Cole and I took a little trip to California a while back, and we picked up everything in my apartment and brought it home.
While we were there, I hired a new seamstress, and she’s taking over for me at the shop on some of the easier costumes.
Back home, I found the perfect place to open my second location.
I’ve only just opened the new location, but it’s doing well already.
I still handle a lot of the bigger orders, like for movies and plays, while the California location will handle a lot of the smaller jobs that I get here in Colorado.
It’s weird having to ship things back and forth, but I’m not ready to hand over the reins on my bigger projects.
Cole has been crazy busy juggling the logging company and sawmill.
It seems like every day, he’s being called down to work out whatever problem they're having that day, but for the most part, he’s been staying home and managing the new construction on the cabin.
We’ve more than doubled the size of our cabin.
The whole kitchen has been fully remodeled with new flooring, cabinets, countertops, drywall and tile, and top-of-the-line appliances.
You almost can’t tell that it’s the same kitchen.
The living room has been upgraded as well.
We made it bigger, changed out the old fireplace and installed a new one.
We updated the drywall and flooring and bought all new furniture.
We’ve added a dining room for when we want to have a big family dinner.
Our old bedroom has been turned into a laundry room and pantry combo, and the bathroom has had a complete re-haul.
The new second level of the house is coming along great too.
We have three bedrooms upstairs. One is our master bedroom with an attached bath, then we have two spare bedrooms and a bathroom between them.
We’ve always wanted three children, but we didn’t want to go overboard and figured a three-bedroom house would be big enough regardless of how many kids we actually have.
I really can’t complain about anything. I’m just happy that life is turning out to be so much better than I ever thought possible.
His business is growing bigger and bigger every day, and mine is gaining more and more traction with every passing day.
I don’t know if things will always be so crazy good, but I hope that no matter what life brings us, we’ll be able to ride the waves together.
I made him promise that we’ll always fight for one another, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
I gave up on us a long time ago, and I’ve regretted that decision every day since.
I’ve learned my lesson. There’s no such thing as a better man than Cole.
I finally manage to call it quits for the day, and I make the drive home in my new Jeep Wrangler. It’s the perfect family vehicle, especially when you live in the mountains with too much snow. I walk into the house and find Cole in the kitchen making dinner.
“Hey, babe.”
“Hi,” I say, giving him a quick kiss. “Let me put this fabric upstairs, and I’ll be right back down,” I tell him, carrying a roll of fabric up the stairs.
I’m currently using one of the bedrooms as an extra office space.
It helps me get more work done on nights and weekends without having to leave the house.
Cole hated the idea at first, but now he loves that I don’t have to go anywhere to work because he knows I’m going to do it anyway.
My job is still a top priority for me, and it will be until the day I slow down to have children—a day that isn’t too far away.
I put the fabric in the room and head back to the kitchen, where he hands me a glass of wine. I smile as I take it and set it on the counter. He notices immediately.
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
I smile. “What do you think it means?”
“Did you take the test?”
I nod.
His brows lift, and the corners of his mouth tip upward. “And?”
“And….I’m pregnant!” I announce.
He picks me up against him and kisses me long, hard, and deep.
“This is amazing. I’m going to be a daddy. We’re going to have a baby.”
I cup his cheek with my hand. “We’re going to have a baby,” I repeat.
He pulls me back in for a long, lip-crushing kiss. The air has been stolen from my lungs, but I don’t care. I need to kiss him more than I need to breathe anyway. He picks me up against him, and he sets me on the kitchen table. His hands get busy with pushing or clothing away.
“We’ve already made the baby,” I tell him around a giggle.
“Then let’s try to give him a brother or a sister,” he says.
I get down, and he turns me around then bends me over the table.
“I don’t think it works that way,” I say, but then he glides his silky tip between my folds and positions himself at my entrance. “But I’m willing to give it a try,” I add on, only wanting to feel him inside me.
With one roll of his hips, he’s sliding inside. His hands tighten on my hips as he breathes out, “I love you, Alice.”
My fingers wrap around the edge of the table, and I hold myself in place. “I love you too, Cole,” I breathe out as my muscles tighten with anticipation.
THE END