Page 46 of The Mountain Man's Mail-Order Wife
“Yes.” I smile at Felix and nod for him to speak.
“Colby Granger Wallis.”
“Big strong name for a big strong boy,” the nurse says as she drapes a blanket over Colby. “Congrats, mom and dad.”
“Thank you.” I make eye contact with the woman who hasn’t batted an eye at my behavior. “For everything.”
“You did all the work, Mom.” She smooths her hand down Colby’s covered back. “We’ll leave the three of you alone for a bit. Although I don’t know how long that great uncle in the waiting room will wait,” she adds with a smile.
“Oh, Felix, you should go tell?—”
“Soon. We’ll take a few minutes first. Get to know this guy a little before we invite the world in.”
Felix has made so much progress in the months since we met. He leaves the cabin all the time now. Comes into Winter Lake with me or Granger or on his own. I know he says it’s me, but I think he was ready to live again when we met. Ready to embrace the life he’d shut himself off from.
“I love you, Felix. More every day.”
“I never expected you, Riley, and I may have some anger around how you came into my life, but I will be forever grateful you did. I love you. Thank you for being my wife, thank you for giving me our son.”
He’s got it all wrong. I’m the thankful one. Until him I never knew what love was, what it was like to be loved. And now I spend every day being grateful for it—for him.
