Page 126 of Promised to the Cowboy

I can’t argue with that. I also can’t help the laugh that escapes me, even though it costs me.

She shakes her head. The smile lingers for a moment, then fades into something quieter. Softer. “You came back to me.”

“I’ll always come back, darlin’.”

A tear slides down her cheeks.

I wipe it away with my thumb. “Our girl?”

“Perfect.” The word comes out on a sob. “They monitored her for nearly an hour. Strong heartbeat. No distress. She kicked the nurse every time she pressed down with the Doppler.”

“That’s our girl.”

Evie takes my hand and guides it beneath her scrubs. The familiar curve fills my palm. For a second, nothing happens. Then a firm kick strikes beneath my fingers. My eyes close. There she is.

“I felt that,” I whisper.

Another smaller movement follows.

I open my eyes.

Evie is watching me. “Do you need anything?”

I slide my hand from her stomach to the back of her neck. “You.”

“You have me.”

“Our daughter.”

“You have her too.”

“The barn converted before winter.”

“Ambitious.”

“A crib I build myself.”

She smirks. “Provided Ethan supervises the power tools.”

“Traitor.”

Evie’s hazel eyes hold mine.

“How about a wedding without a goat?”

I go still.

Her smile wavers, but she doesn’t look away.

“Evie.”

“I’m serious.”

My heart gives one hard beat beneath the monitors.

She takes my hand and presses it between both of hers. “I almost lost you today. And all I could think was that we still have so much left to do. The barn. The nursery. Raising our girl. Arguing about names and whose turn it is to get up with her and whether she’s allowed a pony before she can walk.”

“She is.”