You’re Mine

Chapter 200

Chapter 200 Easton “l'll want to tell you a story,’ | start, a smile moving over my face as all the memories come back to me. There are so many of them. Years worth. Fifteen to be exact. “It all started with a party, a bathroom, and a power outage.” | shake my head, laughing. "I'll spare you those details, but what resulted from that party was the most epic of love stories. One that had so many highs and lows. One that was as rocky as it was beautiful. We were so young and total opposites, but somehow she was made for me.” Completely made for me. "She was the most beautiful girl at school, but | was too caught up in a life | won't go into to even notice her. | never knew what love was, until | was with her. Love that is all consuming, that takes your breath away. Love that makes you miss the person even when you are away from them for only a few minutes. Love that makes you know you would do anything in the world for that person. That is what it felt like, being in love with her. My voice drifts and I think of our life together. How we started, and what we've built. How we've come so far, and what we've accomplished. "UCLA was never the school of my dreams, | just knew there was no way | wanted to go to Stanford and be without her ..." | sigh, recalling the disappointment from my parents — | was a third generation legacy, my path had been mapped out for me from the moment the doctor told them, “It's a boy!” and diverting from their path

was not what they expected. “lL loved her, and it didn't matter if | would disappoint my parents. | had to follow my heart, so | went with her to Los Angeles for college.” A smile crosses my face. Those moments feel like yesterday, yet they also feel like a lifetime ago.I rock my body, back and forth, like music is playing in the room, but it's just silence and my voice—and my memories. “We moved in together freshman year and that's where we lived until we

graduated, and now there's a finance diploma hanging on the wall, and a degree in social work for her.” | move over to the window, taking in the view from the second story of our house. "My graduation present to her was a condo downtown-thanks to my hefty trust fund-and a two week vacation in Europe. She said it was too much ..." | shake my head. "But it wasn't enough. Not for her, not for my girl-she deserved the world and | planned to give it to her." | bend my knees and straighten them, adding in that movement to combine with the arm swinging. "That's where it all started, in that condo downtown-the start of her career and the beginning of mine. The true foundation of our life together and what we have now.’ | close my eyes for a moment, recalling the basic dinners we tried cooking—and burning—together and the long walks we took after we got off work. When we were tired yet full of excitement and dreams. So many dreams. The weekends off when we would escape to the lake house or stay in the city, finding new brunch spots to test out, determined to locate the best mimosa in town. So young, so in love.

| move over to the rocking chair, carefully taking a seat, keeping up the swinging, which is now guided by the chair. The swish of air as the chair moves adds to the calming mood permeating the room. “And then came the moment when it was time to propose. I knew she wouldnt want a diamond the width of her finger. That's not her style, money and glam isn't something she was ever after. | worked with our family jeweler and designed something that was made for her. Humble. Exquisite. Breathtakingly beautiful. | took her to the lake house, a place that holds so many memories for us, and | asked her to marry me. Under the blanket of stars and with a gentle breeze blowing, she said yes and | didnt think my life could ever be more complete.” | pause thinking about our wedding, and how perfect it was. “The only place she wanted to get married was at the point at the lake. When she rounded the corner and | saw her in that white dress, | was done for. The tears were pouring down my face, and | didnt even care. All| could think was, ‘how did | get this lucky?’. | was totally one of those grooms that they show on TikTok crying like a baby when he sees his bride, and trust me there was no shame in my game" Another sigh leaves me. It's so easy to get caught up in the memories. | look up at the ceiling pasted with glow in the dark stars, rocking back and forth, and | smile. “Now what came after the wedding was not what we expected.” | chuckle. "They say God laughs when you make plans, and boy was he rolling on the floor laughing at us. | came home from golfing one day with a client to find her on the bed crying.” | shake my head, hating the thought of her tears. Any of them. “Let me tell you, when I see her cry, no matter what the reason, it just kills

me. She held up a positive pregnancy test and when | asked her why she was upset, she said she was scared to be a mother." How wrong she'd been to be scared. She's a freaking natural.. “We had so many doubts over what type of parents we would be. Will we know what to do, or would we fu-—fudge it up. | had no doubt she would be the best mother there ever was. We decided to move home where we grew up, to be closer to our family." Her parents stepped in and helped us so much-and surprisingly enough, so did mine. They both love being grandparents. “We had twin boys-really shouldn't have been a shocker, considering. But that's not the biggest surprise to happen-just hang in there, I'll get to that part soon. A fond smile crosses my face as | think back to that particular time of our lives, Talk about a challenge. “No parenting books could have prepared us for those hellions. They were like two bulls in a China shop 24/7. We would fall into bed at night so exhausted, but also grateful for those two precocious boys. When Ryder and Jamie were four, we decided our family wasnt yet complete. So when we found out we were having baby number three, we were so excited — and she being the planner she is, couldn't wait to find out if we were having a boy or a girl." Another chuckle escapes me, remembering Harper's frustration. “You wouldnt position yourself right at every ultrasound we went to, and we went to a lot. We couldnt tell if you were a boy or a girl, and the doctor kept calling you our mystery baby!” My smile is huge as | glance down at the sweet bundle in my arms to find

sleepy eyes peeking up at me, and my heart threatens to burst. “Remember when | said, twins weren't the biggest surprise? No, that was the day you were born. Your mother was so strong during the delivery, doing everything the doctor said and on the final push, when you came out-he looked at us and said, Harper and Easton, meet your mystery girl! We cried tears of joy knowing that name held so much more meaning to us than what Dr. Davis knew.” Rising to my feet, | walk over to the window once again and lay her head on my shoulder, patting her on the back as | begin raining kisses all over her tiny face. "So that is the story of us, our family of five. A story | will never get tired of telling." As | walk to her crib and lay her down, | just stare at Ava. Our daughter. "God you are so tiny,’ | whisper as she holds my finger with her hand, not wanting to let go, fighting the sleep that will be coming soon, "Your eyes are just like your mother's. And your perfect lips, your ten tiny fingers and toes." Swear to God, tears threaten and | let them come, overwhelmed with love. "You are so perfect, baby girl. You're mine, you know. Just like your mom is mine, too." “Oh Easton." | turn to find Harper standing in the open doorway of our daughter's Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

bedroom, tears flowing down her face. | hold my arms out to her and she comes for me, walking straight into them, her face pressed against my chest as | kiss her temple. "We've made a good life,’ | whisper into her hair.

“The best,” she murmurs, giggling when one of our son's shouts, “MOMMY'!" from downstairs. “| love you.”

“Llove you too, baby." | squeeze her tight, angling us both so we can stare at the wonder that is our daughter. "And | still cant believe you're mine."