My phone was ringing. It went off like an alarm while I was having a wee, and I cursed myself for leaving it out there, ringer on full blast, knowing it would wake Lila.
And when I heard her ten seconds later, I cursed whoever was on the line, too.
"Damn it,"I muttered, zipping up my trousers and flushing the toilet, then quickly washing my hands and ripping open the door.
Just in time for the phone to stop ringing.
I hurried through the kitchen to the den, where I'd left Lila asleep in her swing. Except she wasn't asleep anymore.
She was wailing.
"Okay," I murmured, unbuckling her. "Shh, it's okay, my girl. Daddy's here." I lifted her up, momentarily marveling at just how small she was, and how big she had gotten in her fifteen weeks here with us. "I've got you." I bounced her a little in my arms, hugged her close as she cried. "I've got you, my girl."
It was just me and Lila today. Mads went out with Glenne for lunch and to do some shopping. And while I had been a little nervous at the thought of being alone with Lila since last night when she'd mentioned it, things were going relatively well. Even though Lila had spit up on me already.
And this crying fit could've easily been avoided had I just remembered to put my phone on silent, but live and learn, I supposed.
"That's it, my girl," I said, bouncing her all the way to the kitchen, hoping with everything I had that this was just a small blip and she'd fall asleep again in a few minutes . "You're alright. Daddy's got you."
I lifted my phone from the counter with my free hand, and Mum's name came up on the screen as a missed call.
I felt a little sorry for cursing her since it had been a few days since we'd spoken. But I'd call her if and when I could get Lila down again. Regardless, I made sure to flip the switch so that it would be on silent before leaving it on the counter.
"Okay, sweetheart, okay," I said rubbing her small back gently. I pressed my lips to her soft head, pleased to note that her cries were quieting, becoming smaller whimpers now. Whimpers that promised sleep. "Shh," I murmured, wondering not for the first time today how Mads did this all the time, and whether she doubted herself nearly as much as I had today.
I was also feeling slightly sorry that this was my first time completely alone with Lila. Nearly four months into her life. I was trying to remind myself not to dwell on it, but rather, enjoy the moments I had with her today. And I was. But for some reason, my mind kept circling back to the regret.
When she quieted completely, I angled her so that I could see whether she'd fallen back to sleep, already guessing that she hadn't, since her head hadn't fallen to my shoulder. I loved when that happened—her soft, little head, warm and heavy against my body. It warmed my heart in a way nothing else could, and I loved kissing her all over when it happened. Because it was just another reminder of my love for her, and her love for me. Her trust in me—her father. Her comfort in my arms.
And every time it happened, I made silent promises to her with my kisses. Promises to always be there for her, to always welcome her into my arms, no matter how old she got, to always love her and protect her with everything I had.
Those feelings were even keener today. My first time alone with her. My first time being solely responsible for her well-being. It was one of the greatest honors of my life, but it was scaring the shit out of me, too.
"You're not going to fall back asleep, are you?" I asked, noting the way her blue eyes had stayed wide and locked on mine.
And they were blue. No matter what Mads might say.
Lila stared up at me for a moment before her face scrunched up, and she started crying again.
"Okay," I said, patting her back again and trying not to panic as I ran through a mental list of things I could do to calm her.
I didn't want to play with her. She'd been up for a while now and we'd already done a lot of playing as well as tummy time, so she should be plenty tired. Even if we hadn't done all of that, this crying was a sure indication that she was. And I'd changed her nappy before putting her down before, so that wasn't it. But she hadn't taken the whole bottle of Mads' milk earlier. So, I thought, maybe that would help.
I murmured to her some more as I headed for the fridge, opened it, and reached in for the bottle. But my words weren't helping anything, it seemed.
"Okay, little one, let's have some more milk, shall we?"
I walked back to the den, heading straight for the rocking chair in the corner, and prayed this would work. I shifted her in my arms as I sat and tilted the bottle toward her lips as she continued to wail. Her little face was as red as her gummy mouth, but she was looking right up at me.
"Please have some more," I whispered, feeling slightly helpless and more than scared that this wouldn't be what she wanted.
These days, feedings were taking longer than usual. Lila didn't seem to want as much milk in one go as she used to—but it was a bit worrying because it seemed the only reason she didn't take as much was because she was easily distracted by other things. It was like the world around us was coming to life for her now, and she was noticing it for the first time.
Sounds from the television, the beep of the dryer when a load of laundry was done, the clanging of pots and pans at dinner time...
The ringing of a phone.
On one hand, it was wonderful. Amazing to watch her notice and register all these new things. But on the other hand, it was much harder to keep her on her usual schedule, and that included feeding her. She just didn't seem to want as much as she used to, but only because she had other things to occupy her attention.
Which reminded me that Mads had told me to turn on the sound machine when I was going to put her down. Which I'd forgotten to do before, and hadn't done now either. I stared at it where it sat across the room, taunting me with the promise of help. Pressing my lips together, I focused on getting the bottle into Lila's mouth for the moment. I could worry about how to get the sound machine on in a minute.
"There we go," I said when she took it, her cries mellowing into whimpers once more, her watery eyes opening a little as this familiar sensation required focus. And then she started sucking. "That's it," I murmured, feeling proud of her and relieved all at once. "That's it, my girl."
She stared up at me as she drank, and in my relief, I remembered that I was sitting in the rocking chair, and began rocking back and forth, hoping the comfort of her mother's milk paired with the gentle movement would lull her back to sleep.
But at the same time, I was content to stare into her eyes as long as she could keep them open. It was in these moments where she was looking up at me that I realized just how much I missed her every day. When I realized just how big a deal all this was.
I was this little girl's father. She was a little piece of me—the biggest piece of me. The biggest piece of Mads, too. And she knew nothing more of the world than her mother and me. She was learning slowly, day by day, but we were still her entire world. And she was ours.
The responsibility of that always hit me in these quiet moments between us. It was enormous, this responsibility, and it always twisted my stomach a little to think of all the ways things could go wrong. Not just now, but in the future, too. How things would change. How her world would become bigger than just me and her mother. How it would be forced to accept the negative of the world around us. And I hated it. I hated even considering that things might hurt her. But every time my thoughts took that turn, I forced myself to reroute them. Drag them away from all the negative, and look at the beautiful little face staring up at me like I was the sun of her universe.
Little did she know that she was the sun in mine, too.
"There's my girl," I murmured, running a finger over her soft sweep of dark hair, keeping my voice low even though I knew I should be keeping quiet completely to let her fall asleep. "There's my pretty girl."
Lila continued sucking on the bottle, and I was pleased to see she was draining it.
"Let's have a chat, hm?" I kept my voice just as soft. "You seem awake enough for it, I think. And since it's just the two of us..."
Those blue eyes were fixed on mine, and they didn't look tired yet, but that was okay for now. I knew she wouldn't understand, but the way she was looking at me—it was like she knew she should pay attention.
I smiled down at her. "I love you more than I've loved anything else in my life, you know that? You and your mother. With an overwhelming, all-encompassing love I didn't think was possible before I knew you." I paused, choosing my next words carefully as she continued to drink, as I continued to rock us to and fro. "And I wish I could keep you this small—hold you like this forever. Right here in my arms."
Lila's long lashes blinked once, and I slid my thumb into her fist. Her tiny fingers curled around it.
"But I know I can't. You've already grown so much so quickly, and I know that I'm going to blink and you'll be a grown woman, and that you're going to live your life in your own way, and that's fine. I want you to do that. That's all I want for you. And I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating... I will always, always love you and be here for you. No matter what happens, no matter how things change in the future. The way I love you, with everything I have—that will never change."
Lila continued to stare up at me, and she shifted just slightly in my arms. Not enough to take her mouth off the bottle, but enough that I thought, maybe she did hear me. Maybe she was letting me know that on some level, she understood.
I smiled down at her. "My pretty girl," I murmured, softening my voice even more. "I love you so much."
She was almost done with her bottle now, and I wanted her to sleep, so I did the next thing I could think of to help her along.
"Lila-lie," I whisper-sung. "Lila-lie-lie, Lila-lie. Lila-lie. Lila-lie-lie, Lila-lie, Lila-lie-lie-lie..."
It was the sweetest thing, to feel her trust in me, to know that I could provide the kind of comfort necessary for this sweet little girl to fall fast asleep in my arms. It made me never want to put her down. It made me want to sing to her until I couldn't sing another note. It made me want to forget everything else I had going on and put all my focus and energy into loving her, being here for her, taking care of her.
And I hated that I wasn't around for this part of her life. Because feeling her weight in my arms, seeing that new awareness in her eyes—I knew I was missing so much.
So, I held her a little longer. Studied every inch of her small, sleeping form. The long lashes against her full cheeks. Her little button nose. Her deep pink lips, bow-shaped, and open in a small "O". Her little fingers—one hand curled against her chest, the other still lightly curled around my thumb. Her round tummy in the soft yellow onesie Mads had put her in this morning. There was a small monkey dangling from a tree to the right of her heart. I could feel it beating against my arm, and I closed my eyes, focused on that beat for several seconds, counting my blessings to note it was strong and steady and entirely hers, made from a little of me and a little of Mads.
But when I opened my eyes, I remembered my mother's call, and wondered if she'd tried to reach me again, and I knew I couldn't stay like this for the hour and half to two hours I hoped Lila would sleep.
And once more, I cursed myself for not thinking ahead. Because how the hell was I going to get her into her swing without waking her up again?
By moving very, very slowly, carefully, and praying with everything I had.
I held my breath from the moment I shifted forward in the rocking chair to the moment I settled her into her swing, and bit my lip when her brow wrinkled, when her fists unfurled and her arms stretched up as she settled into the seat. I kept my hands on her a moment longer, my lips pulled between my teeth as I waited for the scream, kicking myself for my stupidity in thinking she'd actually stay asleep.
But before I could be too hard on myself, Lila settled with a quiet sigh and reeled her arms back in, her fists curling up once more.
A long breath slipped out of me as I pulled my hands back to buckle her in, and when she was settled and the swing was in motion again, I turned on the sound machine just behind it on the side table, letting the sounds of waves lapping against some distant shore fill the room.
There was a level of pride in realizing that I'd done it. That though she'd woken up the first time, I'd managed to calm her down and comfort her enough to fall back to sleep. And I made a quick promise to myself that I wouldn't make another bit of sound until I was out of the room, the baby monitor and my phone clutched in my hand.
I settled into the couch in the living room at the front of the house, and glanced down at the small screen on the monitor to see that she was still fast asleep in the swing as it rocked her gently from side to side. I smiled at the sight, feeling more accomplished than I probably should've when I remembered that Mads did this, handled this every single day.
Then, I looked at my phone.
Mum had called again, and Mads had texted to say that they were finishing up shopping not too long ago.
She'd texted several times over the course of the day, and I'd reassured her every time that everything was fine here at home. When she'd mentioned that Glenne wanted to take her out for the day, she was hesitant to go, but I'd insisted. I wanted her to have a break. I wanted her to take some time for herself. I wanted her to treat herself.
Because I couldn't be sure I wasn't just being paranoid, but I was worried about her. She spent too much time with no one but the baby for company. And I knew she didn't want to have it any other way, but she was exhausted all the time. And she seemed quieter than usual. More subdued somehow. Except when she was talking to or about Lila.
And I knew that was probably to be expected. She always wanted to hear about my day more than she wanted to talk about hers. Other than what had happened—if anything had happened—with Lila, she'd just shrug and say, "Same old."
So, I was happy she'd gotten out for a few hours today. Lunch and some shopping with a friend could be just what she'd need every so often. All I knew was, she had to get out of the house more. And I'd do whatever I needed to do to make that happen.
"There you are," Mum said over FaceTime. "Everything alright?"
There was a sort of knowing amusement to her tone that made me roll my eyes. She knew I'd be alone with Lila for the first time today. I'd texted her this morning. "Everything's fine. Lila's finally down for her nap."
Mum gasped. "Can I see her?"
"Sorry, but I am not risking waking her up again."
"Again?"
There was a more certain amusement in her voice now. As well as in the quirk of her brow and tilt of her lips.
I sighed. "Anyway... what's going on?"
"Nothing, just wanted to check in. I'm excited to see you all next week."
Mum was flying over next week to spend a bit of time with us. She'd called Mads a few days ago to ask if it would be okay, to which of course Mads had said yes. And there was relief in knowing that Mads wouldn't be alone all the time for a little while. It was nice to know that she'd have some help.
And it was really nice to know it would be help from Mum.
"We're excited, too. You're not gonna believe how big Lila's gotten already."
"I can imagine," she said, then gave something like a little groan. "Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on her!"
I chuckled. "I know. Not long now."
Mum got abruptly serious then, and lifted a mug to her lips. "How's Maddie?"
Guilt wormed it's way through me again.
There was a reason Mum was going to come next week. A reason she was asking me about Mads now. A reason Madelyn was unaware of.
I'd told Mum how tired she was. I'd told her that Mads' family wouldn't be able to make it out here for at least another month, what with everyone working and all that. I'd told her that it would be nice if she could see some family, have some help, even for a little while. And Mum had taken it from there.
She'd called Madelyn herself, promising not to let on that I'd said a word.
"She's okay," I said, propping my feet up on the coffee table and holding my phone further up to look at my mother. "I mean, as okay as she's been for the last couple weeks anyway. I'm hoping today went well."
"Have you talked to her about possibly finding some help yet? Just around the house, or with the baby..."
I sighed. Mum had suggested as much last time we'd spoken about this. "Not yet. I just know she's not gonna go for it. We both decided before Lila was born that we didn't want to bring a stranger into the fold."
"I understand, Harry, but the keywords there are: 'Before Lila was born.' Everything changes once the baby is actually there, and it sounds like some help would do you both good."
I closed my eyes and pressed my head back into the cushion. "That's the last resort. It could be that just getting out a bit more might make everything a little better for her."
"It very well could be," Mum conceded. "But keep it in mind. I know very well that all of this—it's not easy. This is such an adjustment period for all of you. Which is why I think it's important for you to remember that you have options. You don't have to do it all alone."
"Which is why you're coming," I said with a wide grin, showing off all my teeth.
Mum chuckled. "Yes," she said. "And because I miss you all too much."
"We miss you, too."
"But please think about what I'm saying, Harry. I really think that if the situation is making you feel this way, you should talk to Maddie about getting some help. Just to take some of the burden off her."
"I know," I said, toying with one of the tassels on the cushion beside me.
"I can talk to her if you want."
She'd made the offer before, during our last conversation about this, but my answer remained the same. "No, that's okay. I'll do it if it reaches that point."
"Some help now might be just the thing to prevent it from reaching that point," Mum said knowingly.
So, again I said with a smile, "Which is why you're coming."
Mum rolled her eyes, but smiled because she knew my mind was set.
The thing was, I knew she was right. But I also knew that I might just be being paranoid. And I knew that if I brought it up now, Mads wouldn't go for it. Things weren't that bad after all. She was just more tired than usual. A little quieter than usual. And wasn't that normal for new parents? Weren't all these changes just part of the process? Besides all that, I knew that there was a good chance getting Mads out of the house more would fix everything. Allowing her more time to herself might be just the thing to make everything better, even if it meant time away from me and Lila.
And guilt filled me up to think that we wouldn't even be in this position if it wasn't for me.
"I wish I'd never taken this job," I admitted, not for the first time.
I loved the work so much. I loved pouring my creativity into a new character. And I loved everyone I was working with. But I loved my family more. And I should've had the foresight to know that this—the timing of it all—would do everyone more harm than good.
Taking Mads away from her family, from her home, from everything she knew and was comfortable with, only for her whole life to be turned upside down when Lila was born...
And then I'd proceeded to leave her alone with it all.
The guilt was eating me up.
Mum didn't even try to convince me otherwise, and she didn't say "I told you so," though she very well could've. Both she and Michelle had tried to talk us out of this, but we thought we had it all figured out. And maybe we did, but it was certainly harder than we thought it would be.
We should've listened to them. And I knew Mum could see that I understood now. That I regretted everything now. And I wouldn't have blamed her if she did say "I told you so." But that wasn't her.
There was a touch of tenderness to Mum's eyes when she said, "Well, when it's over, you'll be able to be around as much as you'd like, for as long as you'd like."
"Yeah," I said, clapping my hand against the pillow now and saying aloud (again, not for the first time) what I'd decided weeks ago. "I'm definitely not jumping into anything else after this."
Mum smiled softly. "I think that would be wise."
The sound of the front door opening pulled my attention away from my phone, and my heart leapt at the mere suggestion of seeing Mads momentarily.
"Mum, she's here now, I've gotta go."
"Oh, okay! I'll talk to you soon. Love you."
I hurried to say "I love you" back then pressed "End" repeatedly, wondering why, only after the fact, I felt guilty for speaking to Mum about this. The door closed, and my heart slammed against my ribs knowing she was just around the corner.
The actual sight of her didn't disappoint.
Her sunglasses were holding her dark hair back away from her face. And her cheeks were flush with color, her blue eyes bright with happiness as she rounded them on me.
"Hey," Mads whispered with a smile, kicking her shoes off at the junction of the hallway and living room. "Is she asleep?" she asked, still keeping her voice quiet. "How'd it go?"
She practically tip-toed into the room, her long, jean-clad legs moving slowly, and it was only when I noticed them that I noticed the bags at her sides.
Something in my chest eased. "Yeah, she's down. Everything was fine."
"Really?" Her eyes were so bright, I couldn't help but smile.
"Really," I confirmed.
Her smile widened, and she set the bags down beside the couch along with her purse before sitting next to me, perched on the couch. "She didn't fuss at all going down?"
"I didn't say that," I said with a breath of laughter. And my hand went to her waist. Her skin was warm through her flow-y shirt. Everything about her seemed so calm, so relaxed, so genuine, so... so like herself, I hadn't realized how anxious I'd been about it until that moment, when every worry I'd been holding onto about her well-being fluttered away. "But we both made it out alive."
She smacked my stomach lightly in answer, and I grabbed onto her hand.
"Good," she said with a sigh. Right before she flopped back into the couch. But even all slumped over, she was smiling.
"So?" I asked, grinning myself. "Fun day?"
"Super fun," Mads said, and she reached her arms up above her head in a stretch that made her groan. "And I'm super tired."
But she was laughing. She was lighter. I could see it.
So, I chuckled, too, and leaned forward to prop my elbows on my knees as I angled myself toward her, keeping my eyes on her. "What'd you two get up to?"
"Well," she said, letting her hands fall to her lap again. "First we went to lunch, and I ate my body weight in cheese."
I grinned even wider. "Sounds perfect."
"It was," Mads said. "Then we grabbed coffee and went shopping on Rodeo... But I didn't get anything cause I really can't rationalize that in my head."
I knew what she was going to say, but wanted to hear her say it anyway. "Rationalize what?"
"Uh, it's out-of-this-world expensive? And I don't even like a lot of the designer stuff. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are really beautiful pieces, but I'm just like, do you know how much I can get at Target for those prices?"
It felt so freeing to laugh, even though we'd had different versions of this conversation many times before. But this was her. It was Mads. My girl. It felt like forever since I'd seen her this way. She was herself again. And I felt silly for worrying so much in the first place. All she'd needed was some time to herself.
"And what's with the fact that those stores have approximately three pieces of clothing in the whole establishment? I mean, what's the point of that? It just feels way too elitist to me."
"You ended up at Target, didn't you?"
Mads met my eye and pressed her lips together. "Maybe."
I chuckled even more. "God, I love you."
She was smiling at my reaction, her cheeks slightly pinker, but then her eyebrows shot up. "But we did go to a few really cute baby boutiques!"
I watched her as she leapt off the couch to grab the bags she'd set down before. I only realized in looking at them that none of them looked like regular shopping bags—they all looked like they were designed with babies in mind.
"Please tell me you got something for yourself..."
"Before we get to that," Mads said, digging through the bags she'd carried over. She held up a pretty little dress with blue stripes on it. "How cute is this?"
I touched the soft fabric and couldn't help myself. "She's going to look fucking adorable in that."
"Right?! And this?" Mads held up item after item of baby clothing, many of them dresses, some of them onesies. Lots of little frilly socks and tiny shoes. Even a few headbands for Lila's mostly bald head.
I smiled at all of it, "oohed" and "aahed" in all the right places, and ended up with most of it in my lap.
And when she started going through them all a second time, holding each one up again, this time with comments about why she chose each item, I had to interrupt her.
"You do realize this was supposed to be a day to take some time for yourself, right?"
She looked at me like she didn't understand. "Well... it was."
I chuckled a little and stared at the mess of clothing she'd bought. "Everything you got is for Lila."
"So?" she asked, holding up a little yellow dress and staring at it lovingly. "I have just as much fun shopping for her as I do for myself."
I shouldn't have said anything. She was so clearly happy, it didn't matter what she'd bought. It only mattered that she felt like herself again, and I knew that this would have to be a more regular occurrence so that I could be with my girl more often. Make her happy more often.
"If you say so," I said, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her temple. "I'm glad you had fun."
"So, it really was okay?" she asked after a brief pause, still folding the tiny clothes, only a slight hint of concern in her voice.
I looked into her blue eyes and squeezed her knee. "We were fine. I'm just happy you had a good time."
"I really did."
"Even though you didn't get anything for yourself."
"I did get something for myself!" Mads exclaimed, clearly exasperated.
"Well, let's see it then!" I said, glancing at the bags in front of her, feeling doubtful.
But she eyed me sideways with a smirk I very much liked the sight of.
There was a promise in those eyes I hadn't seen in a while.
I felt my lips tilt of their own accord. "What?"
"Well..." she said, putting the clothes back in their bags now that she'd folded them again. "I guess it isn't just for me..."
Oh, yes. I very much liked the sound of that.
"You have my attention, my girl," I said, trying not to sound too eager, only just the right amount of eager. It had been a little longer than a week since we'd had sex. I was doing my best to let Mads rest, and let's face it, I needed mine, too. So, the thought of...
She leaned forward again, her hands roaming over the bags before reaching into one, from the depths of which she pulled a smaller, pink bag.
I cleared my throat and sat forward, then, unable to control my anticipation. It was a Victoria's Secret bag, and Mads giggled when I cleared my throat. When I ran a hand through my hair before tangling them together in my lap.
"I love it," I said.
"Harry, you haven't even seen it yet," she said, still giggling.
"Well, hurry up, woman! The anticipation is killing me."
Her laughter, not just the sound of it, but the look of it, warmed my heart. And the idea of what was in that little bag warmed everything else.
"Alright, alright. Someone's eager," she said with a wink, her hand dipping into the bag and pulling out what looked to be a small bit of black lace.
I was on my feet, the baby monitor in hand, before she could even hold it up for me.
"Harry, wha—" She was laughing as I tugged her along, toward the stairs. "What, now?"
"Lila's only been asleep for about half an hour. If we hurry, we'll have enough time to see what those look like on you, and on the bedroom floor."
Mads followed me up the stairs, still giggling. "Y'know, we'd cut out a lot of time if we just tossed them on the floor first thing."
I smirked as I turned around at the top of the stairs, and there was wicked amusement in her eyes as she looked up at me, her hand still tucked into mine. I stepped closer to her, backing her into the wall of the hallway.
"Very funny," I said.
"I thought so," she said with no small amount of pride, letting her head rest against the wall behind her.
I stared at her, noting the light in her eyes, the ease in her smile. The way her breath hitched when my lips drew close. I pressed them to the corner of hers, wanting to draw this out as long as possible in any way I could, even though I knew Lila could wake up at any moment.
Mads whimpered a little when I kissed her neck, ran my nose over the spot just beneath her ear. She dropped the bag at our feet so that her arms could circle around me, so that her fingers could thread through my hair.
Then, we were kissing. Frantically. Desperately. Releasing every bit of tension and pressure we'd been feeling for so long into it. We were almost clawing at each other, and I was removing her clothes before I could think any more about it.
"Harry," she mumbled against my mouth, right before her tongue slipped past my lips. "The lingerie—"
Her blouse and bra were already on the floor.
I kissed her deeply again, pinning her to the wall with my hips so that she grunted into my mouth when I shifted them forward, sure she could feel every inch of me.
I smiled when I pulled back, and wasted no time in tossing her over my shoulder. She yelped a little bit, but started giggling when I carried her to the bedroom, leaving behind her clothes and the little bag with the lacy underwear on the floor of the hallway.
"Next time," I said. Because it didn't matter. Not really.
For the first time in days, I had her with me, and I wasn't about to waste another second.
___
Author's Note:
Hey friends!
I hope you enjoyed this one. I know I did. Harry as a Dad is my most favorite thing to imagine even though it hurts me. Just thought you should know that.
Also, I (finally) got around to responding to comments this week, and I just have to tell you that I pretty much smile like an idiot the whole time, every time. You guys are SO wonderful, and I'm so thankful that you take the time to share your thoughts about each chapter--many of them make me laugh, but all of them warm my heart. So, thank you. I can't wait to read what you think of this one, so don't forget to comment here, too! I hope the feels are a'flowing.
And before I go, here's your bi-weekly reminder that my book "Trace the Edges" is on sale on Amazon. That's pretty cool. And I've been meaning to say this, but if any of you have a Goodreads account, let's be friends there! I literally only have 3 friends, haha, and I'd love to make some more! If only because I wanna see what ya'll are reading ;) My full name is "Laura Cacace".
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Lots and lots of love to you all! I really hope you're well. I'll catch ya back here in two weeks. xx
PS - I did another interview, in case you didn't see! You can find the link to it on my page, but it's here, too: https://www.bryonyleah.com/single-post/Author-Interview-Laura-Cacace