I was wheeled into a room with Mitch trailing behind. Once I was moved onto a hospital bed, Mitch was by my side, holding my hand.
“Any second now, we’re going to be a mom and a dad,” he said, kissing the back of my hand.
I thought about what Natalie had suggested about the paternity test, but I didn’t know if she could get it set up to happen right after the baby was born. I knew she would try her best and that’s all I could hope for.
“One more good push,” the doctor said. “The baby is right there.”
I inhaled deeply and pushed, crying out the entire time.
Exhaustion overtook me as the baby was delivered. I vaguely heard the doctor say, “It’s a girl.”
“A girl,” Mitch said. “We have a beautiful baby girl. She’s going to be just like you,” he said, kissing my hand again, as his eyes teared up.
The nurse was cleaning up the baby while Mitch held me. “You’re so brave, Charlie. If a man had to do that, well…let’s just say the human race would die out.”
I laughed. My baby was here and I was so happy. I could hear her crying just a few feet away from me. Our little Katie. Mitch and I had agreed to name her after our best friend.
“We have our Katie,” I said, looking up at Mitch.
“Yeah. We’re going to have to have another one and name her Natalie. I suppose you’ll want a Neil and a Mac to round things out.”
“Let’s just get adjusted to having one. We can talk about more babies in a couple of years.”
Mitch’s face dropped a little. I put my hand on his face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m a little overwhelmed to be honest. But, I love my brother even after all he did, and I’ll love his…our baby no matter what.”
The nurse interrupted us by bringing Katie over. “You have a beautiful, healthy baby. She’s perfect in every way.” The two of us stayed cocooned in Mitch’s arms for a long time. After a quick shower, we were moved to a private room that had an envelope waiting on the end table addressed to The Hawkins. Natalie had worked her magic.
“What’s this?” Mitch said as he picked up the envelope.
“It has information we need to know.” I was both excited and terrified, not knowing what the outcome was.
“So, you know what’s inside?”
“Yes, but not exactly. Just open it.”
Mitch tore open the envelope and began reading the contents.
“What? How did you? Charlie…”
“Tell me what it says,” I urged him.
“Katie’s mine. I’m her father, not Garrett.” Tears streamed down my superman’s face. “You know I’d love her no matter what.”
“Happy Wedding Day,” I said, reaching up to wipe a tear away. Inside, I was thanking God for this gift I had no words for.
Mitch leaned down and put his forehead to mine. “I can’t believe you did this and so fast.”
“Well, I had a little help from my friends,” I said, seeing Kate and Natalie peering in from the hall.
“Come in, you two,” I called to Kate and Natalie. My dearest friends joined us our room.
“We actually have Natalie to thank for getting us the paternity results so fast. Mac’s uncle is on the hospital board, so the minute we arrived the lab was on standby, waiting for a sample from the baby.”
Mitch looked over at Nat. “Thank you, Nat,” he said, pulling her close to him. “This is amazing news, even though I would have been good either way. We decided not to tell Garrett about the pregnancy. My mom might have tried to, but I’m pretty sure he’s blocked all forms of communication from her just like I have.”
“I’m so glad it turned out the way it did. But I know your heart is big enough to love any child,” Natalie said snuggling into Mitch.
Kate stood there nodding with a knowing smile on her face.
“I know, we just had to have faith,” I said, smiling back at her. I wasn’t sure when she had become so wise, but she had just in time to help Mitch and I through our toughest storm.
Before I could ask where Neil and Mac were, they came through the door carrying bags in their hands.
“Someone missed toasting to the happy couple,” Neil said, pulling out both a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling cider.
“And,” Mac said, unveiling the top of our cake, “you didn’t get to have your cake.”
“Oh my gosh, you guys. Thank you so much for bringing this.” Another bag had paper plates, forks, and cups.
Once everyone had a glass and a plate full of cake, Mitch raised his glass. “To my beautiful bride. You make me strive to be a better man. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we are doing, all I need is you by my side. I know I can get through anything if I have you.” Mitch bent down to kiss me on the lips. Everyone raised their glasses and drank to that.
Scooping up a piece of cake, Mitch and I fed each other the first bite. It wasn’t exactly the way I had dreamed it would happen when I was a little girl, but the best part was I had the man of my dreams. Nothing could compare to that. Life was good. Kate and Natalie had been through their hard times and now Mitch and I had made it through a rough patch. Being surrounded by my friends, holding my baby, being Mitch’s wife…my life was complete.
Epilogue
Katie slept in my arms as Mitch and I watched the sun setting from our back patio. We had bought a cute little three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow that fit us perfectly. Everything in my world was at peace…finally. I had my loving husband and beautiful daughter. Mitch was good, but still struggled with losing Garrett as a brother. They hadn’t talked since Garrett went back to New York, but maybe that was for the best. It was hard to say. I finally convinced Mitch to see someone for grief counseling because even though Garrett was alive, their relationship wasn’t. He didn’t want to admit it, but he needed to talk to someone and it was helping. I had complete faith he would be able to get past what had happened and move on at some point. Mitch was the strongest man I knew.
At first, I thought they could find their way past what had happened. After all, Mitch had forgiven me for my part. But then I realized he viewed me as a victim of Garrett, not a willing participant in the betrayal. I hoped in time Mitch could metaphorically take his hands off Garrett’s throat to see his frailties and forgive him. That was the goal Mitch was working toward.
Lillian had completed her community service and had moved on to another unsuspecting man. She wasn’t one to be alone and her manipulation tactics seemed sharper than ever. She tried to interject herself into our lives after our baby was born, but Mitch told her he would contact her when he was good and ready. At first she put up a fuss, but Mitch was like a brick wall she was beating her head against. He wouldn’t give her an inch. I didn’t blame him because she couldn’t be trusted. She had proven that to us over and over. Finally, she took the hint and made herself scarce.
Edward was free of her and had been spending time with Mitch, helping him work through the pain of what had happened with Garrett. He also had become a doting grandfather, which surprised me a little. But, being free from Lillian had made him into a new man. I hoped one day he would be able to trust again and find a nice woman to share his life with.
Chip had pleaded insanity and was currently staying in a psych facility until he could be evaluated to stand trial. He had kept a team of psychologists busy trying to figure him out. It was uncertain when his trial would take place, but I knew when it did I would have to testify. All I knew was that I was grateful Mitch found me in time because I would have no idea where I would be if he hadn’t.
The year had been a difficult one. Being forgotten and tossed aside by Mitch had nearly decimated my heart. But, our love has been tested and has come out the other side much stronger than before. For that I was thankful. Life may not always be predictable, but with my loving husband beside me, and my beautiful baby girl, my joy was complete.
The End
When I began my journey of becoming an author, I had n
o idea all the blessings that would be bestowed upon me. First, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many readers at signings and they have overwhelmed my heart with their love and support. Their words of affirmation have given me pure joy and they are the reason I write. To stare my stories with them is to give them a glimpse into my heart. I've also been tremendously blessed with bloggers who have tirelessly shared my stories, made teasers for me, promoted me, and just downright made me feel so welcome in the Facebook community.
I didn't share this initially, but the Killer Next Door series is about my own life experience living next door to a convicted serial killer. The story has the facts of my interactions with him mixed in with fiction that I created to give it drama. The main character Kate is actually based on me. Of course, much of the story has my run away imagination mixed in as well. And sadly, the romance part is all made up!! I didn't have a boyfriend at the time I lived next door to a killer. I did however know one of his victims and he was very interested in "getting to know me better." I know...yikes!
I wrote Beholden to You as a spin-off of the series. It's my favorite book as I love Natalie and Mac's love affair. It also has some thrill to it as I enjoy adding in twists and turns to make the pages fly.
Reading has been a passion of mine my entire life. I love it so that I dedicated my life to educating children. As a teacher, I have had the profound pleasure of teaching children to read and explore their imaginations through a good book. Nothing is better than watching a child read and find joy from the story. My first graders are a gift that keep on giving every day. Being a teacher is hard work, but the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices.
I have several stories that I want to turn into books. Writing has become a passion that I dearly love. In my free time, I enjoy reading (of course), writing, movies, working out, and relaxing with my handsome husband in Southern California. We enjoy the relaxed lifestyle that California provides. We have two beautiful dogs, but no children.
You can connect with me on Facebook via my author page at facebook.com/carliesextonauthor, email at [email protected], or visit my blog at CarlieSextonRomance.com to see what is next on the horizon. If you enjoyed Forgotten by You then you will also love to read Kate and Neil’s story in The Killer Next Door series and Mac and Natalie’s story in Beholden to You.
Fallen for You: http://myBook.to/ffyMicrosoft Word
Taken by You: http://myBook.to/tbyMicrosoft Word
Given to You: http://myBook.to/gtyMicrosoft Word
Beholden to You: http://myBook.to/btyMicrosoft Word
Please leave a review for Forgotten by You on Microsoft Word! Thank you for reading my book!
xoxo
Carlie
Forgotten by You Page 22
