As she sat in a leather chair beside the crackling fireplace, Casey Rossi gazed down into the diminutive face of her drowsy-eyed daughter. After glancing at the clock on the mantle, Casey smiled. “Hang on, Liv. Just ten more minutes until Daddy walks through the door to see you.”
Olivia widened her dark brown eyes as she appeared to be contemplating Casey’s words. But then the overwhelming desire to sleep won out. With her eyelids drooping, she gave a yawn and then snuggled closer against Casey’s chest. Considering keeping a sleeping baby awake was the equivalent of skipping through a landmine, Casey let Olivia drift off. Nate could wake her up if he wanted to and then deal with the repercussions.
Instead of turning on the TV or catching up on work emails, she merely stared at the perfection that was Olivia. Watching her daughter sleep had become one of her favorite pastimes. It amazed her that she never seemed to tire of doing it. Each time she did, she noticed something different about Olivia’s tiny features—the way the double dimples she had inherited from her father never faded even when she wasn’t smiling, the way her dark little brow furrowed from time to time as if she was having some sort of baby dream. Everything about Olivia was enthralling, which never ceased to surprise Casey.
After all, she had never been a baby person. When she was growing up, the only baby she had really ever been around was her kid sister, Carlee. She sure as hell didn’t do any babysitting when she was a teenager. For a long time, she hadn’t even planned on having children. But then a 6’5 stud with a heart of gold came into her life and changed her mind…although she put up a hell of a fight for a long time.
As she eyed the sparkling diamond on her left hand, Casey thought of the many years it had been on her finger. It had been over a decade since she had literally bumped into Nate Rossi at a Starbucks in downtown Atlanta. Her iced mocha had drenched the front of Nate’s jeans, making it appear like he had pissed his pants. Thankfully, his steaming hot cappuccino had stayed put in its cup, and he had good-naturedly found the incident amusing, rather than being angry like she probably would have.
Coming off a two month fling with an out-of-work musician, Nate was just the kind of guy she usually ran from. While he was panty-melting gorgeous, he didn’t exude the personality of a player. Even at twenty-three, he had his shit together where at twenty-one, she was still giving her parents grey hairs about the outlook of her life. She’d dropped out of college once and then changed her major twice. It was after her parents last “come to Jesus” sit down with her that she had enrolled at Georgia State University to do something with marketing or public relations. At least that’s what she had assured her parents that their tuition money would be paying for.
Normally she would have apologized profusely and then gotten the hell out of there, but something about Nate’s dark chocolate eyes, the Tom Selleckesque double dimples in his cheeks, and his sincere smile made her take him up on his offer to have dinner with him. This was of course after he insisted on buying her another iced mocha.
And at dinner that first night, she knew she had met the man she wanted to marry…just not at that moment. The thought scared the hell out of her, but at the same time, she didn’t want to run away. For the first time in her life, she wanted to see things through with a decent man. Nate truly brought out the best in her. He knew just how to smooth her rough edges while slightly taming her wild-child side. They were the old adage of “she made him want to be a better man” in reverse.
With her free hand, Casey reached over to pick up the picture sitting on the table next to her. She and Nate stared out of the sterling silver frame with genuinely happy smiles on their faces. The picture was of the two of them on their wedding
Olivia widened her dark brown eyes as she appeared to be contemplating Casey’s words. But then the overwhelming desire to sleep won out. With her eyelids drooping, she gave a yawn and then snuggled closer against Casey’s chest. Considering keeping a sleeping baby awake was the equivalent of skipping through a landmine, Casey let Olivia drift off. Nate could wake her up if he wanted to and then deal with the repercussions.
Instead of turning on the TV or catching up on work emails, she merely stared at the perfection that was Olivia. Watching her daughter sleep had become one of her favorite pastimes. It amazed her that she never seemed to tire of doing it. Each time she did, she noticed something different about Olivia’s tiny features—the way the double dimples she had inherited from her father never faded even when she wasn’t smiling, the way her dark little brow furrowed from time to time as if she was having some sort of baby dream. Everything about Olivia was enthralling, which never ceased to surprise Casey.
After all, she had never been a baby person. When she was growing up, the only baby she had really ever been around was her kid sister, Carlee. She sure as hell didn’t do any babysitting when she was a teenager. For a long time, she hadn’t even planned on having children. But then a 6’5 stud with a heart of gold came into her life and changed her mind…although she put up a hell of a fight for a long time.
As she eyed the sparkling diamond on her left hand, Casey thought of the many years it had been on her finger. It had been over a decade since she had literally bumped into Nate Rossi at a Starbucks in downtown Atlanta. Her iced mocha had drenched the front of Nate’s jeans, making it appear like he had pissed his pants. Thankfully, his steaming hot cappuccino had stayed put in its cup, and he had good-naturedly found the incident amusing, rather than being angry like she probably would have.
Coming off a two month fling with an out-of-work musician, Nate was just the kind of guy she usually ran from. While he was panty-melting gorgeous, he didn’t exude the personality of a player. Even at twenty-three, he had his shit together where at twenty-one, she was still giving her parents grey hairs about the outlook of her life. She’d dropped out of college once and then changed her major twice. It was after her parents last “come to Jesus” sit down with her that she had enrolled at Georgia State University to do something with marketing or public relations. At least that’s what she had assured her parents that their tuition money would be paying for.
Normally she would have apologized profusely and then gotten the hell out of there, but something about Nate’s dark chocolate eyes, the Tom Selleckesque double dimples in his cheeks, and his sincere smile made her take him up on his offer to have dinner with him. This was of course after he insisted on buying her another iced mocha.
And at dinner that first night, she knew she had met the man she wanted to marry…just not at that moment. The thought scared the hell out of her, but at the same time, she didn’t want to run away. For the first time in her life, she wanted to see things through with a decent man. Nate truly brought out the best in her. He knew just how to smooth her rough edges while slightly taming her wild-child side. They were the old adage of “she made him want to be a better man” in reverse.
With her free hand, Casey reached over to pick up the picture sitting on the table next to her. She and Nate stared out of the sterling silver frame with genuinely happy smiles on their faces. The picture was of the two of them on their wedding
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