Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Richard

pov.

I couldn't stop smiling. Even the next morning, as I stumbled into the kitchen half-awake and with Sarah's cheery "Good morning!" ringing in my ears, the grin stayed plastered on my face. "A girl," I muttered, grabbing the coffee pot. The words still felt unreal. A little girl who would someday wrap me around her tiny finger before I even saw it coming. "We're having a girl." Sarah sat at the table, humming as she flipped through a baby catalog, her plate of toast forgotten.

Every so often, she'd point to a random page and say something like, "Do you like this crib better?" or "What do you think of lavender walls?"

I nodded along, still more focused on my coffee than cribs. Truthfully, she could pick anything, and I'd agree.

How could I argue with someone who already seemed to know what this kid needed? I just hoped I could measure up to that.

"You're quiet this morning," Sarah said, looking up from her catalog.

"Just thinking," I replied.

"About what?"

I hesitated, swirling the coffee in my mug. "You ever feel like... like you've got this gigantic responsibility coming at you, and no matter how much you prepare, it still feels overwhelming?" She tilted her head, studying me. "You're talking about the baby?"

"Yeah," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "I mean, don't get me wrong-I'm excited. But I keep wondering... what if I mess up? What if I'm not a good dad?"

Sarah reached across the table and placed her hand over mine. "You're going to be an amazing dad," she said firmly.

"I see it every day-in the way you take care of me, the way you're already planning for her. She's lucky to have you, and so am I."

a lump rise in my throat and cleared it quickly. "Thanks, babe. I guess

said with a soft smile, squeezing my

Sarah was on a call with her mom, I decided to tackle

crib we'd built together stood in the center of the room, but the rest of the space looked like a storage closet-boxes of baby clothes, unopened toys,

started by unpacking some of the clothes. Tiny socks, onesies, and little

impossibly small, and I couldn't

kind of person would she

on it and chuckled.

startled me, and I turned to see her leaning against

practicing," I said, holding up the onesie. She stepped into the room, her grin softening

in this. And

how do you say no to someone who's this tiny?" I gestured at the little outfit, shaking my head.

and started folding them into neat stacks. "It's funny,

sitting beside her and picking up a pair of socks. "But I think that's what makes it special. It's like... every decision we make now is part

mountain of baby things, the faint smell of paint still lingering in the air from when we'd repainted the walls last week. "It is. And a little scary, too." Sarah leaned her head against my shoulder. "Scary, but good. Like one

doesn't end after two minutes,"

hand on her bump. "This

simple dinner-nothing fancy, just spaghetti and garlic bread, but I figured she deserved a

my weight," I replied. "Can't have you thinking I'm slacking

crib, right? And put together the stroller? And

you're the one who's, you know, growing a human," I said, gesturing at

she was trying not to smile. "Fine, you win. But only because you made garlic