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."

cleared it quickly. "Thanks, babe.

said with a soft smile, squeezing my

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

stood in the center of the room, but the rest of the space looked like a storage closet-boxes of baby clothes, unopened toys, and a stack of books about parenting that I hadn't touched yet.

of the clothes. Tiny socks, onesies, and little

couldn't help but imagine our daughter wearing

she have Sarah's smile? My laugh? What kind of person would she grow up to

embroidered on it and chuckled. "Well, you've got me pegged already,

Sarah's voice startled me, and I turned to see her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a

the room, her grin

look adorable in this.

mean, 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

said, 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 of building this life for her. Even the little things, like this nursery." She paused,

taking in the half-finished space. The crib, the 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

after two minutes,"

said, resting her hand on her bump. "This

some semblance of order, I surprised Sarah with a simple dinner-nothing fancy, just spaghetti and garlic bread, but I figured she deserved a break from cooking. "This is nice," she said, twirling a forkful of pasta. "You've been full

figured I should practice pulling my weight," I replied. "Can't have

You do realize you're the one who built that crib, right? And put together the stroller? And

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

was trying not to smile. "Fine, you win.