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."

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

a soft

a call with her mom, I decided to tackle the nursery. I figured it was about time I contributed something more than

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. Alright, time to make this place look like

clothes. Tiny socks, onesies, and

seemed impossibly small, and I couldn't help but imagine

My laugh? What kind of person would she grow up

on it and chuckled. "Well, you've got

now?" Sarah's voice startled me, and I turned to see her leaning

her grin softening into something warmer as she took the

to look adorable in this.

say no to someone who's this tiny?" I gestured at the little outfit, shaking

folding them into neat stacks. "It's funny, isn't it? We're planning so much

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.

nodded, 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 shoulder. "Scary, but good. Like one of

ride doesn't end after two minutes," I pointed out, making

hand on her bump.

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.

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

one who built that crib, right? And

growing a human," I said, gesturing

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