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."

it quickly. "Thanks, babe. I

with a

while Sarah was on a call with her mom, I decided to tackle the nursery. I figured it was about

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, and a stack of books about parenting that I hadn't touched yet. Alright, time to make

by unpacking some of the clothes. Tiny socks,

impossibly small, and I couldn't help but

smile? My laugh? What kind of person would she

on it and chuckled.

her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a teasing grin on

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

look adorable in this. And you're going to be

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

next to the pile of clothes and started folding them into neat stacks. "It's funny, isn't it? We're planning so much

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,

the air from when we'd repainted the walls last week. "It is. And a little

after two minutes," I pointed out,

her hand on

dinner-nothing fancy, just spaghetti and garlic bread, but I figured she deserved a break from cooking.

I figured I should practice pulling my weight," I replied. "Can't have you thinking I'm slacking off when the baby gets

that crib, right? And put together the

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 bread."