All Chapters of Broken bond, burning desire: Chapter 161 - Chapter 169

169 Chapters

The New Beginning

"The baby is coming."I was standing in the middle of the kitchen. My water had just broken. He was sitting at the table with Rose, reading her a story. He looked up and his face went pale."Now? The baby is coming now?"I nodded. "Yes. Right now. We need to go."He scooped Rose into his arms and grabbed my bag. "Okay. Okay. We are going. We are going to the hospital."He drove fast. Faster than he should have. But I did not care. All I cared about was getting to the hospital. All I cared about was having this baby safely."I am so scared," I said. "I am so scared."He reached over and took my hand. "You can do this. You did it before. You can do it again.""This is different. This is not like last time. I know what is coming. I know how much it is going to hurt."He squeezed my hand. "I know. But you are strong. You are the strongest person I know."We arrived at the hospital and they rushed me into a room. The contractions were getting stronger. Closer together."I cannot do this,"

The First Steps

"I think he is going to walk today."I was sitting on the living room floor. James was standing in front of me. His tiny hands were gripping the coffee table. His little legs were wobbling. He had been trying to take his first steps for days.He came in from the kitchen. His eyes were bright. "You think so? He has been so close.""He is ready. I can feel it. He is going to do it today."James looked at us and smiled. His little toothless grin that made my heart melt. Then he let go of the table."Come on, baby," I said. "Come to Mama."He wobbled. His arms flailed. I held my breath.And then he took a step. And then another. And then he was walking. Right toward me.I screamed. "He is walking. He is walking."He fell into my arms and laughed. I picked him up and spun him around."You did it," I said. "You took your first steps."He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. "He walked. Our son walked."I looked at him. "I love you. I love this moment. I love our family."He kissed me. "I lo

The Words We Could Not Say

"I need to tell you something."His voice was strange. I looked up from the dinner I was making. He was standing in the kitchen doorway. His face was pale. His hands were shaking."What is it? What happened?"He walked toward me slowly. "I got a call today. From an old contact. There is something I need to tell you."I set down the knife. "You are scaring me. What is it?"He took my hands. "I have a daughter. From before. From my old life."The words hung in the air. I stared at him. "What do you mean you have a daughter?""I was young. I made a mistake. I did not know she existed until now. Her mother just reached out."I pulled my hands away. "You have a daughter. A child you never told me about.""I did not know. I swear I did not know. Her mother hid it from me. She only told me now because she needs help."I felt the anger rise. "Help? She needs help? So you are going to run off and save the day?"He reached for me but I stepped back. "I am not running off. I am telling you becau

The Girl Who Changed Everything

"I do not know how to be a big sister."Lily was sitting on the porch. Her knees were pulled up to her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the ocean. I sat down beside her and watched the waves crash against the shore."You do not have to know how to be a big sister," I said. "You just have to be yourself."She looked at me. Her eyes were wary. "What if myself is not good enough?"I reached out and touched her hand. "You are good enough. You have always been good enough."She pulled her hand away. "You do not know me. You do not know what I have been through.""I know you are scared. I know you are hurt. I know you have been alone for a long time."She looked at me. Her eyes were wet. "How do you know?""Because I have been there. I have been scared and hurt and alone. I know what it feels like."She was quiet for a long time. The waves crashed and the seagulls cried."Did it get better?" she finally asked. "Did you ever stop feeling like you were going to fall apart?"I smiled. "It got bet

The Mother's Day Surprise

"I have never celebrated Mother's Day before."Lily said it so quietly I almost did not hear her. We were in the kitchen. She was helping me chop vegetables. Her eyes were fixed on the cutting board.I set down my knife and looked at her. "Never? Not once?"She shook her head. "My mother was always too sick. And before that, she was always too busy. She never had time to celebrate anything."I felt my heart crack. "Well, that is going to change. This year, you are going to celebrate Mother's Day. And you are going to love it."She looked up at me. "Really? You think so?""I know so. Because I am going to make sure of it."She smiled. A small, tentative smile. "What do people do on Mother's Day?""People do all kinds of things. They make breakfast in bed. They give cards and flowers. They spend the day together."She nodded. "That sounds nice. That sounds really nice."I reached over and squeezed her hand. "It is going to be wonderful. I promise."The next week I noticed Lily was actin

The Summer of Us

I woke to the sound of laughter. Not the soft giggles of Rose or the babbling of James. This was different. Louder. More carefree. I opened my eyes and looked out the window. The sun was rising over the ocean. The sky was pink and gold. And in the yard, Lily was chasing Rose with a bucket of water."Get back here, little one," Lily shouted. "I am going to get you."Rose screamed with delight. "No, Sissy. No."James was toddling after them. His little legs were wobbling. His arms were outstretched. "Me. Me."I got out of bed and walked to the window. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist."Look at them," he said. "Look at our children."I leaned back against him. "They are so happy. They are so full of life.""They have a good life. A good home. Good parents."I turned to look at him. "They have a good father. A father who loves them more than anything."He kissed me softly. "And they have a good mother. A mother who would do anything for them."We watched the kids

The Summer We Became Whole

"I want to learn how to surf."Lily announced it at breakfast. The words came out with such confidence that I nearly dropped my coffee. Rose looked up from her cereal with wide eyes. James banged his spoon on his high chair.I looked at her. "You want to learn how to surf?"She nodded. "I have been watching the surfers on the beach. They look so free. So happy. I want to feel that way too."He set down his coffee and smiled. "I can teach you. I used to surf when I was younger."I stared at him. "You used to surf? You never told me that."He shrugged. "There are a lot of things I have not told you. I was a different person before I met you."Lily looked at him with excitement in her eyes. "Really? You will teach me?""I will teach you. We can start today if you want.""Yes. I want to start today."Rose looked at me. "Mama, can I surf too?"I laughed. "You are too small, baby. Maybe when you are older."Rose pouted. "But I want to be like Sissy."I pulled her into a hug. "You can be lik

The Birthday That Changed Everything

"I am sixteen today."Lily said it with a smile. A bright, happy smile that lit up her whole face. I looked at her and felt my heart swell. Sixteen years old. My daughter was sixteen years old.I pulled her into a hug. "Happy birthday, my darling. I cannot believe you are sixteen."She hugged me back. "I cannot believe it either. It feels like just yesterday I was walking through that door.""It feels like just yesterday. But also like forever. You have been part of our lives forever."She pulled back and looked at me. "Thank you, Mom. For everything. For giving me a home. For giving me a family. For giving me a life."I touched her face. "You gave me a life too. You gave me a daughter. You gave me joy. You gave me love."She smiled. "I love you, Mom.""I love you too, Lily. More than you will ever know."The house was decorated with balloons and streamers. He had helped the kids set everything up the night before. Rose and James were running around with party hats on their heads."Si

The Thanksgiving We Never Expected

"I cannot believe we are doing this."I was standing in the kitchen. The turkey was in the oven. The table was set. The house smelled like cinnamon and sage and home. My mother was peeling potatoes. Lily was setting out the good china. He was trying to keep Rose and James from destroying the living room.I looked around and felt a wave of gratitude wash over me. "I cannot believe this is our life. I cannot believe we have all of this."My mother looked up from the potatoes. "You deserve it, my darling. You have worked so hard for this."Lily walked over and hugged me. "You deserve it, Mom. You have given us all so much."I hugged her back. "I have given you nothing. You have given me everything."The doorbell rang. Rose ran to the door. "I will get it. I will get it."She opened the door and there stood Elena and her husband. They had a bottle of wine and a plate of cookies."Happy Thanksgiving," Elena said. "We brought cookies."Rose took the cookies. "Thank you. I love cookies."Ele

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