She even felt comfortable heading into the feed store topick up things for me for the ranch. Stella never ceased to amaze me with how easily she took adversity and turned it into something positive. She and Charlie had opened my eyes to all that life offered, and I couldn’t wait to experience it with my girls by my side.
Having Charlie call me her baby babble version of dad was an unexpected turn of events. I won’t lie and say it didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies knowing that she thought of me as a father figure. I had always dreamed of having a family of my own eventually, and if I could choose one, I’d choose Charlie and Stella as mine, ten times over.
As we finished up farm chores and Stella made her fiftieth ‘daddy’ joke of the morning, I flagged down Ray, who was bustling around the backyard. She was in party CEO mode as she directed Wade on where to hang fairy lights amongst the trees. She nodded back in acknowledgement that she’d seen us and left Wade on the ladder to his demise by fairy lights as she jogged over.
Earlier in the week, I’d mentioned to Ray that I wanted to do something special for Stella on Charlie’s birthday. Celebrating a child’s first birthday is a special occasion. But, a child’s first birthday was also a celebration for the mother, especially if it’s your first child.
“There’s my little birthday girl!” Ray cooed, snatching Charlie out of Stella’s arms.
Charlie squished Ray’s cheeks in her signature sign of affection and nuzzled their noses together. I had known that Ray watching Charlie during the day was going to work out well, but what I hadn’t expected was the bond they shared. Ray was the aunt that Charlie had never had.
“Can you watch her for a minute or two?” I asked, as if Ray wasn’t already privy to my plans.
“Of course! She can help me boss Wade around, can’t you, girlfriend?” she cooed. Charlie nodded as if she understood.
“Thanks, Ray.” I said, taking Stella’s hand in mine and leading her out to my truck. I didn’t give her a moment to hesitate before whisking her away, knowing she would come up with every excuse in the book to avoid leaving the party planning in everyone else’s capable hands.
“Where are we going?” She asked as I opened the door and helped her into the passenger seat.
“Do you trust me?”
“With my whole heart,” she replied instantly, zero hesitation in her response.
I felt a swell of pride course through my chest. I don’t know what I did to deserve this woman, but I couldn’t imagine any sort of future without her now.
“Good,” I stated as I shut her door and rounded the hood to get into the driver’s seat.
The drive to the cove took only a couple of minutes, and Stella squinted in confusion as soon as she knew what direction we were heading in. Dutifully, she sat quietly in the passenger seat, not attempting to ruin my surprise.
When we got to the clearing, I parked the truck and leaped out before she could open her own door. Stella had an infuriating habit of insisting that she open her own door and I was bound and determined to beat her to it each time.
I held my hand out in offering and she placed her palm in mine, allowing me to help her down from the truck. I took the opportunity with our proximity to place a searing kiss on her lips. She opened for me and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to deepen the kiss. Kissing her never got old. Each time felt like the first time. I pulled backbefore things got out of hand and touched my lips to her forehead.
“Come on, I’ve got a little surprise for you,” I said, reaching out so we could walk to the cove. Skeptically, she conceded, and we pushed through the dense brush to get to the clearing where we had been on our first date.
I sat down along the water’s edge and pulled her to sit between my outstretched legs. She leaned back against my chest with a contented sigh, and I took the opportunity to wrap my arms tightly around her chest.
“Why are we here, Max?” she questioned. “We have so much to do back at the ranch to set up. I’m sure Charlie is giving Ray and Wade a run for their money. I’ve got food to make, decorations to put out, Charlie needs a nap…” I cut her off by turning her head and placing a chaste kiss to her mouth.
Pulling back, I smirked at her blissed out expression. It never ceased to drive me wild at how receptive she was to my touch.
“Will you shut up?” I chided. She cocked her head to the side in annoyance and I chuckled.
“I wanted to bring you here so I could give you this.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Her eyes blew wide as I could hear the wheels spinning. I’m sure she thought it was an engagement ring, and although I knew that was part of our future, and I’d already planned on when and where to make that happen, now wasn’t that time.
“Open it.” I instructed, handing her the box.
She took it with tentative fingers and flipped open the lid. Inside, nestled in the silk lining, was a simple necklace featuring two green stones and a single orange one, swirled in a rose gold pendant. I felt a drop of wetness fall onto my kneeand I met Stella’s eyes just as another tear tracked down her cheek.
“The green stones are peridot, the birthstone for August. One for Charlie, and one for myself. The orange stone is Topaz, the birthstone for November, your birth month. I had it made special just for you,” I explained, fingering the thin chain as I lifted the box from her grasp and extricated the necklace from its resting place.
“May I?” I asked softly, brushing her hair off the back of her neck. Her silent nod was all the encouragement I needed as I undid the clasp and circled the chain around her throat. I re-clasped it and adjusted the pendant so it sat in the middle of her chest.
I had selected a shorter chain to deter Charlie from pulling it and rose gold because it reminded me of my favorite blush that always crested her skin.
“Max..” she whispered reverently, fingering the pendant with the softest touch.
“I know today is Charlie’s birthday, but I feel like people always overlook the moms. You spent the last year living in a literal hell, working to design a better life for your daughter. You sacrificed your body, your sleep, your emotions, and so much more to bring her into this world. I can never explain how much having Charlie and you in my life brings me joy, but I wanted you to have a reminder of the family we are creating together.”
