A few minutes later, her tiny chest rose and fell rhythmically, the gentle snores a sweet melody to my ears, a peaceful sigh of relief washing over me. I stood and tiptoed over to the edge of her crib, lowering her down onto the mattress, attempting to not wake her. She rolled over, clutching the horse stuffy Max had given her as an early birthday gift in her chubby grasp.
A warmth spread through me, a silent contentment washing over my body as I watched her serene slumber.
“Sleep tight, birthday girl.” I whispered, mimicking Max’s earlier nickname.
Easing my way out of the nursery, I closed the door with a soft snick. Before I even turned around, a mass of solid muscle pressed me against the wall. Max gripped my hips and pressed a passionate kiss to my mouth.
A soft moan escaped my lips, and he took that as an invitation to tangle his tongue with mine. One of his hands coasted the planes of my stomach, up between my breasts,and rested on my neck. He didn’t apply pressure, but the simple fact that he could filled me with an eager thrill.
He pulled back to gaze at me from beneath hooded lids.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he growled as he dove back in for another searing kiss.
A throat clearing down the hallway broke our passionate embrace. Max lowered his forehead to mine before cocking his head to the side to see who had the balls to interrupt the tiny snippet of time we had to be together. His dad stood at the end of the hallway with a shit-eating grin, his arms crossed across his chest.
“When you’re finished mauling each other, Ray sent me here to gather her worker bees.”
I could hear his attempt at holding back laughter as Max attempted to conceal his rapidly growing hard on.
“We will be out in a second,” I retorted, giving us a few minutes to gather our wits before being fed to the wolves of party decorating.
“I love you,” he declared in a whisper, his eyes sparkling with affection. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
“I love you too, Cowboy. Now let’s get this over with so we can go back to where we left off after this party.”
After another hourof food prep, last-minute touches, one emotional melt down from Wade, and dozens of popped balloons, the party was about to start. I looked around at how Ray had transformed the simple ranch into such a whimsical fairytale.
She had draped fairy lights along each of the trees liningthe backyard, giving a subtle ethereal glow to the space. The interspersed paper mache mushrooms and flowers along the tree line enhanced the illusion of a forest.
Someone had outfitted two long tables with white tablecloths, draping them in layers of chiffon fabric in varying muted neutral colors and adorning them with garlands of ivy.
Charlie’s highchair sat at the head of one table, a banner with the word ‘one’ dangling from the front and balloons floating on the back. Fairy lights wrapped around her chair legs would illuminate her in the afternoon glow.
Ray stepped up beside me, and I reached out a hand to take hers. She reciprocated the gesture and leaned her head on my shoulder in an affectionate touch.
“Ray… How can I ever thank you?” I asked in a whisper, still in awe of all the work she had put in to making the party so beautiful.
“Stay. That’s how you can thank me,” she responded softly, tightening her grip on mine three times in quick succession.
It was such an affectionate moment that it threw me off kilter. I was thankful to have her in my life, and even after fulfilling her wishes to stay, I’d still forever be indebted to her.
I nodded, unsure if she was even watching to see my affirmation, but the appearance of two burly men in matching fluffy tutus and fairy wings, stepping from the house, diverted my gaze.
“Oh.. My.. God.” I chuckled, unable to restrain my laughter.
Max and Wade stood on the back porch steps, clad in matching fairy princess attire, holding a tiny version of theiroutfit between them. Pink tutus encircled their waists, and each man wore a jeweled crown and glittery fairy wings.
“We need our third amigo to finish the vision!” Wade remarked, twirling like a ballerina, causing glitter to sparkle everywhere around him. I put a hand over my mouth and laughed hard enough that I felt tears prick my eyes. These men stopped at nothing for their girl.
I checked my phone clock and noticed how long Charlie had been sleeping. I had forgotten to grab the baby monitor off the nightstand in our bedroom. Assuming she was awake, I walked up the back porch stairs, stopping to give Max a quick kiss and pat on his tutu clad ass as I made my way into the house.
Making way down the hallway, I cracked open Charlie’s door. Surprisingly, all was quiet. I had half expected Charlie to be banging on the rungs of her crib, wanting to get out and join in on the fun.
Approaching the crib, the horrifying emptiness of it, the absence of my child’s sleeping form, sent shards of ice through my heart. A soul shattering scream escaped from my throat as I fell to my knees and wailed.
Instead of my beautiful baby, there lie a note in a scrawled handwriting that read,
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
