Second Down Scrooge

by Lisa Suzanne

She’s a total daddy’s girl. She loves him, and she loves spending time with him. Her first word wasn’t mama even though I’m with her essentially twenty-four-seven. It was dada. Dada gets all the glory while mama does all the hard work.

No matter how much my ovaries explode when I see him holding our baby. No matter how much I want him to put another baby in me.

Both her parents are grinning and nodding when she leaps to her feet to hug them both, and I grab the piece of paper she left behind in the box. Surprise! We’re moving to Vegas! My chest warms at the thought that we’ll have actual family nearby. What a gift.

“This is the best Christmas ever!” Kelly says, and she doesn’t even know the half of it yet.

My hands are trembling as I hold the ring out in front of me. “Will you marry me?” Her hands fly to her mouth in shock as she gasps, and then she shakes them out. “Oh my God! Yes!”