Page 22 of Accidentally Perfect

How did I not know that he was Nathan Whitmore? When he told me his last name was Whitmore I thought it sounded familiar, but I couldn't figure out where I heard it. Duh, Laney. I didn’t put two and two together. Jesus. Everyone knows who Nathan is. I guess the pictures in the magazines and the gossip blogs don’t do him justice. He’s so much better looking in person. This is just another bump in the road. I’m not a diva, or the latest up and coming in the social circles that make up Manhattan. I’m a nurse, a mother of twins, and now, I’m a wife. He isn’t big into flaunting who he is and what he has. That might be why I didn’t notice who he was when I first met him; that, or the fact that I'm obviously oblivious to the comings and goings in New York. Those eyes and that smile did me in. Hot damn; they would make you forget just about anything. But now, what’s important, are my girls, being Mrs. Whitmore can wait a little bit longer.

I walk into their room, and they’re both awake. Nathan wanted to give me this time with them, as a family. I know letting me go and not including himself was hard for him, but it shows me how much he cares. Brad's sitting in the middle of their beds holding their hands. He’s there for them just as much as he needs to be. He goes above and beyond for them. He's never once told me no if I needed him to take them. He's their father, and he’s never let them down. Having lost his parents at a young age must have put things in perspective for him. He tries to do right by them. I know that's why he asked me to marry him, even when we weren't ready for that. He always has had their best interest at heart, even when I've questioned some of the decision he's made in his personal life, I've never had to once question him when it comes to the girls.

“Hi, my babies.”

“Mama!” They say in unison.

“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t here for you when the accident happened, babies.” Tears come to my eyes in an instant. There's no stopping them from falling.

“Its okay, Mama,” Addie says. “We were with Daddy anyway, so you wouldn’t have been with us no matter what.” She is too smart for her own good.

“I know, Bug, but I wish I was closer, so it didn’t take me as long to get here.”

“Were you wif Auntie Thella?” This coming from Amanda.

“Yes, Bear, I was with Auntie Stella. She’ll be here in a bit to see your sweet faces. It’s taking her a little longer to get here than it took me.” I move to sit on Addie’s bed and assess her right leg in its cast.

“Why?” They ask in unison again.

“I had a friend help me get back to you girls as fast as I could.” I looked at Brad hoping for some support, but I don’t think he wants to help me out of this situation.

“Well who helped you and didn’t help Auntie Thella?”

“Just a friend, sweetie. How are you doing, baby girl? I hear from Grandma that you've been very brave.”

"I hafe been, Mama, so brafe!” Amanda has always had a problem with her speech. The doctor we've taken her to has assured us that with enough therapy, she will grow out of the speech impediment that she currently has.

“Does it hurt, Addie bug?”

“Just a little. The doctor said he gave me medicine to help me feel better. It really does feel better, but it does hurt still. Mama, do you think you can make it so that I’m not hurting at all? Do you think you can kiss it and make it feel better?”

“Oh, baby, I would love to kiss your boo-boo away, but I think it’s too serious for even my kisses to fix, Bug. I’m sorry. We’re just going to have to let the doctor do what he needs to do to make sure your leg feels better. I promise it will feel just like new in no time.”

“Where did you go, Mama? Why were you far away?” Amanda is so sweet, so innocent.

“Well, Auntie Stella and I went to a city with bright lights and lots of fun music. There were lots of people everywhere. There were tall buildings and every single one of them was so beautiful. You both would have loved it.”

“I wanna go, Mama.” This from Addie.

“Maybe when you feel better I’ll take you there.”

“Will your friend be there? Will your friend take uth there? Can Daddy come wif uth? That would be fun...to hafe an adventure. Yeah, an adventure!”

“We'll see, sweet girls. Have you thought about what you want to do for your birthdays yet? It’s coming up, and then you'll get to start school. Aren’t you excited about that? You're getting so big.”

“I want animals, Mama...lots of animals. I want to see them grow up, and I want to see what they eat and where they sleep. I want lots and lots of animals.” Addie is always trying to learn.

“I wanna ride ponieth wif birfday cake and loths of gifth and loth of friendth.”

“Yeah, ponies. We want ponies, Mama.” Addie says excitedly.

“We'll see what your Mama and I can do to see if you can ride a pony for your birthday, babies.”

“No, we want lots of ponies, right, Bear? Lots of ponies in all different colors. Like My Little Pony. Yeah, My Little Pony!”

“Yeah, pink, and purple, and blue ponieth. With loth of balloonth and loth of candieth.”

“Yeah, the best birthday ever!” Addie shoots her hand in the air in excitement.