Cowboy Casanova

Chapter 56 [Final Chapter (three months later)]

TIM POV: I slowly get up off of the couch, and limp over to the breakfast bar. She's making breakfast for the girls before school. She's wearing my t-shirt tucked in a pair of shorts. Her bare feet glide across the hardwood floor as she dances between the stove and refrigerator. Her curly hair floats along with her. 

Three sets of footsteps come racing down the stairs, following the scent. They all line up at the counter, each of them grabbing plates to put the food on. She smiles a bright smile, and scoops some eggs on each of their plates. They move on like an assembly line and grab toast, and a glass of orange juice. They sit down at the table and begin to giggle as they eat. She smiles over at them, then over at me. 

"How you feeling?" She asks. I shrug. 

"Sore. You know, the usual." I say. She nods and gives me a brief smile. Audrey spots the clock. 

"We need to go!" She says, pointing to it and jumping up and down. The three girls all run to their book bags and lunches. Audrey, Maggie, and Gracie all run back and throw their arms tightly around me. 

"I love you daddy! Have a good day!" They say, as the run out the door. 

"Love you too!" I shout back. They shut the door and run out to the bus stop. Faith sighs, and comes around to give me a kiss. 

"They're getting so big." She says, looking at the door. I smile and nod. 

"Yeah." I say. She wraps her arms around me and sways. 

"I love you." She says. 

"I love you too baby." I say, rubbing her back. I can feel her smile. She sits down on the couch and takes a deep breath. I sit down beside her and grab the remote from the inn table so we can watch the morning news. She lays her head on my shoulder and grabs the remote from my hands. 

"Can we talk?" She asks. I begin to worry as she leans to put the remote back up. 

"Sure..." I say hesitantly. "What's wrong?" I ask. She shakes her head and smiles. 

"Nothing." She says. "I just want to hear your voice." She says softly. I smile. She traces my jaw with her finger as she looks into my eyes. 

"What are your plans for today?" I ask, maintaining our quiet level. She shrugs her shoulders. 

"Haven't decided yet." She says. "I was thinking about taking Emily for a walk once she wakes up." I nod and run my fingers through her hair. "I'm so lucky to have a man like you." She breaks out. I narrow my eyes at her. 

"You sure?" I ask. She laughs as I show a smile. She follows with a nod. 

"I'm 100% sure." She says. 

"Well, I'm lucky to have a woman like you." I say. She blushes slightly. 

"Doubt it." 

"Did I stutter?" I say, to be quickly met with her laugh. She sighs and curls up as close as she can get to me. I can feel her heartbeat, which brings me peace. "I would give everything for you." I whisper. I feel her smile. 

"Really?" She asks. I nod. 

"Really. That's how important you are to me." I say, curling some of her hair around my finger. Her chest rises up, then plummets as she breathes. I match her breathing by instinct. 

"I could've lost you." She says, wrapping both of her arms around me, almost like a teddy bear. 

"Yeah." I say, thinking about my past. "I could've lost you too." I acknowledge. She sighs. 

"We have some horrible luck, now don't we?" I laugh. 

"I guess so." I say. "Faith, I'm never going to let that happen ever again." I promise. She smiles and begins to question me. 

"How can you ever make sure of that?" She asks. 

"Because if something like that happens again, I won't be able to breathe. I can't let you get hurt again." I say. She smiles and nods. 

"Why do you put that kind of pressure on yourself?" She asks. 

"Because you're everything that matters to me. Besides the kids, of course." I say. She smiles even brighter. I rub her back, and hold her tight. 

"Don't let me go." She says, shutting her eyes. 

"I won't." I say, leaning my head back. I get comfortable. 

"Promise?" She asks. I laugh. 

"I promise." I confirm. 

I feel her breath on my chest as she drifts to sleep. A smile is plastered on her face as she seems to purr. Her hands twitch on my side as she experiences a dream. My eyelids are heavy, but I have the irresistible desire to watch her sleep for longer. She's at peace. I love her so much... 

Her blonde hair glistens as the red sunlight peaks through the shades. Her eyelashes move slightly. Her breathing is steady and slow, making me feel safe. 

Safe... That's all I've wanted to feel for months... or maybe even years. Safe... With her, I feel just that. She makes breathing easy. She makes waking up joyful. I mean, imagining a day without her... well... it doesn't seem possible. She's my rock, my home, my soul. As long as she's happy, healthy, and safe, I'm in heaven. Without her, I'd probably be six feet under. Hell, I would dead. Now that I think about it, there's no question. 

All the pain and suffering it took to get here, seems well worth it. Just the chance to hold her in my arms is worth it all. I can't imagine not having her with me. It just doesn't feel realistic. 

So now it's my time to protect what I have. Everything has finally been pieced back together to it's original form. Some parts are scarred, and cracked still, but the main structure is still there. She's still here. The girls are still here. I'm still here... That's all I could ask for. We fought against the odds and managed to win every time. How? God only knows. But I'm not going to waste time contemplating whether or not this is a mistake, or a blessing. As long as I'm here, I'm not going to second guess. 

Breathing is a blessing, living is a privilege, and loving... well, that's the only thing that matters in this world.