Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Richard pov.

I couldn't stop smiling. Even the next morning, as I stumbled into the kitchen half-awake and with Sarah's cheery "Good morning!" ringing in my ears, the grin stayed plastered on my face. "A girl," I muttered, grabbing the coffee pot. The words still felt unreal. A little girl who would someday wraparound her tiny finger before I even saw it coming. "We're having a girl." Sarah sat at the table, humming as she flipped through a baby catalog, her plate of toast forgotten.

Every so often, she'd point to a random page and say something like, "Do you like this crib better?" or "What do you think of lavender walls?" I nodded along, still more focused on my coffee than cribs. Truthfully, she could pick anything, and I'd agree. How could I argue with someone who already seemed to know what this kid needed? I just hoped I could measure up to that.

"You're quiet this morning," Sarah said, looking up from her catalog.

"Just thinking," I replied.

"About what?" I hesitated, swirling the coffee in my mug. "You ever feel like... like you've got this gigantic responsibility coming at you, and no matter how much you prepare, it still feels overwhelming?" She tilted her head, studying me. "You're talking about the baby?" "Yeah," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "I mean, don't getwrong-I'm excited. But I keep wondering... what if I mess up? What if I'm not a good dad?" Sarah reached across the table and placed her hand over mine. "You're going to be an amazing dad," she said firmly.

"I see it every day-in the way you take care of me, the way you're already planning for her. She's lucky to have you, and so am I." I felt a lump rise in my throat and cleared it quickly. "Thanks, babe. I guess I just needed to hear that." "Anytime," she said with a soft smile, squeezing my hand.

Later that day, while Sarah was on a call with her mom, I decided to tackle the nursery. I figured it was about tI contributed something more than moral support.

The crib we'd built together stood in the center of the room, but the rest of the space looked like a storage closet-boxes of baby clothes, unopened toys, and a stack of books about parenting that I hadn't touched yet. Alright, tto make this place look like it belongs to a baby.

I started by unpacking sof the clothes. Tiny socks, onesies, and little hats spilled out onto the floor.

Each one seemed impossibly small, and I couldn't help but imagine our daughter wearing them.

Would she have Sarah's smile? My laugh? What kind of person would she grow up to be? I held up a tiny pink onesie with "Daddy's Little Girl" embroidered on it and chuckled. "Well, you've gotpegged already, kiddo," I said aloud.

"Talking to yourself now?" Sarah's voice startled me, and I turned to see her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a teasing grin on her face.

"Just practicing," I said, holding up the onesie. She stepped into the room, her grin softening into something warmer as she took the onesie from my hands.

"I think she's going to look adorable in this. And you're going to be a complete pushover." I laughed, though I suspected she was absolutely right. "Probably. I mean, how do you say no to someone who's this tiny?" I gestured at the little outfit, shaking my head. "I'm doomed." Sarah sat on the floor next to the pile of clothes and started folding them into neat stacks. "It's funny, isn't it? We're planning so much for someone we haven't even met yet." "Yeah," I said, sitting beside her and picking up a pair of socks. "But I think that's what makes it special. It's like... every decision we make now is part of building this life for her. Even the little things, like this nursery." She paused, looking around the room. "It's starting to feel real, isn't it?" I nodded, taking in the half-finished space. The crib, the mountain of baby things, the faint smell of paint still lingering in the air from when we'd repainted the walls last week. "It is. And a little scary, too." Sarah leaned her head against my shoulder. "Scary, but good. Like one of those roller coasters you're terrified to get on, but you know it's going to be worth it." "Except this ride doesn't end after two minutes," I pointed out, making her laugh.

"Nope," she said, resting her hand on her bump. "This one's for life." That evening, after we'd wrangled the nursery into ssemblance of order, I surprised Sarah with a simple dinner-nothing fancy, just spaghetti and garlic bread, but I figured she deserved a break from cooking. "This is nice," she said, twirling a forkful of pasta. "You've been full of surprises lately." "Well, I figured I should practice pulling my weight," I replied. "Can't have you thinking I'm slacking off when the baby gets here." Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Slacking off? You do realize you're the one who built that crib, right? And put together the stroller? And dealt with the mountain of baby proofing supplies?" "Yeah, but you're the one who's, you know, growing a human," I said, gesturing at her belly. "Kind of hard to compete with that." She rolled her eyes, but I could tell she was trying not to smile. "Fine, you win. But only because you made garlic bread." We both laughed.

Later that night, as we lay in bed, Sarah rested her hand on her belly, her fingers tracing absent patterns across her skin. "You know," she said quietly, "I keep wondering what she'll be like." too," I admitted. "Think she'll be more like you or me?"

Sarah smiled. "Hopefully, a little bit of both. Your patience and my stubbornness. Or maybe the other way around "Hopefully not my clumsiness," I said, recalling my less-than-graceful attempts at assembling the baby swing last weekend. "Or my tendency to cry at commercials," she added, laughing softly.

We fell silent for a moment, lost in our thoughts. It was overwhelming, this feeling of stepping into the m eT unknown, but it was also incredible. "Hey," I said after a while, turning to look at her. "You know how you're always saying I'll be a good dad?" "Yeah?" "Well, I think you're going to be an amazing mom," I said, my voice steady but full of conviction.

"You've got this way of making people feel safe and loved, like they can handle anything. She's going to be so lucky to have you." Sarah's eyes glistened in the soft light, and she smiled, leaning over to kiss me. "And she's lucky to have you too," she whispered.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as we drifted off to sleep. Whatever challenges lay ahead, I knew we'd face them together. And that was enough.