Sassy Ever After: Kiss My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Free Page B

her belly, had filled her with so much joy.
    Traveling had been a little slower as her body changed, but it was the rate of the changes that staggered her. It seemed to be going much faster than normal, and Ashe wasn’t sure what to think.
    Being as she was pretty healthy, took her vitamins, and exercised, she couldn’t figure it out. After recalling a friend of hers who was in school for ultrasound, and how they would do scans for expectant mothers to get practice, she’d sought those schools out and ended up with one hell of a photo album filled with fuzzy black and white images of Lilly.
    It alarmed her just how quickly the baby was growing. The students and instructors all commented on how healthy she looked, but Ash still worried that something was wrong.
    She didn’t have a regular doctor, but when she did go in to be seen, she was assured that everything was great with Lilly’s development and that her blood work was perfectly normal…but the due date kept changing, growing closer every time she was seen.
    For some reason, when she reached about twenty-eight weeks, she went into labor. Knowing the crazy growth rate of her baby, Ashe didn’t let on that she was nowhere near forty weeks. Instead, she went with her gut, and it was telling her everything would be all right.
    Little Lilly came screaming into the world at a healthy eight pounds, two ounces and twenty-one inches long. She was perfect, like a little angel, and Ashe knew she needed to bring her home.
    Traveling was no way to raise a child. They needed stability and a regular schedule, something to make them feel secure.
    Hell, it would help Ashe too. There was no such thing as normalcy when on the road like she was, though she did quit using public transportation as soon as she knew she was pregnant, deciding to get a vehicle that would last her and her child for a long time.
    In her shiny new SUV, Ashe had all but finished her list of sights to see before Lilly arrived. She’d picked up several things for the baby and her house along the way, mailing them all back home where her Uncle James had been holding them for her.
    He’d been a sweet, affectionate man when she was growing up, but once her body began to mature, things changed. His kind looks would become heated, hugs lingered a little too long, and even her father did his best to make sure they never ended up left alone in a room.
    James had never tried anything, but there was a certain uneasy feeling in the pit of Ash’s stomach whenever he was around. Unfortunately, he was the only person nearby who could get the packages and drop them off at the house.
    After her father passed, James was around the house a lot . He helped her to get through the funerals, and accompanied her to the lawyer’s office for the reading of the Wills.
    At the time, she’d needed all the help and emotional support she could get, but it wasn’t long after her inheritance was announced that subtle changes began.
    He inquired often about the house, and whether or not she wanted to live in such a large space alone. There was no secret he wanted to purchase it from her, as he’d already made several over-the-top offers, but Ashe just couldn’t part with her childhood home.
    Growing up in the big house had been amazing. The two-story brick and stone house was like a fortress in the woods. Situated in a two-acre clearing, there was plenty of yard for a kid to play in, yet the woods provided a buffer to the outside world.
    At nearly a mile from the road, the only noises around her home were the birds, crickets, and an occasional howl at night. It was perfect, and peaceful. Just what she needed while adjusting to her new mommy role.
    Ashe lay back, sprawling on the plush carpet with a groan. Her breasts were aching, a sure sign that Lilly was due for a feeding. Deciding to wait and not wake her, she got up to pump. At only five weeks old, Lilly was such a good baby. She ate and slept at regular times, and only ever cried