“Mama.”

I cuddled Mia in my arms, inhaling her almost-gone baby smell. Even after thirteen months, I couldn’t believe I had given birth to this sweet baby girl. I thanked God for her every day. Was being a single mother the greatest struggle on earth? Yes, but it was worth every second. I had created this tiny little miracle, and I didn’t know what I would ever do without her. I hated leaving her for the week, but I knew she was in good hands.

My Uncle Walter and Aunt Charlie were the closest people I had to parents. They had been watching out for me since I was twenty, and I couldn’t love them more than I did. My dad took off when I was twelve and my mom died when I was twenty. Not that she was really a mom to me, but you took what the good Lord handed you. And He had handed me Maureen Chambers. My gran and Aunt Charlie had pretty much raised me, and Uncle Walter had his shotgun at the ready any time a boy came to the house to pick me up for a date.

Leaving for the beach to meet with Callie was something I needed this year. Well, I needed it every year, but I’d had to miss last year because I’d just given birth to Mia. Every year for the past umpteen years, Callie and I have met for a weeklong getaway, this year at a small house on the beach in Miami.

It was a week where we could get together and reminisce about the old days and to get away from real life for awhile. Both of us were in healthcare, with highly demanding jobs. I was a physical therapist who worked at my local Veteran’s Administration hospital. It was a rewarding career, but also a tough one. Especially with the soldiers who came back with fewer limbs than when they left. It was also physically demanding and my back always appreciated my yearly ladies’ retreats.

I looked down at Mia who returned my stare and added a happy, slobbery smile, a bubble escaping. God, she looked just like her father. I tried not to think about that night, even though it resulted in the best thing to ever happen to me. Plus, parts of it remained fuzzy. It was definitely not one of my finer moments. A few shots too many and I was grinding against this sexy-as-hell man with the brightest green eyes, gorgeous dimples, and a bald head I couldn’t help but rub. Not all men could pull off the shaved head, but on him it worked, and it worked well.

I remembered the whispered words that tickled my ear and the soft kisses in the crease of my neck. I vaguely recalled Callie cautioning me against doing something I’d regret later. That’s where the night got blurry. I remember heated kisses and moans of pleasure, both from him and me. I remember feeling more cherished than I’d ever felt in my life. Oddly, it hasn’t felt like a one-night stand. I remember staring into forest green eyes all night and feeling as though there was no one else on the planet but the two of us.

He gave me orgasm after orgasm that had me languishing in exhaustion. Soft words of how beautiful I was resonated in my soul. I fell asleep in his embrace. When I woke, he was still sleeping, our limbs tangled around each other. That was when mortification crept in. What had I done? This was so unlike me. I’d never had a one-night stand before; it was a testament to my emotional state the night before that, after thirty-six years, I’d managed to do the dumbest thing I’d ever done. There was only one option left. Get the hell out of there. Fast.

I gingerly uncoiled my legs from his and slid out from under his arms. He shifted in his sleep and I held my breath, praying he didn’t waken. When a soft sigh escaped, I pulled myself the rest of the way away from him and hurriedly dressed. I recalled slipping out of the hotel room and calling Callie to come pick me up. She arrived within ten minutes and whisked me away.

Three months later, I cried on her shoulder when the first pregnancy test came out positive. I’d bought three of them, because damn it, those stupid blue lines had to have been a figment of my imagination. After the third test, I knew then that I was screwed. Both literally and figuratively. Looking back, I couldn’t say that I regretted what happened between me and the man whose name I couldn’t remember. Because he gave me Mia, and I’d never wish that I hadn’t given birth to her. I shook off the memories and focused on my daughter who I was leaving with family for the first time in her life.

We’ve never been apart since the day she was born, and I hugged her close to me, savoring the feel of her in my arms. I would miss the daily kisses, bath-time, bedtime stories and prayers, and the constant yapping that she did as she learned a new word. Maybe it was bias... fine, it was total bias, but I swore there wasn’t another thirteen-month-old as smart as my Mia.

I set her down, and she toddled next to me, “helping” as I packed for my weeklong getaway. I spoke to her about all the fun things her “aunt” and I would be doing like the Fourth of July fireworks the city had planned, walks on the beach collecting sea shells for her, and all the sleeping in I could handle. I was a mother. The words “sleeping in” had left my vocabulary a long time ago.

Packing took far longer than I’d planned, but after another hour or so, I zipped up my bag and picked Mia up in my arms, dragging the suitcase behind me as I headed into the living room where Aunt Charlie sat in her recliner. She got up when I came in and took Mia from my arms.

“Thank you so much, Aunt Charlie. I have been so wishy-washy about leaving Mia alone, but I know you and Uncle Walt will take great care of her. I have a bunch of bottles made up in the fridge, and there is a can of formula in the cupboard. I have all the emergency numbers you’ll need, including my cell, the pediatrician’s office, and the house phone at the beach house tacked on the fridge. There is a first aid kit under the bathroom sink. There—”

“Sofie, sweetie, you’ve been over this three times already with me. I know where everything is. Just go, relax with your girlfriend, and have a great time. Little Miss Mia will be fine. I know I never had my own children, but I’m certain your uncle and I can handle one small toddler. She always has fun at our house, and there’s no reason this week will be any different. You can call and check in on her any time you want, but you’re going to have so much fun while you’re away that you won’t even remember to worry about what we’re doing back here.”

I could only nod absently and pray she was right. I kissed them both on the cheek, grabbed my bag, and said my goodbyes as I walked out the door, trying not to cry about leaving my baby behind.