The Ballad of Katie: Somewhere Under Heaven Series

A Father's Love

Rob's POV

To say I have a charmed life right now is an understatement. Close to 20 years ago, I had a relationship that ended badly and I almost wanted to just shut down when fate put me in the same room as a beautiful photographer from New Jersey. That beauty would become my best friend, my business partner, and eventually the love of my life because that was the day I laid eyes on Casey Loralei Kelly, the woman that taught me how to love again. 

It took us three years to finally realize that there was a true romance and I of course married this beauty from southern New Jersey and we went on to have two amazing kids but for me, this is the life. Career successes aside, my focus these days is with Casey and the kids. I love them more than anything and I really can't imagine my world without them. 

I don't think we were planning on having kids at first but I knew after Casey saw how I was with my sisters' kids, she was thinking of that possibility. One afternoon she saw how I was around her cousin's newborn and I knew it...Casey wanted at least one. We tried for months and then shortly after our first anniversary, we had Ashton but I knew we weren't going to be content with having him be an only child and eventually we had Katie. We tried once more for a third but then Casey had a car accident when she was eight and a half months pregnant and our daughter Loralei died in utero which was heartbreaking but we got through it. 

A lot of people will tell you that Katie's my favorite but to be honest, I love both my kids. Ashton's been called my mini-me which makes him cringe sometimes but I still remember at nine when he wrote an essay about who was his hero and he said it was me. I asked him why and he said, "Because you're just so awesome." And then there was last year when he dressed up as Edward Cullen for Halloween which made me laugh a little, especially when he said why he did it which was because "Dad got the world's attention by playing a vampire." 

However, despite not having a favorite, Katie always had a special place in my heart. I won't lie, twins was a bit of a shock but I should have expected it since they do run in Casey's family as her father is a twin as are her half-brother Eric and half-sister Mary-Louise. The moment I saw Katie after she was born, I knew my world was complete. She became the princess in my world which was only fitting since Ashton was the little prince and of course we all know that the queen in my life wasn't necessarily the one back in England...it was the beauty from New Jersey that captured my heart, Casey. 

When I found out I was Katie's match, I knew I had to step up and donate. I would do anything for these kids and they knew it. Will I end up in pain from this physically? Yeah. Will I have to drop my schedule for a few months due to recovery and not film that movie I was going to this summer? Absolutely. Do I want it where Casey and I have to face losing Katie? Never. And that's why I'm doing this...I need to save our daughter. 

Thirteen years ago at 12:03 AM on May 13 my life was forever changed when Katherine Loralei Pattinson was born. I never understood why 13 years ago, this little wonder decided that she would be my birthday gift that year but I know that my world was forever changed and for the better.

When Katie woke up at 2 AM, I was the one who would spring out of bed and check on her. It  woke both Casey and me but I would always lean over towards her, give her a little kiss and say, "Go back to sleep, Case. I got this." What I didn't realize until Katie was four months old was that Casey never went back to sleep but would lie in bed listening to me calm our daughter. The night I found out she would listen in on how I would tell Katie that I'm going to love her forever was a stormy night when Katie just couldn't sleep. I spent what felt like hours trying and finally I managed to get her to relax. I remember looking over and seeing Casey stand in the doorway as I held our daughter and told her she was my world. When I finally got Katie to sleep, I slipped my way out of the room only to find Casey in the hallway. She gave me this little smile as she pulled me closer for a kiss and said, "When we had Ashton, I said you would be an amazing father. Seems you proved me right with the way you are with Katie."