“Push,” Ezrina says a touch too calm, and that alone annoys me.
I push with everything in me as Laken squeezes my hand and Chloe tries her best to gnaw my foot off. I feel a release, a quickening in my spirit as if something very precious has just dislodged from my body.
Logan holds the baby up high, and a laugh gets caught in my throat as I see my sweet angel for the very first time.
“It’s a—” he pauses, drawing the baby near to him.
“It’s agirl!” I finish for him.
Logan’s face is wet with tears. He’s so excited he can hardly speak.
“Skyla,” he says sweetly. “It looks as if our baby girl has grown a few extra parts.” He lands the baby gently over my chest. “It’s a boy.”
A quiet cheer breaks out as if they were uncertain if they should celebrate at all.
“A son?” I give several hard blinks down at the tiny, glowing being.
The sweet angel lets out a bleat of a cry and Logan kisses him sweetly before Ezrina quickly rubs him down with a towel.
“A boy?” I laugh as I bring him closer and his tiny face looks up at mine. I drink him down like a fine wine, a moment in time to be savored—wisps of reddish blond hair, a perfect peach of a face, same eyes, same nose, same lips as his daddy. “Logan, he’s all you.”
“I see you right there.” He caresses the baby’s sweet cheek as a tiny dimple depresses. “My God, he’s beautiful.”
Marshall comes in close. “Well done, Ms. Messenger.” He lands a hand on the baby’s back and shares a few melodic words in a language I seem to innately understand. “May the blessings of the Lord be upon you, now and forevermore. May His favor hem you in front and behind. May you grow to be a mighty ruler of many.”
I press those words over my heart as I nod to Marshall, a heartfelt thank you still buried in my throat. I can’t speak. Tears blur my vision as this tiny perfect being warms himself over my body.
Ezrina and Nev busy themselves cleaning up the afterbirth, the bloody mess at the foot of the bed.
Laken digs a cashmere robe out of Marshall’s closet and dresses me quickly, up top anyway. She covers me up from the waist down with Marshall’s enormous comforter in an effort to restore a modicum of decency to me.
Chloe comes over and smirks. “You did it. The two of you are parents. And don’t start on that crap that you already were. I mean this in a different way. The two of you now exist in another person, one who would have never got a shot at this broken world without you. And don’t forget Marshall’s hand in it. I mean, let’s face it. The fact he twisted your nipples until you peed with excitement is what started this party tonight.” She smirks at the tiny being. “He’s beautiful. Welcome to the family, little guy. What’s his name?”
“Yes.” Laken leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “What’s his name, Skyla?”
Logan and I exchange a glance. “We hardly had a girl’s name pinned down, let alone a boy’s. Let’s name him after you, Logan.”
He winces. “Maybe as his middle name.”
Nathan and Barron blink through my mind. “How about your father’s name? Jack?”
“It’s Jackson.” A smile flickers over his lips. “Jackson Logan Oliver?”
“That’s beautiful.” My voice trembles as I press my lips to the baby’s preciously soft little forehead.
Chloe groans, “Jack? Really, Skyla? Think wickeder, would you? But if you insist, don’t do anything crass like spelling it with an X.”
I suck in a quick breath. “Oh, Logan, can we? Jackson with an X?”
“Jaxson,” Logan enunciates. “I like that. It’s different.”
“Thanks, Chloe,” I say as I brush my lips over my sweet son’s head.
“You can’t thank me,” she growls. “You didn’t follow my advice.”
“That’s how I knew it was the right thing to do.” My sweet angel closes his eyes as he burrows his body to mine.
Chloe whips out her phone. “I’m sending a group text. Everyone is here. They might as well see the kid and get it over with.”
