"Now is not the time for daydreaming!" Lily snapped her fingers and gave me a little push.
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Anna Rae Walsh joined us six hours later, with healthy lungs, a head full of auburn hair, ten perfect toes, and bright, curious eyes. It took her all of ten seconds to have each of us wrapped around her wrinkly little fingers. The feeling of peace and love I felt as I watched each of my loved ones hold her for the first time was second only to the moment they placed her on my chest for the first time.
Ben arrived at the hospital two hours after she was born. He was wearing street clothes and was led into the room by two men who identified themselves as Federal agents. It turned out that Ben had turned witness for them after they discovered that some of his clients were involved in some truly vile criminal organizations. It wasn’t going to save him from spending some time in prison, but it did come with a few perks, like being allowed to hold his daughter for the first time without cuffs and in regular clothes.
I witnessed what it looked like when my husband looked at someone with true, unconditional love for the first time when he took Anna from my arms with shaking hands and tears in his eyes.
“Hello sweet girl, I’m your daddy.” He stared down at her as she blinked up at him. He tried to blink back the tears before he looked at me, “thank you Melanie. For everything, I can never repay—” he shook his head and cleared his throat. “She-you’re—she’s perfect.”
I nodded slowly and gave him a small, reassuring smile. Without looking, I slid my hand to the edge of the bed and felt for Griffin’s hand. I found it right away, and he gently squeezed my fingers as I watched my soon-to-be-ex-husband fall in love with our daughter and knew that I had made the right choice by letting him be a part of her life.
Ben’s time with Anna was short; the judge had granted him only one hour. When the hour was coming to an end, he tore his eyes from the sleeping angel in his arms and faced Griffin and me.
“I want to apologize, again, for everything. My biggest regret is and always will be how I treated you… I know now that my idea of love was twisted by watching my father come and go while we struggled to survive.” He grimaced, “somehow, I got it in my head, that fidelity wasn’t necessary to be agood husband—staying and providing was.” He looked down at Anna again before he forced himself to look me in the eye, “I’m getting help.”
I swallowed hard and nodded slowly, unsure how to respond to such a vulnerable confession.
“Griffin,” Ben looked at him, “take care of them. I know you will do a better job than I ever did, or could, but please—” he closed his eyes tight, “don’t let anything happen to either of them.” He opened his eyes slowly, and the pain in them hurt my heart.
“I have no intention of letting anything happen to either of them. I intend to spend the rest of my life loving Melanie, and I will love Anna like she is my own,” Griffin regarded Ben with critical eyes, “I won’t be doing it for you though… They are they are the most important people in my life.” Griffin looked at me and then back at Ben, “The thing I will do for you, is I will make sure Anna grows up knowing that she is loved by both her father, someday soon, her stepfather.”
Ben winced, and we could hear the hitch in his breath as the words hit him. Griffin’s words had been a kindness and a blow. On one hand, he had reassured him that his position as Anna’s father would be protected, but he had also declared that when I was no longer Ben’s wife, he intended to make me his.
“Thank you.” Ben finally said. He was staring at me again with tears running down his face. “I will always love you Melanie,” I shifted uncomfortably, “but there is a part of me—a part that is slowly getting louder—that is glad I can’t hurt you anymore.” He smiled sadly at me and then looked over his shoulder at the clock again. “Two more minutes.” He whispered.
“Our divorce will be finalized next week.” I said quietly, not wanting to pour salt on his wounds but needing to say this, “I will be dropping the no contact order and arranging visitations at the detention center.”
His eyes widened, and he shook his head, “I don’t want her there!”
I almost laughed at his reaction.
“California has a family reunion program that provides accommodations outside of the detention center for families to spend time together. You will be given supervised visits as long as your behavior allows for it. I spoke to the necessary people already, at first it will just be for a few hours twice a month while I’m present but when she is older you will be allowed to have one weekend a month in an onsite cottage.” He stared down at our daughter again.
“I-I don’t know what to say.” He whispered.
“Don’t say anything, just become the father she deserves. Do your therapy, cooperate with the feds, stay consistent with contact about Anna, and stay out of trouble.” I reached for my daughter as the agents stepped back into the room. Ben glanced at them and then placed his lips on Anna’s head and breathed in her new baby smell for a long moment before he put her back in my arms.
I caught Griffin sliding my phone back into his pocket and knew that when I looked later, I would find a picture of Ben with Anna. My heart swelled with love and admiration for the selfless man beside me.
When the door closed behind Ben, I turned to the man I loved with tears in my eyes. He looked alarmed as his eyes searched my face for a reason why I was crying.
“Mel?” he gathered me and Anna in his arms.
“I love you, Griffin.” I laughed through my tears, “I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but I need you to know that I love you more than I ever thought was possible. You are an amazing man, and we are so lucky you chose us.”
The worry in his eyes melted away, and he gently tilted my chin up.
“Melanie, I feel the same way about you. Every single day I wake up and am relieved that this hasn’t all been a dream…because that’s what this life is for me—what you are to me—a dream come true.” His lips brushed against mine softly, once, twice, before the hand that had been holding my chin slid to cup my face and pressed his lips to mine harder. Anna squeaked, unimpressed with being sandwiched between us. We pulled apart, his thumb lightly caressing my cheek as he leaned his forehead against mine.
“It’s not fair that you always give the better speech.” I complained and smiled when he started to chuckle. “You out romance me every time.” I playfully grumbled, fully aware of how blessed I was.
Epilogue-Griffin
Five years later.
“Shhh,” I nipped at the soft flesh on her inner thigh to remind her to be quiet. Her body jerked away from my teeth as she tried to muffle her breathy squeak with her fist. I chuckled softly and kissed the sting away.
