“Sorry . . . Nicholas Patrick. Take you Ella-Jane—”
“I, Nicholas Patrick, take you, Ella-Jane, to be my wife. I promise to love you, in good times and bad, sickness and health, and take care of you, Jack, and any other children we’re blessed with. You’re my love, my life, and my family. Now and always. So, yes, I take you.” Nick peered at Jack, white-knuckling the ring box as he raised it between us. “I take you both.” He ruffled Jack’s hair and squeezed his shoulder.
I took in a deep breath to avoid sobbing through my own vows.
“Sorry, I went off the grid a little there.”
A laugh slipped out before I spoke.
“I, Ella-Jane, take you, Nicholas Patrick, to be my husband. I promise to love you and take care of you, and try to let you take care of me.” I chuckled at Nick’s smirk. “I thought this kind of love and happiness wasn’t possible. But with you, I have it all. I adore you. We both do. Well, all three of us.” I patted my swollen belly. “Now and always.”
After we silently exchanged rings, Nick turned to the judge with an exasperated sigh.
“Are we close to the end?”
“One more thing. By the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you husband and—”
Nick’s lips crashed to mine so fast, I dropped my bouquet. His tongue dipped into my mouth, making long, desperate strokes. I was right; the waiting made it so much better.
“Ew.”
We broke apart at my son’s disgusted groan.
“Sorry, buddy. When you get older, you’ll get it.”
“Blech, never. So, now what do we do?”
I locked eyes with Nick. My husband.
“We go home, Jack,” Nick answered, his eyes still searing into me.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “We all go home.”
Four months later
“MRS. GARCIA, HOWare you feeling?”
The nurse hovered over me with warm concern. I nodded as I inched myself up on the stack of pillows behind me, but going slow meant nothing. I winced as I tried to sit upright. Even blinking caused pain to shoot across my abdomen.
“Sore, but okay.”
“Don’t be a hero, Ella-Jane,” Nick scolded from the chair next to the hospital bed. “You need a pain pill, take it.”
He shook his head and directed his attention to the swaddled pink bundle across his chest.
“Mommy is what you call stubborn, baby girl. It’s cute, but annoying at times.”
I turned my head to scowl, but my insides melted. Our daughter—yes, daughter—rested on her father’s chest as he rubbed her back. She was so tiny; she almost fit in the palm of his hand. Not even a full day old yet, and already a daddy’s girl.
“I think I’m due for pain medicine. I’ll take it.” I smiled at the nurse and gave Nick a dirty side glance.
The nurse nodded. “Sure, I’ll be right back in.”
I narrowed my weary eyes at my husband.
“Has she even been in the bassinet at all? I feed her, and she goes right back to you.”
He smoothed the dark hair peeking out from her knit hat away from her eyes. Nick was hopelessly in love.
