“We’ll get him his first pair of skates together,” I said. “They’ll be tiny ones, like those you have in the back of your closet, and we’ll take him to the rink. Show him the ropes. Maybe he’ll love trucks, too. You can show him your collection.”
Brody nodded solemnly. “I’ll share the red one, but not the blue one.”
“That’s fair.” I chuckled. “We’ll ease him in. For the first little while, he won’t want much but sleep, a clean diaper, and milk anyhow.”
Somewhere over the coast, Brody finally dozed off, his head on my arm, his breathing soft and even. I stayed awake, staring out the window at the dark sky, thinking about the kid I’d been when he was born—the one who’d run from the responsibility of even going to class, who’d shied away from love, and who’d been too much of a chicken to own up to how he felt about her.
That kid would never have made it here, but I wasn’t him anymore.
When we landed, I drove like a maniac—but a safe one who didn’t take too many chances—straight from the airport to thehospital. CC was waiting near the entrance, her eyes tired but shining with joy.
“She’s okay,” she said as soon as she saw me. “Go. I’ll take care of my grandson.”
I hugged her, pressed a quick kiss to Brody’s hair, and handed him off. “Go with Grandma, bud. Get some sleep. I’ll come get you as soon as I can.”
“Tell Mom I love her,” he mumbled, his eyelids drooping. “Tell my little brother, too.”
“I will.” I gave him one last, reassuring smile, and then I was running again. I sprinted through sterile halls, down the corridor where nurses moved like clockwork, turning corners with my sneakers squeaking on tiles until I found her.
Maisie looked exhausted and radiant all at once, hair damp against her temples, but I’d made it in time. The room was swarming with medical people, nurses and a doctor seated at the foot of the bed. Her face broke into a relieved grin as soon as her eyes met mine, but it didn’t even last for a second before her features contorted.
“Okay, Maisie,” the doctor said calmly from behind her mask. “Let’s get Dad in there. I need one more big push, okay?”
She nodded and I stumbled on numb legs to her side, grasping her hand and not even giving a shit when she gripped it so tight that she damn near crushed my knuckles. Fifteen minutes later, a cry pierced the air and I felt like my world tipped upside down with the sound.
“Is that…”
Maisie squeezed my hand again and collapsed against the bed, breathing hard, but a soft smile spread on her face as her tired gaze slid to mine. “That’s him, baby. Samuel Westwood.”
The next few minutes were another flurry of activity. I barely managed to keep up when the doc called me over and introduced me to my furious son. His tiny little red face was scrunched upin absolute anger, his legs kicked stiff as he bellowed. He was awesome.
Clearly, there was nothing wrong with his lungs. I just blinked at him, feeling like my entire world had just expanded and snapped into place at the same time. In absolute awe and staring at the kid like he was the Eighth Wonder of the World, I managed to do whatever it was the nurses told me. Then suddenly, they were bundling him up in a soft, blue blanket and carrying him over to Maisie.
I was gaping the entire time, but as they laid him down on her chest and she cradled him to her, I felt hot tears tracking down my cheeks. I stumbled back to her bed, sliding my hand onto her thigh and resting my head next to her arm on the mattress to peer up at him.
“Fuck, he’s so beautiful,” I breathed. “Was Brody also that angry?”
She chuckled. “It’s a big shock, to come out into the cold, great, wide world after only knowing soft, squishy warmth. You should phone your mom. And mine. They’re both going to be on tenterhooks.”
I nodded, the realization sinking in that the rest of the world had carried on while my entire existence had been flipped on its head. CC answered on the first ring. “Callum?”
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me,” I said, my voice thick. “Sam’s here.”
There was a beat of silence, then pure, bright joy filled her voice. “Oh, congratulations, honey. That’s wonderful news. Are you all okay?”
“We’re perfect.”
I leaned against the bed with my phone pressed to my ear, and finally let myself breathe. The second chance I thought I’d never get, the family I never thought I deserved, was finally whole—and this time, I was going to be there for every single breath of it.
CHAPTER 51
HARRISON
Christmas
My parents’ drive glittered under a thin layer of frost as we pulled up to the big house, headlights cutting through the early evening mist. It was Christmas Eve, one year to the day since we’d gotten married, and we were back in San Francisco for the holidays.
Aurelia laughed softly as she leaned forward, staring up at the house through the windshield before giving my hand in hers a squeeze. “Gosh, CC went all out again. The place looks like a postcard.”
