“She's perfect.” My voice is heavy with emotion as our baby girl gets placed on Reagan's chest as the doctors and nurses move around us. It's all a blur except for these two. These two are my entire world.
“Want to cut the cord, Dad?” Dr. Thomas hands me a pair of scissors as I cut the spongy tube. She smiles at me as I move closer to Reagan. I don't want to be apart from her. From them.
“I can't believe she's here.” Reagan pulls me closer, snuggling our daughter. Tears wet my lashes as I drink them in. This is a moment I never want to forget. Reagan holding our new daughter.
“You did so good, Reagan. I'm so proud of you.” I drop a kiss onto her sweaty forehead, my other hand cupping our baby's head. She's stopped crying, her brown eyes blinking up at us.
“We'll go ahead and get her cleaned up and weighed, and then we can get you back to your room.” A nurse takes her from our arms, and my gaze follows her.
“Brilliant job, Mum. One more push, and then we'll get you cleaned up.”
Tears are streaming down Reagan's face as I cup her cheeks. Her makeup-free face is beautiful. She's glowing. I've never seen her so happy and so tired, and it makes my heart swell in my chest. “I love you so fucking much,” I whisper against her lips.
She cups my face, anchoring me to her. “I love you, Leo.” Her voice breaks on a sob. “God, I'm such a mess.”
I shake my head, taking her lips in a sweet kiss. “You are without a doubt the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.” I pepper her face with kisses.
“Now I know you're lying, but I'll take what I can get.”
“Here she is.” The nurse carries her over, a small bundle now wrapped in a blanket. “Weighing in at 3345 grams, and 54 centimetres long. She's absolutely perfect.”
It's like my heart is living outside my chest. This tiny human has wrecked me in the worst way, and she's only been here for a few minutes.
“Do you want to hold her, Dad?” The nurse looks at me and doesn't wait for an answer before handing her over. She's smaller than I thought she'd be, but perfect. A tear slips out as I gaze at her.
Looking at Reagan, I see her hand cover her mouth as sobs rack her body.
“Are you okay?”
She nods. “I'm just so happy.”
I give her a smile but turn my attention back to our new little bundle. “So, you think our name fits her?” I sway her in my arms, as tiny fingers poke out from the swaddle. “Matilda Foster Scott.”
“She looks like a Tilly.”
Reagan
“She looks just like you.”After we were brought back to our room— thankfully a private room—I was able to clean up. I feel slightly more human, but the epidural is wearing off. I'm tired. I'm sore and aching. But I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life because of the two people sitting next to me. Watching Leo hold our daughter—clutching her to his chest like the world will never touch her—is the most beautiful sight in the world. And now I'm crying again.
“You okay, Rae?” Leo whispers, trying not to wake up Matilda, or Tilly as we'll call her.
“It's these damn hormones.” I wipe my eyes, but without shifting my gaze from the two most important people in my life.
“You sure it's just the hormones?” Leo waggles his eyebrows at me.
“Okay, fine. You sitting there holding our baby is the greatest thing I'll ever see in my life. Are you happy now?”
Leo stands, settling next to me on the bed. “I don't think I'll ever be happier.” He drops a sweet kiss onto my lips. My head rests on his shoulder, staring at Tilly's squishy face.
I rub a finger over her cheek. She came out with a full head of hair. “I don't mean to sound conceited, but we made a pretty cute baby.”
Leo laughs. “It's really quite unfair.”
“She'll have all the boys eating out of the palm of her hand.”
A growl comes out of Leo. “She will not date until she's forty. Maybe even fifty. No man will ever be good enough for her.”
I roll my eyes. “I guess she'll just resort to sneaking out and getting tattoos to rebel against her father.”
