Josie sucked in a breath and pushed harder. This time felt different from the last as Aunt Polly smiled, giving her hope in every source of pain. Within seconds, Aunt Polly caught the baby, and Josie sighed. For a moment or two, there was complete silence.Lord, please let the baby be all right this time.Her heart raced in anxiety. Each moment felt like an hour. Josie tried to sit up and reach for the babe, but she was too frail. She fell back like a heavy sack of stones.
Then a loud cry pierced the silence. Josie let out a breath of relief, closing her eyes in silent prayer. After, Aunt Polly looked up at Josie with a huge grin on her face, her eyes sparkling with joy. She held the baby up so Josie could see it.
“It’s a boy.”
A smile spread across Josie’s face as an overwhelming sense of joy rushed through her body. Tears filled her eyes as Aunt Polly carefully washed and wrapped the baby—her baby. This was thechild she prayed for, and he was safe. Her son would never know his father’s wrath.
“Here is your ma,” Aunt Polly whispered in a soothing voice.
Josie reached out and cradled her newborn son.His tiny body was warm against her skin, and she marveled at the sensation. As she gazed down at him, the baby opened his blue eyes, looking back at her, making her heart skip a beat.
“My son,” Josie whispered, her voice trembling. She pressed a gentle kiss to the baby’s soft head, noticing that his hair was blonde, just like hers. Relief rippled through her; it wasn’t brown like Marcus’s. Yet in that moment, it hardly mattered. This was her son, a precious gift from God, and she was finally a mother—exactly what she had always longed for.
She rocked him gently in her arms, hardly able to tear her eyes away from his perfect little face. He was everything she had ever dreamed of, and the thought of letting him out of her sight was unimaginable. Biologically, her family was gone, and her son was the last of them, carrying on the genetics of Susannah, Trellis, Oliver, Zane, and their beloved Mama and Papa. Each of his breaths was a part of them all, as though they were there in that moment, watching her hold their legacy in her arms.
After half an hour of bonding and assistance with the afterbirth, Josie peered up at Aunt Polly, who was still by her side. “Aunt Polly, do you mind bringing the children and Travis in?”
Aunt Polly nodded with a warm smile. “Of course, dear. It will be just a moment.” She turned to leave, leaving Josie to continue basking in the joy of her newborn son.
She couldn’t help but wonder how different everything would be now that she had a child of her own, along with four others to raise. It would be challenging, but that thought didn’t matter to her. It was now early Christmas morning, and she couldn’t imagine a better gift.
The door swung open, and in came the children. Ivy held Gideon on her hip, who was almost as big as she was. It appeared he had just woken from a deep sleep, yawning and rubbing his eyes. The other three stood at a distance, their faces lit with smiles as they took in the sight of their new sibling.
“Come meet your little brother, children,” Josie called, her heart swelling as they approached. Leaning forward, she positioned the baby so they could see him clearly.
“He’s so little,” Jonas gasped, his eyes wide with wonder.
Josie chuckled. “It won’t be long until he’s as big as Gideon.”
Ivy gently rubbed the baby’s head with her spare hand, a warm smile on her face. Lillian moved closer, her head just about level with the height of the bed. Josie glanced down at the baby, who turned his gaze toward Lillian, seemingly intrigued by the new faces surrounding him.
“He’s looking at you, Lillian.”
Lillian giggled, poking his tiny hand that was reaching for the sky. “He’s so cute.” She looked up at Josie. “I guess I love him more than if he were a sister.”
Josie couldn’t help but chuckle hard, despite the pain in her midsection. Grinning, she looked up to see Travis standing by the door, her heart fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. He was watching from a distance, wearing a beaming grin as the children met their brother. A rush of warmth and gratitude swam through her. She struggled to find the words to express how thankful she was. Travis was more than just an honest man; he was a man of his word. She didn’t deserve his kindness, but he was merciful—far more than she felt worthy of.
“What shall we call him?” Aunt Polly asked, wrapping her arms around the children’s backs.
Josie sighed softly, lightly tracing her fingers over the baby’s face. “Nathan.”
“What a wonderful name,” Aunt Polly said.
Josie glanced up at Travis, and the look on his face told her he approved of the name as well with his open-mouth smile and twinkling blue eyes.
“It means ‘gift of God’,” Josie added.
She looked down at Nathan, who was already drifting off to sleep.Thank you, Lord.Josie watched as Travis stepped closer to them, settling onto the edge of the bed to look at the baby. There was silence between them, but it was a good silence.
“I want to give him your name too,” Josie whispered. “Is that all right?”
Travis smiled softly and wrapped his fingers around Nathan’s hand that was slipping out of his yellow quilt. “I would be honored.”
“Would you like to hold him?” Josie asked, her pulse rising at his delight. In another path, Marcus would’ve most likely sent the baby away to be with a wet nurse, hardly paying attention to him. Yet here was Travis—neither flesh nor blood—overflowing with pride as Nathan’s pa. Josie’s core warmed at the sight of such affection in his eyes.
Travis nodded and gently cradled the baby in his arms. “Hello, Nathan Travis Blythe,” he whispered.
Josie bit her trembling lip as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She had never imagined her child would experience a father’s love like this. Reflecting on her journey, she was grateful for the wait—the pain and heartbreak had all been worth it to find her way here. God was giving her a life she didn’t deserve, yet she embraced it fully, knowing it was a blessing beyond measure.
