Jake bent down and brushed his lips across my forehead. “I’ll be right over there.” He seemed just as hesitant to let go of my hand as I waswithhis.
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Keep an eye onourbaby.”
“You knowIwill.”
And then Jake was gone. And the baby was gone. My only connection to either of them were the occasional updates Jake called out to me. I lay there for what seemed a very long time, alone on the cold table, dreaming of the moment I would be rejoined with the other half of my beating heart. I closed my eyes andwaited.
“Casey,” the doctor’s voice boomed loud as he zapped me from my trance. “Everything went fine. We’re going to transfer you to recovery, and then we’ll get you all set up in a comfortable room. There’s someone who wants toseeyou.”
My droopy eyes snapped to attention when the nurse returned with Jake and our baby. Suddenly the sterile room erupted with color, and my body warmed as if it were basking in the sun’s rays. The moment he was placed in my arms and those liquid blue eyes gazed upon me, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. He was mine. Ours. I wondered if my heart was big enough to hold all this newemotion.
“He’s a big boy,” she announced. “Eight pounds, eleven ounces, and twenty-twoincheslong.”
I flicked my eyes at Jake, rolling them dramatically. He grinned. It was our running joke, and I couldn’t help but point out his culpability in the sizeissue.
But I was only willing to spare a second away from the beauty that was in my arms. “Well hello there, handsome. I’m your mom. I’ve been waiting a long time to finally meet you inperson.”
Jake cradled the back of the baby’s neck and bent down to kiss his chubby little cheek. “Welcome to the world, little guy. It gets better, Ipromise.”
I gazed adoringly at my loving husband and treasured son, feeling nothing but grateful for the life I’d been graced with. It wasn’t that long ago my spirit had been broken in half by the loss of Miles, my beloved brother. At the time, I couldn’t even imagine a moment as beautiful as this one would be waiting for me down the road. That was the truly wonderful part about life – it just kept moving along, bringing with it new and unexpected surprises for those willing to open their hearts and minds to love. I kissed the top of the baby’s head and then reached my hand up to run it along Jake’sstubbledjaw.
Bursting with happiness, I whispered to my men, “It doesn’t get any betterthanthis.”
25
Jake:Epilogue
My heart pumping wildly,I pushed through the double doors and into the sitting area where both my family and Casey’s were awaiting the news. Although everyone had been aware of the gender months before his birth, I still felt the need to announce it to ourlovedones.
“It’s a boy! Casey and baby are doinggreat.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Linda said, blowing out a long, relieved breath. She and my mother exchanged aquickhug.
“How are you holding up?” my father asked, feigningconcern.
“I was a little queasy, I’m not going to lie,” I answered, a smile spreading across my face. “But I stayed upright, soyoulose.”
“Yes!” Kyle jumped from his chair. “Pay up,oldman.”
“Nope,” my father shook his head, unwilling to accept defeat. “First I want confirmation fromCasey.”
“The lack of blood speaks for itself,” Kyle protested. “You’re juststalling.”
Yep, they’d bet on whether I’d pass out in the operating room, and my own father had been hoping for a full-on smelling saltsrevival.
“Scott, you need help,” my mother said, waving him off before asking about the baby. I went on to share his impressive measurements, his fiery disposition, and just his overallperfection.
Sydney flung her arms around my waist. “When can I seethebaby?”
“As soon as they move Casey into her room and she’s feeling up to visitors, I’ll comegetyou.”
* * *
Holdingthe baby in my arms, I rocked him back and forth, singing softly in his ear. Casey was on her way over from recovery and the first thing I wanted her to see when she came through the door was me being the father she always knew I could be. From the very start of our relationship, Casey’s faith in me had been absolute and unwavering, and that, in turn, had given me the strength to face my demons and free the guilt that had slowly been chipping away at my battered soul. Casey had given me the one thing money could neverbuy:hope.
Now I could see the path ahead, and it was a beautiful one, filled with love and laughter and babies. There was a time where I wouldn’t have dared dream of such a life. I couldn’t imagine there would ever be a white picket fence or a beautiful wife or a team of kids running around. Not for me. But I’d been wrong. Through all the trials I’d faced in life, through all the spilled blood, and through all the hopeless tears, all it had taken to save me was the love of a patientwoman.
The baby jerked in my arms as the peaceful little face I’d been gazing upon shifted without warning. Suddenly, my son was seized by a nightmare of his own making. I watched in fascination as his lips pouted and his forehead wrinkled in consternation. What perils could he possibly have faced in his very short existence? I could see maybe if he’d had a rough passage through the birth canal, or had a cord wrapped around his neck; but as it was, he’d had a fairly cushy entrance into theworld.
