He stepped out into the hallway, away from all those curious eyes.He stopped and put his hands on the wall, tilting his head down.
It was the not knowing that was killing him.
Not knowing that JJ was okay.
Not knowing that the babies were healthy and strong.
Not knowing, not knowing, not knowing.
“Hey.”
Brantley didn’t lift his head when Reese put a hand on his back.“Hey.”
“We should hear somethin’ soon.”
He appreciated that Reese didn’t try to placate him with promises.They knew from experience that saying good things would happen didn’t make it true.Hell, they’d endured far more loss and devastation than anyone should have.
But they had survived.
Reese leaned in, resting his chin on Brantley’s shoulder.“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
They would survive this, too.
The sound of a baby crying hadtears flooding JJ’s eyes.
“That’s one,” Dr.Tinder said.“A beautiful little boy, JJ.He gets the title of big brother.Now it’s time to get his sister out.”
“Come over here, Grandpa,” the nurse said, clearly speaking to Wes.“You can help.”
Wes, who had been standing near her left shoulder, behind Iris and Jules, walked around the machines toward the corner where incubators were waiting.
“You ready for this?”Dr.Tinder asked her.
JJ was tired.So very tired, but somehow she managed to nod.
“Good.I want you to relax for a moment, catch your breath.When you’re ready, let’s do this one more time.”
JJ peered up at Baz, and her heart clenched.He was watching her, tears running down his face.He didn’t pretend he wasn’t crying, didn’t try to hide it.She loved that about him.That and so much more.
“Ready?”she whispered to him.
He nodded and mouthed, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, then gritted her teeth and got ready for round two.
Atticus skimmed the room, taking in allthe faces.Everyone was there.Holly, Charlie, Becs, Jay, Darius, Luca, Elana, Evan, Slade.Reese’s mom was there, along with her boyfriend, Hugh, and Hugh’s friend Mark, who was … well, Atticus figured technically, Mark was also her boyfriend, though maybe it wasn’t quite as serious?
Hell, he had no idea.And to be honest, he didn’t care.
Brantley’s sister, Bryn, was still hanging out alongside their father, Frank.Brantley’s brother, Trey, was on the other side of the room, Ava asleep with her head on his shoulder, and Magnus conked out next to her, his head tilted back, resting on the wall.
Even Reese’s brother, Z, who happened to be their boss, and his husband, RT, had made the trip down from Dallas.Z was staring at his phone screen while RT was busy on his laptop, which had been perched in his lap since the moment he sat down.
As he stared at these people, he wished he had taken a picture when they first got there.Hours and hours and hours ago.Back when there were conversations to be had, news to be shared, jokes to be laughed at.
Hours and hours of sitting around had drained the excitement from the room while at the same time causing backaches and the need for lots of stretching.
