Page 143 of When the Smoke Clears

“Put a baby in me,” she mumbles against my lips.

She doesn’t have to ask me twice.

Jamie’s jaw drops when we poke our heads around the corner of the hospital room. “What is going on?” she asks in a hushed tone so as not to scare her baby. “How did you get here so quickly?”

Fitz stands from the recliner by her bed and walks toward me with open arms. He’s beaming with pride. “How the hell are you?” he asks as if I’m the one who just became a father today.

“Never been better. Congratulations.” I deposit the flowers on the table by her bed and hug my best friend.

Everleigh sets the gift next to the flowers and leans in toward Jamie to get a look at Aster. “Oh my gosh,” she says. “I want one too.”

Jamie softly chuckles. “Well, you can’t have her, but I’ll let you hold her.” She passes her swaddled daughter to Everleigh.

I bend down and hug Jamie. “Congratulations. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” she says before kissing my cheek. “Now tell me, how did you get here before Maren and Ozzy?”

I look at Everleigh, but I’m not sure she heard Jamie because she’s so enamored of Aster.

“Well, we’ve actually been in Missoula for a little while, finishing the barndo, and spending some time together, alone.”

“Oh? How long is a while?” Jamie asks.

“Two months,” Everleigh says without taking her eyes off Aster. It’s like her arms were made to cradle a baby. How did I never imagine this side to her?

“Two months?” Jamie’s jaw drops.

“Yes. We needed a little time and space.” I give her a tight smile, hoping she’ll read between the lines. “It’s been therapeutic.”

“That’s code for Everleigh spent years making up stories about a father she never knew. Seeing Will’s dad die triggered the release of buried emotions, and she’s needed time to work her way through that mess,” Everleigh says, tearing her gaze away from Aster just long enough to give us a toothy grin.

Fitz turns and stares out the window, hiding his discomfort with my girlfriend’s blunt confession. I’m sure he’s wondering why Jamie trusts someone who talks in third person to hold their newborn baby.

Jamie doesn’t skip a beat. Not a flinch or an extra blink. “You look well, Everleigh.” She gives her a genuine smile. “Beaming, actually.”

Everleigh hands Aster to me. “Don’t fumble her.”

I roll my eyes, taking the swaddled baby with confidence. “I have two nieces. I save babies from burning houses. They call me the baby whisperer.”

Jamie and Fitz snort in sync while Everleigh winks. “Good to know.”

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I swear the way she looks at me is transparent, like everyone can read her thoughts.

Will and I had sex right before we came here. We stopped for flowers and a baby gift and had sex in the truck one more time for good measure.

Just as I think that, I realize the look on Everleigh’s face has morphed into something else. It’s a tenderness that feels like a gateway to her dreams. And I wonder if seeing me hold Aster evokes memories of our conversation and a longing to have this life too.

“I love you,” I say, not even realizing at first that the words are being spoken outside of my mind. It silences the room.

I look at Fitz and Jamie. It’s not that they don’t know it, but saying it so casually and out of the blue has left them a little wide-eyed. Everleigh immediately wipes her tears. We’re not a dirty little secret. I’m not keeping her hidden from my friends so I don’t have to explain our complicated relationship.

I shrug, smiling down at Aster’s peaceful little face before looking at Everleigh again. That’s when I see Maren, Ozzy, and Lola standing behind her. How much have they heard? Probably a lot since Maren looks like she might cry too. They’re here to see a baby, but I’ve unintentionally taken the stage.

“I do,” I say. “I love you. I love you out loud—a billboard, banner-in-the-sky kind of love. And everyone in the room is your family. We are your people. With us, you’re just a normal girl who’s fallen for a ruggedly handsome fireman.”

Everleigh can’t wipe her face fast enough, there are too many tears. She startles when Maren taps her shoulder to hand her a tissue. Then, she gasps when she turns to see just how big her new family is.

“What is going on?” Maren asks, hugging Everleigh. “When did you get here? How did I not know you were on your way?”