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“Hi, firefly.” I softly trace her cheek. “Welcome to the world.” Leaning over, I hold her close to Lennon’s face. “And here’s your mommy.”

Lennon is a blubbering mess, but she’s never looked more beautiful to me. “Hi, baby girl. I can’t believe that you’re here.”“Believe it, sweetheart,” I whisper to her as I look between the two of them.

My girls.

My entire world.

A piece of my heart lives outside my body now, safe in my arms.

***

“Oh my god, she’s so perfect.” Ava is in tears as she holds her granddaughter.

Lennon lifts her drink to her mouth. “Right? I mean, I may be biased, but I can’t stop staring at her.”

Bruce peers down at the baby beside his wife. “That makes two of us, honey.” He moves to the bed and leans down to hug his daughter. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

He leans back and cups the side of her face. “Seriously. You have grown so much, Lennon. You’re exactly where you need to be right now in your life. And this little girl is so lucky to have you as her mom.”

Lennon’s bottom lip trembles, so I hand her a tissue. The tears haven’t stopped since she delivered the baby earlier this morning. “I sure hope so.”

Blair nods from the corner. “I agree. You literally let someone cut you open to get her out. That’s pretty badass.”

Lennon laughs. “Didn’t really have a choice in the matter, but thanks for the recognition anyway.”

“Hey. Don’t discount what you did. You grew a human and then had major surgery to bring her into the world. Plus, you practically finished the nursing program early. You are the definition of a badass, Lennon.”

I can only imagine how Lennon feels hearing that from Blair. Her older sister rarely offers praise to anyone, so I know the words mean a lot.

“Thank you, Blair.”

“Of course. But I’m still pissed that I was the last one to know the truth about you and Easton.”

After the weekend in Nashville, Lennon and I sat down with her entire family at Thanksgiving, and recounted the truth about our marriage and the baby. Nora already knew, and Lennon told me that Ava confronted her about it during camping, but other than that, the rest of the Riley clan was in the dark.

They weren’t judgmental. The most common response was happiness that we’d finally realized we belonged together and would build a life from here on out.

My mother was thrilled too, as expected.

And Bruce took me aside and gave me one of the best compliments I could have ever received from him.

“When I think of the kind of man I want my girls to find, you’re it, Easton. The way you show up for Lennon, time after time—that’s what a real man is. Loyal. Trustworthy. Dedicated. A man who puts his person above all else. I’m proud to call you my son.”

I’m not sure anything could make me feel more confident in my new role as husband and father, but that sure fucking helped.

“You weren’t the last one,” Hudson interjects from the doorway, James following right behind him. “I didn’t know either, remember?”

Blair rolls her eyes. “Fine. But at least you got another brother out of the deal. Between you and the boys from the firehouse, I’m not sure I needed one of those.” She winks in my direction so I know she’s joking, which doesn’t surprise me. Blair loves to give everyone shit. It’s just who she is.

Hudson meets my eyes. “True. And fatherhood looks good on you,” he says, reaching up to ruffle my unruly hair.

I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, I uh…haven’t gotten much sleep the past few days.”

Hudson pats my shoulder. “Get used to it.”

Nora walks over to Ava. “It’s my turn, Mom.”