“Can I see her? I need to know she’s okay.”
“Of course.” He helps me stand, then leads us out of the supply closet, earning a few curious glances from a group of nurses walking past. He pushes open the door to her room, and I stare at her tiny little body in the hospital crib. I run to her, reaching for her little hand so she knows I’m here.
“Hey, baby girl. Mommy’s here. I didn’t leave you. I love you. You’re so brave.” My teardrops fall, soaking her blanket. Jake comes behind me, his hands cupping my shoulders.
“She’s beautiful. Just like her mommy.”
“She has your eyes.”
His chuckle vibrates against my neck. “First thing I noticed in the waiting room.”
My shoulders tense. I turn around so he can see the honesty in my eyes. “Jake, I’m sorry. I thought—”
He reaches up to cup my cheek. “No more apologizing, okay? We were both deceived.” A nurse comes in, and we quickly break apart.
“Sorry, I just need to take her vitals and brought her chart in for you to review.” She and Jake speak in medical lingo as she takes care of Bria, and Jake looks over her chart. What if something else is wrong? The what-ifs rattle me. I can’t take the wait much longer. Jake’s eyes widen at something, and my stomach bottoms out.
“Oh God, please don’t tell me something’s wrong.” My chest constricts, and I struggle to get air into my lungs. I can’t lose her.
“Thank you, Janet. I’ll finish up her vitals. You can go.” The nurse nods and leaves us alone again.
“Jake, please, tell me she’s going to—”
“You…gave her my name. My last name.” His eyes gloss over with unshed tears. “Why? If you thought I hated you or didn’t want this, why would you…?”
“Because Bria deserved to have something to hold on to. Even if…” I can’t finish. Both our emotions are running so high right now. He steps up to me, cups my cheek, and kisses me.
“Thank you,” he hums against my lips. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but just looking at our baby girl, I’m so fucking thankful. I’ve known her less than two hours, and I’m already so in love.” He kisses me again. “I’ve always imagined having kids, but I never knew it would feel like this. She owns my whole heart.” He brushes the hair off my shoulder, his lips finding the dip between my neck and shoulder. “Just like you always have.”
“Oh, Jake.” My tears fall. “I’m so scared. What if she doesn’t get better—”
“Baby, I told you, it’s common. She’ll get to go home today.”
Hope flashes in my eyes. “Really?”
His lips curl upwards into a beautiful smile, and he nods. “Yeah.”
Bria starts making noise, and we both whip around. Her eyes open, and she stares up at us. God, I wish I could stop crying, but the tears still come. Jake is behind me, reaching over into the crib, and I choke on my own emotions as she wraps her little fingers around his thumb.
“Hey, little peanut. I’m your daddy.”
She stares at him, as if she already knows. Her tiny lips form into a little smile, and my heart sings as tears prick my eyes. “I think she knows,” is all I can say. My heart fills with happiness and squeezes at the same time. This moment was once a dream, being together as a family. But this is a reality. A light is shining through the clouds, and we can finally bask in the warmth of a possible future.
This is us finally creating our own path—one where we choose how it ends and where we go.
Jake goes into medical mode and finishes taking her vitals. Her labs come back clean, and she gets the green light to be released. He leaves momentarily and returns wearing his overcoat.
“So, what happens now? Where are you going?” I ask. I have so many questions. So much has changed in the past couple of days. I’m not sure how to truly take it all in. Believe this is all real.
He approaches me, kissing the top of my head. “We take our baby girl home.”
Home. A place I never thought we would share. “Where’s that?”
“Let’s start with your place. That’s what’s familiar to her. Then we make a plan.”
“Plan?”
“Yeah, Willa. A plan. One where we make the decision. Together.”
I nod, biting my bottom lip. “All right.”
He takes off his jacket to cover me, and we wrap Bria in our arms and make the trek to my apartment. When I unlock the door, I’m suddenly nervous about what he’ll think. My living situation is far from what we were used to growing up, and what I’m sure he’s still accustomed to. He doesn’t say much when we walk in, and I take Bria to settle her in her crib. When I come back out, I find him bent over, looking in my fridge.
“Hungry? I can make us something. I don’t have much, but—”
“You don’t have anything.” He straightens out and turns toward me. “What do you eat? There’s barely anything in your cabinets. Even less in your fridge.”
Shame thumps against my ribcage at his disgust. I tear my eyes from him, tugging my arms out of his jacket. “I survive. It’s not about me. It’s about Bria. What money I have after rent and someone to watch her while I work, I use for food. If you’re just going to judge how I live, maybe you should leave.”
He slams my fridge and storms toward me. I take a step back, unsure where his intentions lie, but then he grabs my shoulders and brings me to his chest. “Willa, I’m not judging you. I’m gutted at how you have to live and how I haven’t been here to help you.”
“I’ve been fine.”
“I’m sure you have. You’ve always been so strong and resilient. But you don’t deserve this. How—how long have you been living like this?” More shame engulfs me. “Tell me, Willa.”
“I’ve only been here a month. I was at the nunnery with Bria since she was born. They allowed me to stay until I was able to save some money.”
He pulls away. “Your parents seriously left you with nothing?” I nod and close my eyes, unable to endure the pity in his. “This isn’t right. They’ll pay for this.”
“Please no. I just want to be done with them. I’m okay with never seeing them again, and I’m sure they feel the same.” Guilt weighs heavy on his shoulders as they slump—his forehead pressing against mine.
“I’m going to make this right. I promise you.” He fuses his lips to mine. “I don’t know how to make amends for the mistreatment that you suffered, but please let me try to fix it.”
“Jake, it’s not yours to need to fix. Our parents—”
I gasp in surprise when he picks me up and walks us down the hallway. “I own those mistakes, regardless. Just thinking about what you’ve gone through...” He pauses, needing my lips as strength to continue. “I’ll do anything to right their wrongs. Anything.”
He lays me on my bed, the warmth of his body blanketing mine. His fingers graze up my sides, and my skin trembles with each touch. I’ve dreamed of this for so long. The feel of his hands on me again, and his body flush against mine. Our hearts beating together with anticipation and need. “Tell me how I fix this—how I fix us.”