Asher’s lips curl, and I swear I’ve never seen him so angry before. Our father wipes at his nose, blood dripping from it.
“Neither of us want shit to do with you. Don’t contact us, don’t try and come to our homes, leave us the fuck alone. Forget you ever had a family, because I’ll sure be forgetting I ever had you as a father.” Asher pushes past our father and heads for the parking lot around the corner. I stand there staring at the man that I looked up to for years, the man that built up every single one of my fears.
He made me believe that love was a trap.
He made me believe that my mother had betrayed me and that every woman I let close would do the same. I don’t even want to know what else he lied to me about. He fucked me over and I have nothing more to say to him. I have the love of my life, a baby, and a fucking future as big as the world ahead of me. Nothing he says or I say today would change that.
“I did what I needed to do, son,” my father says, making a last-ditch attempt to salvage this already broken family.
Taking Bailey’s hand into my own, I shake my head. “Don’t contact me and don’t call me your son. You ruined me, broke me down and built me back up how you wanted, but the joke is on you because while you have to spend the rest of your life alone, I’ll be spending mine with the love of my life, just as I should have all along.”
He doesn’t say anything else as we brush past him and I pull Bailey tighter into my side, needing her warmth and touch above all.
“Are you okay?” she questions once we reach the car, her big green eyes bleed into mine. My eyes move from her face and catch on the twinkling diamonds on her finger.
Am I good?
“I’m not fucking good, Sunflower... I’m fucking amazing... I’m living the dream. Now get in, so we can get home. I know a pussy that needs to be licked clean before bed.”
Rolling her eyes, she opens the door to the car and slips inside, while I stand there for a moment relishing in it all.
I get it all, and I’ll do whatever the hell I can to keep it that way for the rest of my life.
Epilogue One
Elijah
* * *
“You can do this, Sunflower…”
Red-faced and angry, Bailey turns her gaze to me. I suppose it’s easier to tell your wife she can push a baby out of her crotch than for her to actually do it.
“I hate you. I hate you so much. Why did you do this to me???” By the time she finishes her sentence, my ears are ringing from the high-pitched tone she’s using.
She’s in pain, beyond pain, and I don’t care if she yells at me, if she says she hates me. I still love her. She could rip my heart out of my chest I would still want her the same. Counting to ten, she grits her teeth and bears down, my eyes go to between her legs, the place that all the doctors and nurses that are in the room are also looking.
Bailey’s been pushing for nearly an hour now, and I know it won’t be long before our beautiful daughter comes into the world. I know it’s expected of me to be afraid, to wonder if I’ll be half as good of a dad as all the others in the world, but I already know I will be. With Bailey by my side to guide me, there isn’t anything I can’t do.
Pressing a kiss to her sweaty forehead, I grab onto her hand, wishing I could take all the pain she is feeling away.
“I love you so much, Sunflower. Our little girl will be here soon. She’s got dark hair… just like you,” I whisper into her ear as she falls back against the bed, her eyes tired.
“One or two more good pushes and she’ll be here, just take a breath and get back at it. Once she’s here, it will be worth it.”
“I can’t…” Bailey croaks. “I can’t, she’s not coming, and it feels like I’ve been pushing forever.” Squeezing her hand to let her know I’m here, she turns her head, her eyes clashing with mine. I know she’s tired. I know she’s in pain, but it’s going to be over soon.
“Come on, baby, we can do this together…”
Tears well in her eyes, and she lets me help her up, my hand cradling the back of her head, while she inhales deeply, before bearing down once more. She grits her teeth and gives it all she’s got. The doctor encouraging her as well.
“One more, Bailey, one more…” the doctor says, and through the exhaustion and tears forming in her eyes, Bailey gives her one more exhausted push, bringing our daughter into the world and making me feel as if I’m a brand new man because of it.
From there, everything seems to go faster. Her first cries pierce my ears, and tears fall from my eyes without thought. I cut the umbilical cord with a shaking hand, and they place our sweet little Rosie on her momma’s chest.
My vision blurs and it takes me a moment to realize why, tears are welling up in my eyes. I haven’t cried in many many years, but I never cried tears of joy and that’s exactly what this is.
Bailey wraps an instinctive arm around her, before lifting her gaze to mine.
“We made this, Elijah… we did this together,” she chokes. “I can’t believe how beautiful she is.” With dark brown hair like her momma, and big blue eyes like mine, she’s a perfect mix of both of us. Her big cheeks take up most of her still swollen face, and her eyes are still partially closed, but she’s the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever laid eyes on. Like a tiny angel, my angel.
“She’s perfect, Sunflower. Perfect in every way.” I press a kiss to Bailey’s head, and then to my daughter’s head, relishing in this sweet moment with just the two of them. My heart so full it could burst at any second. I know fatherhood will be terrifying, but it will be worth it, beyond worth it.
After a short while, the nurses take the baby and clean her up, checking all her vitals and giving her, her first set of shots. While they do all of those things, I slipped out of the room and headed to the waiting room. I find my brother, Bailey’s father, and Erin are waiting very impatiently to hear about the delivery of the baby and while I want to have both of my ladies to myself, I know that’s not going to be possible.
Entering the waiting room, the first person to get up and rush toward me is Bailey’s father. Worry creases his forehead, and relief flashes in his eyes when he realizes I’m smiling. Asher and Erin stride up beside him a second later.
“Rosie is healthy and happy, and Bailey is doing great. No complications at all. Well, except for the part when she told me she hates me, followed by a guttural scream of pain that made my ears bleed. I also think she might have broken some of my fingers, holding my hand.” My words act like a domino effect over the features in each of their faces. Worry turns into relief in a second flat.
Roger is the first to ask, “Sorry about your hand, and you know you can’t listen to anything a woman says during childbirth.” He chuckles. “May I go back and see her?”
“Of course, Grandpa,” I tease. He’ll be the best grandpa Rosie will ever have, and probably her only one since after what my father has done, I’ve refused to have anything to do with him, let alone allow him to see my daughter.
“Congratulations, Elijah.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze before slipping past and out of the waiting room. My brother comes up and gives me a bear hug.