Berkley is sobbing as she falls back onto the hospital bed and I’ve got my own tears of joy and relief. I lean down and kiss her as I close my eyes and thank whoever it is above us for watching out for her.
“It’s a girl!” Collins shouts, and Berkley starts to laugh.
“You don’t have to say it,” I whisper against her lips. “At least not right now.”
“If I had the strength I’d smack you,” Berkley whispers back, but there’s no anger behind it. I lean back just in time to see her smile at me and I wink.
“You did it.”
“We did it,” she corrects, and I kiss her again.
“Here she is,” Lula says as she places our brand new baby girl into Berkley’s arms.
Berkley pulls her gown down and places our little one against her breasts and then Collins places a blanket over the two of them like a cocoon.
“She has your nose,” I say, wiping away my tears and crawling into bed beside them. “And your eyes.” I watch in wonder as the tiniest little hand reaches out and wraps around my finger. In that one moment I’m done for and I know that the rest of my life is forever changed. “And your hands.”
“I want to call her Iris after your mother,” Berkley says, and my heart moves to my throat.
I can’t answer her, I can only nod as I lean down and kiss the tiny hand and then my wife. I didn’t think I would be so affected, but seeing a tiny version of our love brought into the world has hit me like a brick wall. Just like the first time I saw Berkley.
“Oh my God, that’s the sweetest thing ever,” Collins cries out and we all turn to look at her. She’s sobbing like she’s the one that just had a baby, and in a way she sort of did. We’re all so close that sometimes their kids feel like our own and I know baby Iris is going to be the same for her. “Now I want Kade to knock me up again.”
“I’m sure he won’t have a problem with that,” Berkley says with a laugh and wipes away tears.
“Do you want me to go get him?” Lula offers, and I hold my hand up.
“Only if Collins is ready to be dragged out of here.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this,” Collins says and she marches out of the room.
“I’ll give you two a few minutes alone,” Lula says before she comes around and kisses Berkley on the top of the head. “You did beautifully.”
The nurses help her clean up the room and tell us they’ll be back in shortly to check over our little girl, but for now we can just enjoy the quiet and rest.
“I don’t think I could sleep if I tried,” Berkley whispers as we both stare at the new person we created.
“I’m pretty sure this angel is never going to let us sleep again.” I kiss her tiny fingers and then kiss my beautiful bride.
“I love you, Vaughn.”
I wipe away her tears as I feel my heart swell so big I’m afraid it might break in two.
“I love you too.” My voice is choked and I know I’m probably being a little dramatic with how weepy I am, but I’ve never been so happy. I never knew this kind of thing was possible and here it is in my arms. “And I love you too.”
Iris coos and squeezes my finger as if to say it back. She’s already the smartest girl in the world, just like her mama. I don’t know how I ended up the lucky bastard I am, but I won’t ever take this for granted.
Epilogue
Berkley
Six years later…
My husband’s heavy arm wraps around me in a tight hold. I’m not sure this is going to work. How many times have we gone at it before and then he passed out? I’m trying to knock him out but I might have done it to myself. Now I’m naked and my plan is not holding up so well.
Slowly, I try and wiggle free because I know if I wake him and give him some random line like "I need to use the bathroom” or “I can’t sleep,” he’ll be up with me. He’ll either wait for me to come back from the bathroom or use that mouth of his to put me back asleep. I move slower than a sloth, gradually untangling myself from his hold. When I’m free I stand next to the bed naked and look down at him. All I want to do is crawl back in but I yawn and know this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. Collins and I have been planning this forever.
Okay, maybe we’ve only been planning it since dinner but either way. Lula and Xavier were absent at dinner tonight, which wasn’t a surprise. This is the only option at the moment and Collins and I have the patience of a toddler. I could get a test from Lula tomorrow when I see her but I can’t wait. I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant and I want to tell Vaughn tomorrow on his birthday. Technically it’s after midnight, so it’s today already, but I know a positive pregnancy test would be the perfect gift. It’s hard to get him a gift since he already has everything.
It took me a minute to get pregnant for the first time and a second baby is something we both want. I didn’t mind taking our time at first since we got to enjoy life together. We traveled some and we all spoiled Collins and Kade’s first baby. When we had our daughter she became our world. Vaughn was right when he said we’d have a little girl like me. She has an adventurous spirit and loves history and books as much as me. She loves to travel with us and we’ve been this perfect little trio. I’ve worried a little that having another baby might rock the boat because everything has been so perfect. But I have this feeling that there’s more to our story, and that includes one more little one.
I thought about what it would be like to not have a sister and couldn’t imagine my life without Collins. Our daughter has her cousins and everyone has a bond here, but siblings are different. It’s an unbreakable bond and I want that for our kids. I told Vaughn, and I could see the excitement in his eyes. He said he was okay with whatever I wanted, but I know he’s been dying for another. I went off the pill and it looks like it didn't take long.
I hurry to find clothes and dress as quietly as possible. I pull on yoga pants and a shirt before I sneak out of our room. Normally I’d check in on our daughter, but she’s at a sleepover with her cousins. They’re always trying to have slumber parties like they never see each other, which is crazy since we see them all the time and hop from house to house.
“What took you so long?” Collins whispers as I exit the back of the house.
“You scared the crap out of me.” My heart races in my chest and I slap her arm.
“Oops.” She shrugs, not looking sorry at all.
“How’d you sneak out?” I ask. I thought I might have to go to her place first.
“I’m not really sneaking.” Now she looks sheepish.
“You spilled the beans?” I lock her arm with mine and pull her towards the infirmary so we can snag a pregnancy test.
“Not that you’re pregnant. Just that we had a sister meeting.”
I snort. A sister meeting? “At one in the morning?”
“He didn't ask questions. I started—”
“Don’t—” I cut her off, not wanting to hear what sex game she played to distract Kade. The man is like a brother to me. “Did you get the key?”