by Jerilee Kaye
“Okay, sweetheart. I need you to give me another push,” my doctor said, and I could only assume she was talking to me.
Travis turned back to me. “Sweetheart, one more, okay? Last time.”
I glared at him. “Easy…for you to say!” I cursed when I felt another huge contraction and I couldn’t help the urge to push.
“Dammit, Travis!” I screamed.
And I heard another cry. Instantly, all the pain I’d previously felt was gone. The contraction pains were immediately wiped out as if they never happened at all.
I took the time to catch my breath. I felt Travis’s lips on mine and I tasted his tears. When he pulled away from me, he was crying.
“You did well, Brianne,” he whispered. “Thank you. I love you so much!”
They brought the baby to him. “A healthy baby girl,” the nurse said.
Travis reached to touch her toes. “Hey, little princess,” he whispered, and I knew just how happy he felt at that moment. I knew, because if there was one person who felt exactly the same way he did, it was me.
A few hours later, I was back in our room, cleaned up and dressed in a fresh hospital gown. I closed my eyes and took a nap. When I opened my eyes again, I found that I was in a different room. Or maybe it was the same room, only it looked different. There were flowers everywhere, and a lot of balloons, both pink and blue.
I heard Anthony squealing somewhere.
“She’s awake, Daddy!” he said.
I looked up and found Travis looking down at me. “Good morning.”
“It’s already morning?”
He laughed. “Yes. You were out pretty much the whole night. I didn’t wake you up. You deserved it.” He leaned forward and kissed my lips. “After all, you have given me the greatest gifts I could ever ask for…aside from Anthony and yourself.”
I smiled. “Labor pains…not a joke, Travis. I’m serious.”
“I know,” he said, raising his fingers to my eye level. “You have a hell of a grip,” he laughed.
“That was not even half of what I felt during those times,” I said.
Travis leaned forward to kiss me again. Longer this time. When he pulled away, I looked around the room. The huge VIP hospital suite had been transformed into some sort of flower and balloon heaven. It was absolutely beautiful.
“You did this?” I asked.
“Yeah. Figured you would like it. It was the least I could do.”
“It’s beautiful,” I smiled.
“I helped, too, Mommy,” Anthony said, standing on tiptoes beside my bed.
I smiled at him. “I know you did, sweetheart. Thank you.” I turned to Travis. “So who was here?” I asked.
“Everybody. Your mom, your dad, my father, and my mother…Sarah, Eric.”
“Where are they now?”
“Down at the nursery,” Travis replied. “Drooling over two very cute minimes.”
When Travis said ‘minimes,’ he wasn’t kidding. The nurses finally brought my babies to the room. Our parents and friends had decided to have lunch outside together to give Travis and me some alone time with our new babies. Anthony fell sound asleep on the couch. Travis decided to let his nanny go on lunch break, too. I knew he wanted a little private time just for us, as one family.
“Thomas James. We’ll call him TJ,” Travis said, touching the cheek of our new baby boy. He had black hair, and I could almost tell that his eyes would be blue, just like Travis’s.
I looked up at him. Thomas James. That’s what he’d decided to name our boy. I couldn’t help the tears that slipped from my eyes.
“And the girl?” I asked, looking at our black-haired princess.
“I figured you could pick a name for her,” Travis said. “I will call her Princess no matter what name you choose.”
“Therese Anne,” I said. “And I’ll call her Thea.”
Travis smiled. “My Princess Thea.”
Tears of happiness rolled down my cheeks as I held both my babies in front of me. I felt Travis’s arm around my waist and he gently pulled me to lean on him.
“I have something for you,” he whispered.
“What?”
He reached for his jacket pocket and handed me a black box wrapped in a white ribbon. I recognized the name. One of the famous makers of fine jewelry in the world.
I opened the box and found a startling bangle designed with two infinity signs intertwined together and adorned with white, blue, and pink diamonds, which are quite rare.
“Travis,” I whispered. I was absolutely lost at the beauty of the jewelry. Travis turned it over so I could see the words engraved inside the bangle.
Travis & Brianne…til eternity.
I smiled. Tears welled up in my eyes again. It was absolutely beautiful.
“What’s this for? It’s not even my birthday,” I said to him.
He took the bracelet from me and placed it on my wrist. Then he put the screw in place. He pulled a small screwdriver from the box and screwed the jewelry in place, so it wouldn’t be removed from my wrist at all.
“This is my thank-you gift to you. For giving me three little angels. The white diamonds are for Anthony. The blue diamonds are for TJ. And the pink diamonds are for Thea,” he said, his eyes almost teary. “This is an infinity bangle. I’m keeping the screwdriver, so only I will be able to remove it.” Then he looked at me. “So you will always remember that you and I will always belong together.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t say anything. I was overwhelmed by his words. I reached up and gave him a kiss on the lips.
“I love you, Brianne,” he said to me.
“I love you, too, Travis,” I said when I could finally speak.
“I love you more,” he said.
I giggled. “How can you be sure of that?”
“Because I’m sure no one has ever felt this much love for another before,” he replied.
I lay in his arms, all warm and happy. It was perfect. It was bliss. I used to be a kid, mourning the loss of my brother and struggling to keep it together, trying to always see the silver lining even though fate had dealt me a cruel hand more than a couple of times. But Tom was right. He promised me I would never be alone in my life, and I have never been. Travis had always been there for me. Tom promised, too, that I would live a long and happy life. And I am sure he is right. I have a long and happy life ahead of me.
With Travis by my side, we would raise Anthony, TJ, and Thea with all the love and comfort in the world. We would teach them how to love and look out for each other, how to love and value family. We would teach them all the good things in life, and how to live life completely. We would teach them how to laugh and have fun, as well as how to be tough and strong. And we would tell them about their Uncle—Tom—the angel who’s always looking out for all of us in heaven.
“Travis…”
“Yes, my love?”
“Do you think Tom is happy?”
“Yes,” he said. “I know he is. I know he’s happy you ended up with me. I know he trusted me more than he trusted anybody.” I looked up at him. His eyes were dancing, although they were almost wet with tears. “I’m thinking now he would feel…better me than some random guy who would just break your heart, right?”
I laughed. “Yes. I’m very happy it is you, too,” I said, and I knew Tom was smiling down at both of us in heaven now. I knew that when he asked Travis to take care of me, he’d meant for us to be together like this.
I raised my head up and closed my eyes. In my thoughts, I spoke to him. Thank you, Tom. Thank you for asking Travis to take care of me…
About the Author
Jerilee Kaye was born under the sign of Leo in the year 1979.
She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management, and with post-graduate qualifications in the fields of Product Management, Project Management and Procurement.
She is currently managing a global vendor portfolio for a multinational company based in Dubai.
When she’s not buried under stacks of paper at work, or engrossed with her writing, Jerilee Kaye spends some down time playing golf, kicking her husband’s butt on a judo match, and learning to play the piano.
Other books by this author
Knight in Shining Suit:
Get up. Get even. Get a better man.
Coming Soon:
Almost Unreal
Wingless and Beautiful
Connect with Jerilee Kaye
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