by Robin Huber
“Yeah, she’s been keeping me company,” he says, rubbing his hand over her back. He drops his chin and kisses the top of her head. “She was fussing a little bit, but I wanted to let you sleep.”
I exhale an emotional breath. “Thanks.”
She lets out a little cry and he pats her back. “I think maybe she’s hungry.” He gets up and walks over to me and I adjust my pillows, pulling one into my lap to prop my arms on. He hands her to me and she nuzzles my chest, opening her tiny mouth and mewling softly as she searches for my breast.
“I guess so.” I laugh, pulling her close so she can find it.
Sam sits on the edge of the bed beside me and rubs her tiny head. After a few seconds, he looks at me and says, “You’re amazing.”
I stare at her tiny face and watch her nurse. “She’s doing all the work.”
He reaches for my face and I look up at him. “You are amazing. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here,” he says, unable to hide the guilt in his eyes.
“You were here for the most important part.” I look down at her and smile softly. “That’s all that matters.”
“If I had known,”—he shakes his head—“I wouldn’t have gone. I would have forfeited the fight to be with you.”
“I know. But I’m so glad you didn’t have to,” I say, smiling at him.
“Really?”
“You won,” I say, unable to hide my pride and belated excitement. I reach for his face with my free hand and repeat, “You won, Sam!”
He smiles. “Yeah, I did.”
“Let me look at you,” I say, inspecting his face.
He touches his forehead. “I think I got a bruise here,” he says, rubbing the spot.
When he moves his hand, I look at it. “It’s just a little red.” I turn his chin from one side to the other. “Your eyes look good.”
He gives me an heartfelt look and says, “I tried really hard not to get hit.”
“You did a good job.” I pull his mouth to mine and give him a soft kiss.
“It was hard. Carey Valentine is as good as everyone says he is.”
“He’s not as good as you.”
He drops his head and gives me a small smirk. “Did you get to see any of it?”
“The first few rounds. Between contractions.” I close my eyes and shake my head, recalling last night’s events. “Thank God Sebastian was there.”
He wraps his hand around mine. “You have no idea how bad I wanted to be here. When Miles told me you were in labor…” He pulls my hand to his mouth and exhales a heavy breath. “It was torture.” He rubs Joey’s soft little cheek with the back of his finger. “If I had missed it, I would have never forgiven myself.”
“But you didn’t,” I say, crinkling my eyes at him.
He smiles and says, “Thanks to Miles.”
“Why, what did he do?” I ask, giving him a slanted look.
“There weren’t any commercial flights available, so he chartered a private jet.”
“He did?”
“Yeah. He said he wasn’t going to let me miss the second biggest moment of my life.”
I give him a curious look. “Second? What was the first?”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out my engagement ring. “When you said that you’d marry me.”
I open my mouth and widen my eyes. “When did you get that?”
“I had Miles go get some of my things from the house. He said it was laying on the bathroom counter.”
I give him apologetic eyes. “I took it off to take a bath, but then my water broke, and, well…”
“I know. Sebastian told me.” He slides it back onto my finger. “Speaking of getting married.”
“I know how important it was to you to get married before she came.”
“Actually”—he laces his fingers with mine—“it’s not too late.”
I look down at the baby asleep on my breast. “Um, if you haven’t noticed.”
“It’s not too late for the birth certificate,” he says, smiling.
“Oh…what?” I ask, covering myself back up.
Someone knocks on the door and cracks it open. “Lucy?” Sebastian calls from the other side of it, and my heart swells.
“Come in,” I say, eager to see him.
“Hey,” he says softly, walking into the room with Paul. His eyes bounce between me and Sam and the baby, but ultimately land on the baby. “Oh, my God.” He leans over her and gasps. “I just can’t get over how precious she is. Can I hold her?” he asks tentatively.
“Of course.”
Sam carefully scoops her out of my arms and hands her to Sebastian. “Careful,” he says, cupping her head as Sebastian takes her. “You have to hold her head up.”
Sebastian cradles her in his arms and stares at her with awe. “She’s perfection,” he says, putting his finger in her tiny hand. “I’m your uncle Sebastian.” Paul looks over his shoulder and touches her little cheek. “We are so having a baby,” Bas says to him, and Paul smiles adoringly. Bas looks at Joey again and says softly to her, “You nearly gave me a heart attack last night.”
“I’m sorry.” I laugh, shaking my head.
“You were worth it,” he says to me. “And so were you,” he whispers to the baby, carefully laying her in the bassinet beside my bed.
“Sebastian.” Sam reaches for him and pulls him into a hug. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did last night.”
“Oh.” Sebastian pats his back. “It was an honor.” Sam releases him, and Sebastian goes on to say, “But if you ever do that to me again, I may never forgive you.”
Sam laughs. “Fair enough.”
“Don’t worry, if I ever get pregnant again, he’s going to be chained to me the whole time,” I tease.
“If?” Sam pulls his head back and smirks. “More like when.”
I smile and shake my head, but someone else knocks on the open door. “Can we come in?” Tristan asks, poking his head into the room.
“Yeah, come in,” Sam says to him.
Tristan walks in, followed by Molly, whose eyes fill with tears as soon as she sees the baby.
“Hey guys.” I smile at them as they walk over to me.
Tristan leans down and gives me a hug. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. And, thanks for looking out for Sam last night,” I say quietly.
“I told you I would.” He winks at me and stands up.
He glances over at the baby and smiles. “You sure picked one hell of a night to go into labor.”
“Tell me about it,” Sebastian says.
“It’s definitely one that none of us will ever forget,” Sam says, folding his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, because we were on the flight from hell,” Tris says, rolling his eyes dramatically.
“Why? What happened?” I ask glancing between them.
“Nothing happened. I was just a little anxious about getting back here.”
“Anxious? Is that what you call it?” Tristan shakes his head.
Molly leans down and squeezes me in her arms. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Molly.”
She releases me and makes her way around the bed, giving Sam a quick hug before turning all of her attention to Joey. “Oh, my gosh, she’s so precious,” she gushes, touching Joey’s cheek with the back of her finger.
Tristan walks over to Sam and looks at the baby asleep in the bassinet. “I guess I would’ve been freaking out too.”
Tristan puts his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “So, this is Joey?”
Sam smiles and nods. “Want to hold her?”
Tristan squares his shoulders and pulls his hand to his chest. “Oh, no, I don’t think I should,” he says, shaking his head.
Sam rolls his eyes. “Sit down.” He pushes Tristan down into a chair. “Now hold your arms out, like this,” he says, showing him. He leans over and picks the baby up out of the bassinet and hands her to Tristan.
“Careful,” Molly says, hovering over Trist
an’s shoulder.
“What if I drop her?”
“Don’t,” Sam says seriously, and I tense with concern. “Hold her head,” he says, putting Tristan’s hand under her head.
Tristan holds her against his chest and covers her back with his wide hand. “She’s so little and warm.” He smiles and drops his cheek to the top of her head. “Look at her snuggling up to me.”
“You look good with a baby in your arms,” I say, smiling at him.
“You really do,” Molly adds.
“Oh, no.” He shakes his head. “This is the closest I want to come, right here.” He kisses the top of her head and smiles again. “You’re never going to be allowed to go on a date, you know that, right?” he says softly to her.
There’s another knock at the door. “Hey,” Miles says, walking into the room with a giant smile on his face.
I look up at Sam. “He really doesn’t understand the concept of knocking, does he?” I laugh and Sam shakes his head.
“Is the little princess ready to meet her uncle Miles?”
“Hey, Miles.”
He bends down to give me a hug. “Hey, sweetheart. You doing okay?”
“Yeah.” I squeeze him and say softly, “Thanks for getting Sam back here in time.”
“I wouldn’t have let him miss it for anything in the world.” He kisses my cheek and stands up. “Okay, let me take a look at her,” he says, crossing the room. He leans over Tristan and stares at her. “Wow,” he says with a big smile on his face. “Now that’s a good-looking kid.” He stands up and pulls Sam into a hug.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Sam smiles proudly.
“Yeah, just like her mom. Thank goodness she didn’t get your ugly mug.”
I shake my head and Sam laughs.
“You can hold her,” I say to Miles, just to watch him squirm like Tristan did.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Sam says, and Miles reaches down and scoops her up from Tristan without pause.
I tense for a moment, but he cups her head and holds her carefully as he brings her to his chest. “Hey, pretty girl,” he coos, bouncing her up and down gently, and she peeks her eyes open at him. “Well, hello.” He smiles at her.
After a few seconds, he notices the surprised looks on our faces. “What?”
“Nothing,” I say, stifling a confused laugh.
“Sorry to break up the party,” Meghan says, walking into the room. She hands me a clipboard with a piece of paper and a pen attached to it. “I just need you to fill this out for the birth certificate.”
“Wait,” Sam says, taking it from me. “Not yet.” He narrows his eyes at me. “We have to do something first.”
* * *
“Sebastian, is this really necessary?” I ask, sitting on my hospital bed in front of him, while he blow-dries my freshly washed hair. “You’re going to wake up the baby.” I look over at her asleep in the basinet beside the bed.
“She’s fine, she’s in a milk coma.” He continues tugging my hair with a round brush.
“I guess you can add hairstylist to your resume now,” I tease.
“I’m not sure I’ve quite got the hang of it,” he says, blowing my hair all over my face. “But you only get married once. And call me crazy, but I think you’ll want a picture to commemorate the occasion. And I don’t want you looking back at it one day, wishing you’d washed your hair.”
“Okay, okay.” I laugh. “You’ve made your point.”
He grabs my makeup bag off the side table and plops it in my lap. “Or wishing that you’d put on a little makeup.”
I laugh again. “It’s killing you, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“That we’re not having a real wedding.”
He pauses and clears his throat. “I’ve come to terms with it.”
I reach over my shoulder and put my hand on his. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“It does help ease the pain a little.”
I laugh and pull out my mirror. “I could use a little concealer.”
“And maybe some gloss. And a little mascara.”
“Bas, I just had a baby, let’s not call a dandelion a rose.”
“And let’s not call a rose a dandelion. Rose.”
I smile and put on some makeup while he finishes my hair. By the time we’re both done, you’d never know I’ve only had a few hours of sleep in the last forty-eight hours.
“Okay, here are your options,” Bas says, pulling things out of my bag. “Stretchy black yoga pants or…loose gray yoga pants.”
I lean across the bed and reach for the loose gray pants.
“White shirt, no arguments.” He throws it at me. “Go change.”
“Okay, watch the baby.” I get up and walk to the bathroom, taking much too long to change. When I return, I find Sebastian sitting in the rocking chair in front of the window, rocking the baby. “She was crying,” he says, patting her back.
“She seems pretty happy now.”
“Yeah.” He smiles at me. “You look great. Ready to get married in your hospital room.”
I laugh and sit back down on the bed. “Thanks.”
“Hey.” Sam walks in and I drink him in. He’s showered and shaved and his caramel-colored hair is perfectly styled. He’s wearing dark gray jeans, his brown leather utility boots, and a fitted white T-shirt that shows off the tattoos on both arms now. I wonder how long it will be before Joey takes up a spot on his skin.
“Hi,” I say, smiling up at him.
He leans over and kisses me. “You look beautiful.”
“You’re sweet.”
Miles, Tristan, and Molly follow him in, each carrying a large vase that’s overflowing with white lilies, hydrangeas, and orchids.
“What is this?” I ask, happily surprised, as they place them around the room.
Sam sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for my hand. “It might not be a big wedding, but you should still have flowers.”
I smile at him and squeeze his hand. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“One more,” Paul says, carrying in a beautiful arrangement of pink hydrangeas and white roses. He hands me the small card attached to them, which simply says, Congratulations. All my love, Janice.
I smile and let go of the last thread of guilt that held me to my past. I tuck the card away and look up at Sam. All I can see now is my future.
A large man walks into the room with a warm smile on his face.
Sam stands up. “Lucy, this is the chaplain.”
“Hi Lucy, I’m Pastor O’Brien.” He reaches out to shake my hand.
“Hi.” I shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And is this the little one?” he asks, making his way over to Sebastian. “Miss Josephine?”
“Yes.” Sebastian smiles and stands up.
The chaplain puts his hand on Joey’s back and says something softly that I can’t hear. But it makes Sebastian smile. He turns around and looks at me and Sam. “Are we ready?”
Sam looks at me and I nod. “I should stand,” I say, putting my feet on the floor.
“No need,” the chaplain says, putting his hand up. “It works just as well sitting down.”
I give Sam a conflicted look, but he sits down next to me and says, “You just had a baby. Don’t get up.” He reaches for my hands and holds them in his.
“Okay.”
“Are there rings to exchange?” the chaplain asks.
I shake my head, but Sam smiles at me and says, “Yes, there are.” He looks at Miles, who reaches into his pocket and pulls out two shiny white gold rings.
“What?” I ask, smiling as he hands me one of the bands.
Sam looks at me and says, “I hope they’re okay. I know they’re simple.”
I nod and put my hand on his face, and he kisses me.
“Not yet!” The chaplain laughs, and we sit up straight. “Okay, Lucy, put the ring on Sam’s left hand and then repeat after me
.”
“Okay.” I smile at Sam and slide the thick, shiny band onto his left ring finger, careful of his knuckles, which are still red from the fight. Then I repeat the words that the chaplain says. “I, Lucy Bennett, take you, Sam Cole, to be my husband.” He smiles at me and my heart swells inside my tight chest. “To have and to hold from this day forward…for better or for worse…for richer or poorer…in sickness and in health…to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.” I swallow down the lump in my throat as our entire life flashes before me.
I’m Sam, by the way. Sam Cole…Kids like us have to stick together, Lucy…We’re going to get out of here one day, Luc. I promise…Marry me, Lamb. Be with me for the rest of our lives.
Sam reaches up and wipes a tear from my cheek.
“Okay, Sam, put the ring on Lucy’s left hand.”
He slides the band onto my left ring finger and holds my hands in his. He repeats after the chaplain, “I, Sam Cole, take you, Lucy Bennett, to be my wife.” He smiles wide and new tears fill my eyes. “To have and to hold from this day forward…for better or for worse…for richer or poorer…in sickness and in health…to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death.” He reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear. “One more thing,” he says, gazing into my soul with his beautiful eyes. “Lucy, I’ve loved you since I was twelve years old. We didn’t have much back then, but I had everything, because I had you.”
I nod over my tears, because I felt the exact same way.
“And then I lost you.” He shakes his head and wipes my cheek. “I had everything I ever dreamed of, but I still had nothing, because I didn’t have you.” He shrugs. “The wins, the money…none of it matters without you.” He holds my face and I wrap my hand around his wrist. “I give it all to you, Lucy. Everything I was, everything I am, and everything I want to be. It belongs to you…I belong to you. And you belong to me.”
I wrap my hand behind his neck, blinking back tears that spill onto my cheeks. “I want it all. The good parts and the bad. I want you, Sam, forever.”
He pulls my face to his and kisses me hard.
“By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife,” the chaplain says exuberantly, and everyone cheers and claps loudly.
The baby cries and I look up at Sebastian, who’s sniffing and wiping his face. Sam gets up and takes her from him, then Sam sits back down on the bed beside me. He holds her against his chest and she quiets down. “We’re a family now,” he says softly to her, and I bite my smiling lip.
