The door opened, and my dad appeared in a black tuxedo, his jaw shaved, his hands in his pockets. “Can I borrow my daughter for a moment?”
Mom smiled, wearing a beautiful blue gown, looking more stunning than I did. “Come on, girls. Let’s give them a moment.”
They filed out of the room, leaving just the two of us in the bridal suite, the sunlight already fading from the windows.
Dad stood there for a while before he took the seat my mother had vacated. One ankle crossed on the opposite knee, and his arms rested on the armrests of the chair. He got comfortable, just sat there in silence.
“Mom tells me Atlas is playing video games.”
“Some racing game.”
I gave a light chuckle. “At least he’s not nervous.”
“Not in the least.”
“I’m glad you didn’t have the talk with him.”
“I don’t need to.”
I gave a slight smile.
“He loves you, sweetheart.”
“I know he does…”
“He’s a fine young man.”
“Thanks for setting me up with him.”
A suppressed chuckle escaped his lips.
“You have good taste in men.”
“I think I have good taste in people.” He turned his gaze to look at me, his eyes dropping to my stomach. “How are you doing?”
“A little achy and tired. But I’m sure all of that will go away when we head down that aisle.”
He watched my stomach for a while before he met my look. A painful sigh escaped his lips, and he swallowed. The silence lingered, like everything he felt couldn’t be put into words. It was just too hard for him.
It was hard to watch, to see him struggle to convey his emotions. He’d always been decent when it was the two of us, but right now, it was just too hard. My eyes watered, knowing he had so much to say but couldn’t say it. “I know, Dad…”
He watched me, a film of moisture forming over his eyes, building and building.
My hand reached for his.
He interlocked our fingers and stared at our joined hands, breathing a little harder than before. “I’m so proud of you…” He got the words out, but they came with a slight choke, the moisture escaping his eyes.
The only time I’d seen him cry was when Mom was sick. So that made me cry. “I know, Dad.”
He dropped his gaze and took a deep breath, regaining his composure. “You haven’t needed me since…before you even went to college. You’ve always been this smart, capable, independent woman…who doesn’t need anyone but herself. But it’s so hard to let you go now.”
“You aren’t letting me go.”
He squeezed my hand. “Yes, I am. I’ll always be your dad, but…it won’t be the same.”
“It’ll always be the same, Dad.” Tears streamed down my face, ruining my makeup, but I didn’t care.
He shook his head. “It won’t be the same. And it shouldn’t be the same. Your mother and I became partners in life. She became my person…I became hers. That’s how it should be, and I’m so excited for you to experience that kind of love. It’s…the most exhilarating feeling in the world, to make someone family who’s not family. I’m so happy for you. Things were different when Derek got married. When Dex got married. We’re still close, we still see one another all the time, but…they aren’t my children anymore. They’re my friends now. Because they have someone who does for them what I used to. Now it’s your turn.”
I squeezed his hand.
“But it’s good…it’s good.” He swallowed again.
“I know things will be different, but a girl is always going to need her dad. Atlas needs you too. We both need you. And we both know I’m going to need your help raising this little girl who’s already got an attitude worse than mine.”
He smiled, his eyes still wet.
“Because you did a great job with me.”
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“And I’m happy to be your friend. I think that sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Yeah…it is.”
Mom cracked the door. “We’re ready whenever you are, honey.”
“Is Atlas still playing video games?” I teased, trying to dispel the emotion between us.
Mom shifted her gaze back and forth between us, seeing the looks on both of our faces. She grabbed a couple tissues and set them on the table between us before she silently excused herself.
Dad grabbed one and stepped up, dabbing his eyes, returning to the calm and confident man I’d always known. Tall, strong, unbreakable. He fisted his tissue before putting it in his pocket.
I had a harder time cleaning myself up, needing a mirror to erase the smudges. I came back to him, my hands a little shaky with nerves now.
Dad circled his arms around me and pulled me close, hugging me, easy against my stomach. We stood like that for a long time, his hand at the center of my shoulder blades, holding on to me as long as he could.
I couldn’t let myself cry again.
He released a slow breath before he pulled away, like he was releasing his pain, letting go of the past…and stepping into the future. He looked at me with affectionate eyes, the happy man who always looked so thrilled to see me. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
He kissed me on the forehead before he tucked my arm through his. “We shouldn’t keep Atlas waiting. He’s waited long enough.”
25
Atlas
I checked my phone every five minutes.
It was sitting on the counter, and I tapped my fingers against the screen, making it light up.
There were no notifications.
Earbuds were in my ears, but there was no music. I just didn’t want to miss the phone call that could come at any moment.
Deacon looked up from his station across the room. “You really don’t need to be here, Atlas.”
“It’s fine. We’ll just finish this, and I’ll head on home. Doctor said she’s not coming until the due date, so…” I kept working. “Besides, Daisy says I annoy her.” I chuckled.
“How?”
“When she complains, I try to calm her down. But she doesn’t want to be calmed down.”
“Yeah,” Deacon said with a chuckle. “That’s my daughter.”
We worked in silence, and once I had everything done and uploaded, I released a sigh.
It was my last day in the lab. I had been given two months of paternity leave, which started tomorrow. Something about that moment, knowing I wouldn’t come back for a while, hit me really hard. “Fuck…I’m going to be a dad.”
Deacon looked up from his work.
“Kinda just hit me right now.”
Deacon finished what he was doing then came over, taking a seat across from me at the workbench. His work gloves were ripped off and tossed in the bin. “It’s scary.”
“Yeah. She’s going to be dependent on me for the rest of my life…”
“If she’s anything like Daisy, I doubt it.”
In less than a week, Daisy wouldn’t be pregnant anymore. There would be a baby. A person. A little girl. It was mind-blowing. I was told I couldn’t have kids, and now I was about to have one.
“Atlas, you’re going to be fine.”
“Daisy is already a handful. Now I’m going to be outnumbered.”
He chuckled. “You’ll be fine.”
“I don’t know…” I shook my head. “I know there’s a baby coming and I’ve known that almost this entire time, but…it’s really hitting me now. Something that was denied to me is now happening, like any minute, and I don’t know…”
He listened to every word without judgment. “You want some enlightenment from an old man?”
“Old…you could probably take me down.”
He chuckled. “You’re stressing about those things because there’s no baby. Without the baby to worry about, you worry about yourself. But once you hold her, she’s all that matters, so all th
ose worries stop. She tells you what to do, and you do it. It’s that simple.”
“Yeah?”
“When I had Derek, I wasn’t ready or interested in fatherhood. But he came…and that was it. I was a father. I’ve been a father ever since.”
A good one, too.
“Just love your girls, and you’ll be fine.”
I nodded. “Well, that sounds easy enough.”
“And if you need help, call me anytime. Really.”
“Even in the middle of the night?”
He grinned. “Especially in the middle of the night—because that’s when you panic. When you—”
“Hold on.” My phone rang, so I instantly answered, not even having the time to process the name on the screen. “Yeah?”
“Yeah?” Daisy asked incredulously. “That’s how you answer your wife’s calls?”
“Sorry, I took the call so fast that I didn’t even check. You okay?”
“I’m good. Our couch disagrees…because I leaked all over it.”
I got to my feet. “She’s coming? Our girl is coming?”
“Yes,” she said with a soft laugh. “She’s on her way.”
“Oh shit. Fuck, I’m on my way!”
“Calm down and be safe—”
I hung up and left all my shit behind. “I’m having a baby! I’m having a fucking baby!”
Deacon grinned as he got to his feet. “Let’s go. I’ll give you a ride.”
A day later, she came.
Seven pounds and three ounces.
Beautiful. Perfect. With my eyes.
The second she came out, the nurses handed the baby to Daisy, giving her the chance to hold her first.
Daisy hugged her close and cried, suddenly forgetting all the pain she was in. “Honey, you’re finally here…”
I looked her over, seeing a perfectly healthy, normal little girl with all her fingers and toes. I was in a state of disbelief, unable to believe how lucky I was, that this moment had happened.
The love was instant.
Unconditional.
So powerful.
She cried and cried, but it was a beautiful sound to me.
The most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.
Daisy turned to me. “Here…”
My arms instantly went underneath hers, and we made the transfer with such ease, it was as if we’d been parents for years. I cradled her to me, brought her close to my face, and saw the most perfect little person ever. “Wow…you’re beautiful.”
Daisy watched us together, her eyes wet and soft, her hand on my elbow.
The nurse came over to take her away. “Let me clean her up.”
I’d only held her in my arms once, and I already didn’t want to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
Our place was a mess.
Baby stuff everywhere.
Cries pierced the silence all the time. Daisy had to breastfeed every two hours. Our alone time and our privacy were long gone.
But it was totally worth it.
Billie was asleep in Daisy’s arms, in the white onesie I’d bought months ago on the way home from work. She hardly moved, sometimes fluttering her hands to her face, but sleeping soundly. She would be this way for a couple hours before it was time to feed again.
I sat beside Daisy, my arm around her shoulders, her head resting against me. I pressed a kiss to her temple, staring at our daughter, still in awe of the little person we’d created together, against all the odds.
“I love her so much…”
“I know. Me too.”
Daisy released a quiet sigh.
“So…when do you want to have another one?”
She gave a laugh like I was crazy. “You aren’t exhausted yet?”
“No, I am. But it’s worth it.”
“Well, you didn’t have to push her out of your vagina.”
“You’d be the first one to say she’s worth it too.”
“Yeah, I would.”
The three of us sat together as a family on the couch, the silence around us, enjoying this moment in time. I wanted life to stand still, to stay this way forever. I didn’t feel lost anymore. I had my own family now. I had my wife. I had my daughter.
I had everything.
Epilogue
Deacon
We touched down in Stockholm, Sweden.
The entire Hamilton crew along for the ride.
It was freezing cold, snow on the sidewalks of the streets, the air so icy, it was hard to breathe.
The last time I was here, I’d been a young man. My career had just begun. Now I was back, but it felt different from last time. Not because I already had a Nobel. But because my son and daughter were getting their first.
The pride…was indescribable.
Every member of the family had to come along for the moment, everyone taking time off work, Lizzie taking a short absence from Harvard. It was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, and we needed to experience it together.
When I’d gotten my medal, I just had my mom and my brother.
Now I had the family I’d made with the love of my life.
We checked in to the hotel and slept overnight before we went to the ceremony the following day. I greeted colleagues I hadn’t seen in years, and they congratulated me on my research. I did the same to them. Everyone in that room had accomplished great things in their fields, from chemistry to literature.
It was an honor just to be there.
I took my seat on the stage with Daisy beside me, Atlas on the other side of her. The theatre was full of friends and family, their faces slightly visible in the darkness. I could see my wife, smiling through her tears. I knew she wasn’t just proud of me.
She was proud of the life that we’d built.
The most brilliant doctor I’d ever known was on that stage with me—and it wasn’t Atlas.
It was my little girl.
I couldn’t be more proud.
They announced our names, and together as a family, we took our positions by the podium.
The medallion was placed over my neck first, the weight identical to how I remembered it.
Atlas gestured for Daisy to go next.
She stepped forward. Her smile was absent, her face serious. But her eyes showed so much.
Her daughter was in the audience, and while she was too young to remember this later, it meant the world to Daisy that the one person she cared most about was there with her.
I knew exactly how that felt.
The medallion was slipped over her neck, then she looked at me.
My hand went to her back, and I brought her close, kissing her on the forehead, not caring about the affection I showed in front of everyone there.
Atlas got his next.
He was visibly overwhelmed, swallowing, his posture a little different with the weight around his throat. His fingers immediately touched the crest of the medallion on the front, to check that it was real.
“May we present the Nobel Prize in medicine to Dr. Deacon Hamilton, Dr. Daisy Beaumont, and Dr. Atlas Beaumont. Their achievements in medicine have allowed lung cancer patients to reach remission with ninety-nine percent effectiveness, changing the world of medicine, changing the lives of their fellow man.”
The theatre erupted in applause.
My arms wrapped around them both, and I hugged them at the same time.
It wasn’t just my daughter who had earned this honor.
But my son too.
And I’d never felt prouder in all my life.
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The Girl Who Always Wins (Soulless Book 13) Page 20
