by Street, K.
“We’ll get it looked at next week.”
“Okay. I can’t believe I only have four weeks to go.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Um, yeah. The whole something the size of a watermelon coming out of something the size of a lemon freaks me the hell out.”
“You’ll do great.”
“And just in case I don’t, that’s what an epidural is for.”
“Exactly.”
We ate in comfortable quiet for a few minutes.
“I’ve shuffled some things around. I have a few site visits I need to do. One of them is in Gainesville, so I’ll just drive back and forth in the same day. My mom is on standby if we need her.”
“If you need work space, we can shift things around in the third bedroom. Paige and I use it mostly for storage. Holiday decorations and such. It’s pretty tidy though, and there’s a desk in there you could use.”
“We’ll make it work. Don’t stress.”
I laughed. “Um, watermelon from a lemon. I’m stressed.”
“Eat up, woman. I have plans for us.”
I hoped whatever his plans were, it involved a bed and sleep. And maybe that box of zeppole.
Thirty-Nine
Easton
I went into the master bathroom and turned on the faucet in my oversize soaker tub. Once the water reached the right temperature, I plugged the drain and went in search of Molly.
We had just finished dinner, and I’d cleaned the kitchen, refusing to let her help.
“Molls?” I called out to her.
“In here.”
I followed the sound of her voice to the other end of the house and found her inside the nursery, staring at the three different-colored squares painted on the wall. One of them was aqua, and the others were two different shades of gray, their hues similar but slightly varied.
“Which one do you like?”
She pointed to the lighter of the two shades of gray. “I love this one. It feels serene, and it’s not too dark.”
“I had a feeling that’s the one you would pick. I’ll stop by the hardware store first thing in the morning.”
While my mom, Gram, Saylor, and Molly were having a girls’ day at the spa tomorrow, my dad, Jase, Knox, and I were going to tackle painting the baby’s room and putting the furniture together.
“I can’t wait to see it finished.”
“Me either.” I remembered the running water. “Ready for a bath?”
“So ready.”
Once in the bathroom, I turned off the water, tossed in a special bath bomb I had bought for Molly, and stripped out of my clothes. While she undressed and pulled her hair up, I got in the tub.
My dick twitched at the sight of her naked body. There was something almost ethereal about her. Her heavy tits and dark, pebbled nipples. Hair piled on top of her head. Belly tight, swollen with life.
I’d read somewhere that there were Seven Wonders of the World. Obviously, they’d miscounted. Because I was staring at the eighth.
“You take my breath away.”
“You aren’t so bad yourself.”
I held out my arms so Molly could climb into the tub. It took some maneuvering until she was comfortably seated between my legs, her back to my chest.
“Mmm. This feels incredible.”
I reached for the washcloth on the side of the tub, submerged it in water, and then let the water flow over her shoulders. I peppered kisses over the nape of her neck, relishing in the feel of her in my arms. My hands dipped below the water to her stomach. Palms gliding across the taut skin.
“Your daughter needs a name,” she said, letting her head fall back onto my shoulder.
“New contenders this week?”
“How about Logan?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong with Logan?”
“Two words.”
“Which are?”
“Gilmore Girls.”
She lifted her head, her mouth forming a perfect O. “How do you even know that?”
“Please. We’ve watched the show together and I’ve overheard enough of your conversations with Paige.”
“Fine. Let’s hear your ideas.”
“Last night, after I got off work, I went over to Saylor’s to help her put together a bookshelf since Jase had to work late at the winery. Anyway, she was watching this movie, and I sort of got sucked in.”
“Okay.” She dragged out the word, clearly uncertain of where I was going with that statement. “Which movie?”
“Some vampire movie. One of the dudes was all sparkly and shit.”
She sat up so quickly that water sloshed over the side of the tub. “No way. There is no way we’re naming our daughter after a character in The Twilight Saga, especially Bella. I’d name her Hermione first.”
“Hermione? What in the fresh hell kind of name is that?”
Her mouth gaped. “Um, she’s a character in Harry Potter. Not to mention, a total badass who helped save the wizard world.”
“And?”
“What do you mean, and? All Bella did was sit around and wait for a boy.”
“Wait, who said anything about naming her Bella?”
“I thought that’s where you were going with that.”
“No. The movie just gave me an idea.”
She used her hand, signaling me to get on with it.
“What if we combined Emily and Caroline? After your gran and my mom?”
The second it clicked, her beautiful green eyes lit up. “Emmaline?”
“What do you think?”
She moved slowly to the other end of the tub and then rotated so she was facing me. Her feet rested on the outside of my thighs.
“Emmaline,” she repeated. “I like it. A lot. It’s beautiful.” She said it once more, almost reverently, “Emmaline. I love it.”
“What about a middle name?”
“Hmm. What’s your gram’s name? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call her anything but Gram or Grandma.”
“Rose.”
“Rose. Emmaline Rose. It has a pretty ring to it.” Molly rested her hands on her stomach. “It’s perfect.”
I gently gripped her thighs, tugging her closer, and leaned forward, kissing the tip of her nose. “You’re perfect.”
“Not really. But you’re sort of stuck with me now.”
I chuckled. “Is that right?”
“I’m afraid so.” She grinned.
“I love you, Firefly.”
“I love you, too.”
If I lived to be a hundred, I would never tire of hearing her say those words.
Forty
Molly
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Easton asked for the millionth time as we drove into Maplewood Falls on Sunday afternoon.
Today was my baby shower, and while I felt incredibly blessed to have people in my life who cared about me, I would have been totally fine with waiting until after the baby was born. I was tired, hormonal, and crabby, but I fully intended to suck it up … if I didn’t strangle Easton first.
“You heard Dr. Wilson. I’m zero percent effaced and not even a centimeter dilated. I’m going to be pregnant forever.”
“He did not say that.” He laughed.
“Well, not the last part.”
“You should be glad you’re not an elephant.”
“Maybe you should be glad I’m not a praying mantis,” I retorted. Then, I felt bad. “I’m sorry. I’m just uncomfortable. Three more weeks feels like an eternity.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand as we pulled up in front of Saylor’s house.
Several cars lined the driveway, and I felt my anxiety ratchet up a few notches. I hated being the center of attention, but at least Easton would be by my side. Lord bless the person who had come up with the idea of a coed baby shower.
Easton parked along the curb and killed the engine. “Remember, if it gets to be too much, all you have to do is tell me. We’ll find a quiet corner so you c
an regroup.”
“Thank you.”
“Ready?”
“Yes, I’m good.”
He came around to help me out of the truck. Before we even made it up the drive, Saylor opened the front door, and Knox bounded outside, arms wide open.
“Uncle East.”
Easton moved in front of me to shield me from the little human torpedo. “Hey, buddy.” He scooped him into his arms.
“Give me some.” Knox made a fist, and mock explosions followed after Easton pounded knuckles. “Molly, you give me some.”
Easton and I looked at each other, wide-eyed.
Then, he glanced at Knox, wearing an expression of mock hurt. “Dude, I thought that was our thing.”
He shrugged. “Molly is your thing. And Mommy says we hafta be nice to girls.”
“Not just girls. You have to be nice to everyone,” East reminded him.
Knox looked at me. “Molly, I waiting.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I made a fist and bumped it to his.
“Her explosion noises need some work,” Easton told his nephew as we continued up the drive.
“Yeah,” Knox agreed. “You will show her.”
Once we made it through the door, Easton put Knox down, and his hand went to the small of my back. Relief washed over me when I realized there weren’t as many people inside as I’d first thought. It was only Easton’s immediate family, Jase, Layken, and Helen.
In the time span of five minutes, I had been hugged no less than ten times, and I’d answered the same questions over and over again. It also seemed Easton wasn’t the only one who had Googled the gestation period for an elephant. The crazy part about it was, I was more at ease than I’d imagined I would be.
“Here.” Layken passed me a dessert-sized plate with zeppole and chocolate sauce. “I heard you’re a fan.”
“Thank you.” I bit into one and moaned.
“Um, should I leave you two alone?” she teased. “Your eyes did that crazy-eye thing, like Kate Hudson when she ate that burger in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
I giggled. “Wow. That’s a visual.” I wiped chocolate from the corner of my mouth. “Good movie.”
Easton tried to snag one of my zeppole off the plate.
Layken looked personally affronted on my behalf. “Are you seriously taking food from a pregnant woman?”
I held my plate out of reach. “Yeah, what she said.”
He held up his hands and huffed, “Fine. I’ll get my own.” Before he walked away, he asked, “You good?”
“I’m good.” It was the truth.
He gave me a quick peck and moved into the kitchen.
“Aw,” Layken sighed. “You two are so gosh darn cute.”
“Thanks. So, how was your date? The one with the cat-rescuing firefighter.”
Just then, Saylor appeared next to me. “Yes. Spill it, woman. I need details.”
“Well …” Layken began.
* * *
Copious amounts of food had been consumed. Love and laughter filled the air. Easton and I had opened our shower gifts along with Knox, who was too excited to lend a hand. As blessed as I felt, I missed Paige like crazy. She was my person, and I hated not having her here.
Saylor got up and excused herself into the other room and returned with a box. “This is also for you.” She set the box in front of me.
The return address was from London.
I glanced at Easton. “Did you know about this?”
His grin was huge. “Maybe.”
Tears pricked my eyes, but I managed to keep them at bay.
“Here,” Jase said, passing a pocketknife to Easton to cut through the packing tape.
“Thanks.” Easton took it from him, but instead of opening the box, he glanced at his watch.
Seconds later, his phone rang. He swiped to answer it.
“Hey, baby daddy.” Paige’s voice filled the room.
My hands went to my mouth, and the tears I’d fought off resurfaced.
“Where’s my girl?”
I took the phone from Easton, seeing her face on the screen and held it out so she could see me.
It felt like forever since our last video chat.
“Hi.”
“Hey, Mama.” Her eyes widened. “Damn, girl. Check out that rack.”
The entire room burst into laughter.
My face flamed red. “Paige, seriously, everyone can hear you.”
It didn’t even faze her. “Hello, everyone.”
A chorus of, “Hello, Paige,” resounded through the space.
“Okay. Now, open the box.”
It took a minute and a few extra hands, but we managed to open the box while Saylor held the phone and kept the screen on us so Paige was able to watch us.
There were the typical baby gifts, a rattle and such. Then, there were the typical Paige gifts. I held up a onesie that read, I only cry when ugly people hold me.
Saylor, Layken, and Paige laughed hysterically. When Saylor steadied the phone, I glared at Paige.
She shrugged. “What? It’s funny. Just be glad I didn’t buy the one that said—”
“Okay. And we’re moving on,” I cut her off. I didn’t want to know.
When we were through unwrapping all the things in the box, I took Easton’s cell from Saylor.
“Take it in my room,” Saylor offered.
“Thanks. I’ll be back in a few.”
I flipped on the light and sat on Saylor’s neatly made bed.
“Thank goodness. You were making me dizzy.”
“I wish you were here. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too. I hate that I’m not there.”
“Well, this is the next best thing.”
“It was all Easton’s idea.”
“Really?”
“He loves you. So much.” Paige’s eyes grew glassy. “I’m so happy you guys have come full circle.”
“Thank you. I hate saying good-bye, but I’d better get back out there.”
“All right. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Ride or die …”
“Accomplice or alibi,” I responded.
She blew a kiss and disconnected the call.
I sat there with my arms around my stomach for several long minutes, taking it all in.
Forty-One
Easton
Four Weeks Later
I sat next to the hospital bed, watching in wonder as Molly nursed our brand-new daughter.
Dr. Wilson had induced Molly’s labor since she was nearly a week past her due date. After sixteen hours, our daughter, Emmaline Rose, was born on November 25.
Molly was a fucking warrior. I’d thought I loved her before, but what I felt when I looked at her now was hard to put into words. The two of them were my entire world.
“She’s perfect.” Molly softly rubbed Emmy’s cheek.
“She really is.”
She adjusted Emmy, who had fallen asleep, and fixed her shirt.
“I don’t get it.” Quiet tears rolled down Molly’s cheeks.
“Get what?”
“How could my mom give me away? How could she not love me?”
“Firefly, I don’t have the answers, but the one thing I know for sure is, your mom’s actions reflected her character. Not yours.”
She lightly stroked Emmy’s smattering of brown hair with the pad of her index finger, smoothing away the tear that had landed on her head. “I just don’t understand it. Emmy is two days old, and there is nothing I would not do to keep her safe. To make her feel loved every single day.”
“I know, baby. I feel the same way. I love you. Both of you. So much.”
“I love you, too.”
Molly’s eyes fell shut as she dozed off.
For several long minutes, I sat and watched my girls. Completely overcome with love and adoration for them.
My name was on the birth certificate. Molly and I both had signed the voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity.
There would be no need for a DNA test or filing for legitimation so I could obtain custody rights. Because soon enough, there would be a ring on her finger.
Forty-Two
Molly
After Emmy was born, I quit my job and officially moved in with Easton. Despite my protests, Easton insisted on buying me a brand-new SUV. The transmission in my car was shot, so I donated it to the automotive program at a technical college in Gainesville.
Easton was determined to take care of his girls, and I was learning to pick my battles.
When Emmy was old enough, I planned to return to work part-time at CDD and we would find a way to balance it all. So much had changed, and I was doing my best to live in the moment.
I started the dishwasher and went in search of Easton, already knowing where I’d find him. My feet padded down the hall into the nursery. Several weeks ago, Easton treated his mom, Saylor, Gran, and me to a spa day, while he and Jase, along with Brent and Knox, painted Emmy’s room and put the furniture together. It was my second favorite room in the house, next to our bedroom.
I stood off to the side, watching Easton from the doorway. He sat in a white cushioned rocking chair, cradling our sleeping daughter in his arms, love radiating off him. The way he looked at her never failed to make my heart clench.
Easton glanced up when I stepped into the room.
“Hey,” he whispered.
I walked over to them and pecked him on the lips before gently kissing Emmy on the head and inhaling her scent.
“I swear, it’s like crack. I can’t get enough,” I murmured.
Easton softly chuckled. “Me either.”
“That’s why you’re still holding her, isn’t it?”
“Maybe.”
“Do you want some lunch? I can throw something in the oven. Since your mom and sister have us stocked up for a while.”
“You should be resting. I’ll do it.”
“It’s been two weeks. Women have babies every day. I’m fine. Besides, you’ll be going back to work tomorrow.”
“Lunch sounds great. Thank you. I’ll put her down in a few minutes, I swear.”