EPILOGUE
Rory
Eighteen Months Later – Sydney, Australia
T he sound of soft breathing and the occasional beep are the only noises in the hospital room where I sit in a rocking chair in the corner. My eyes drift from the man sleeping on the couch, to the woman asleep in the bed, and then down to the tiny bundle in my arms.
Kai Morgan Anderson is the picture of perfection. Bowed lips that move and pucker in his sleep. An adorable button nose that I’ve kissed too many times to count. There’s a shock of dark hair peeking out from under the little cap they put on him as soon as he was born. They say his eyes could still change color, but when they’re open, they fall somewhere between the grey and the blue of his parents’ eyes.
His tiny fingers grip the top of the swaddle around him, and I slide my pinky across them until his hand opens reflexively. When he curls it around my finger instead, I melt. I’ve only known my nephew for a few hours, but I love him so much. My heart almost aches with it. It’s going to have to grow and stretch to accommodate it, but I know it can. My heart has already grown to accommodate more love than I could’ve ever imagined in the last couple of years.
The receiver of so much of that love walks through the door, careful not to wake the resting parents when he shuts the door. Breck walks over to me, something tender in his expression as he watches me with Kai. He squats down beside us, kisses my temple, and coasts his forefinger over the place where Kai has my pinkie in his firm grip.
“He’s perfect,” Breck whispers, and I look into his eyes to see the emotion swirling there.
“He is.”
“You look perfect holding him.”
“Do I?” I ask coyly.
“You do.” He moves his finger up to where my engagement ring sits, nestled against the wedding band he added six months after he proposed. That was a year ago now, almost to the day.
We had to move our annual Christmas celebration to Sydney this year, knowing Joss would be too far along to travel. Thank goodness we did. Kai decided a first of January birthday didn’t suit him and arrived the day after Christmas, which was a gift to Joss in and of itself. He was already eight and a half pounds, even a week early.
Our anniversary is tomorrow, and I don’t think there’s a better way to celebrate than with my entire family and a new tiny addition to love. And I do mean the entire family. Mom and Dad made the trip with us, separately of course, but also together. I don’t try to understand their dynamic anymore. It took some time, a lot of time really, to figure out how to heal what was broken between us. By the time Breck and I walked down the aisle, my dad stood beside my mom and watched Wes give me away.
I think that stung a little, but he told me he understood. They’ve grown to love both Breck and Willow. I swear my heart stopped the day Mom told Willow she could call her grandma. Dad thinks Willow is hilarious, and when she asked what she should call him, he said, “Whatever you like, so long as it’s grandpa.”
There are still some wounds that may never fully heal, but they’re trying. We’re all trying. They got on a plane and flew halfway around the world to spend Christmas in Sydney and be here for Joss when she had the baby—which meant taking a full three weeks off work, something I’ve never seen either of them do in my entire life.
“What are you thinking about?” Breck asks, continuing to stare at the tiny figure in my arms.
“Mom and Dad,” I whisper.
“They’ve come a long way.”
“We’ve all come a long way.”
“True. Now, back to how good you look with this baby in your arms.” He raises his eyebrows at me suggestively. I try to hold in the giggle it elicits but don’t quite manage it.
“Stop talking about making babies while you’re holding mine,” Wes says from the corner. Breck and I spin our gazes to meet his.
“Sorry we woke you,” I say.
“You didn’t.” He yawns. “I was just watching you guys.”
“Creep,” I joke.
“He’s right though, Rory,” he says, and my heart squeezes. “Maybe you need to have one.”
I duck my chin to look at Kai, a rightness settling over me in this moment.
“Have a what?” Willow asks, startling me. She’s just walking into the room with my parents in tow.
Joss stirs and rubs the sleep from her eyes before frantically scanning the room. When they land on me—on Kai—her countenance relaxes.
“Want your little guy?” I ask.
“Not yet.” She yawns, stretching her arms overhead. “I need a minute. Let Breck have a turn.” She begins to move, and Wes is up in a flash to help her. He walks with her to the bathroom before returning to sit against the side of the bed, watching the door like a hawk.
I do as she said and hand Kai to Breck, who takes him like the natural he is. He looks perfect with that little baby in his arms. All eyes are on him where he bounces lightly, but he doesn’t notice. He only has eyes for his nephew.
Joss opens the door, and Wes is instantly by her side, holding her hand and getting her tucked comfortably back into bed. She’s watching Breck now too. His head is bent low over Kai, his finger trailing over his hand.
“I think you need one of those,” Joss blurts, and we all look at her in surprise. “What, you’re all thinking it. I’m just saying it.”
“Technically, I already said it, but you were asleep,” Wes quips.
We all laugh, but mine catches in my throat. Around the secret we’ve been keeping. I look at Breck and when our gazes connect, I see the genuine love in his eyes, excitement and trepidation, and in that moment with his tiny nod, I let the secret free.
“I think we need two,” I say, letting my hand fall to my stomach, and the room erupts.