Epilogue
EPILOGUE
RHETT
“You’ve got this, baby. We’re almost there.”
“We?” she asks, her voice shrill from the pain. Dana’s nails dig into my skin as another contraction hits her.
I know countless women before Dana have done this, been the vessel God created life in, but it doesn’t matter; my wife’s continual strength amazes me. From the first signs of pregnancy through each of the trimesters, she’s handled it with ease and grace. Now she’s bringing our first child into the world.
A few minutes later, the most beautiful sound fills the hospital room. Our daughter’s tiny body is quickly wiped down by the nurses before she rests her on Dana’s chest. There are tears in Dana’s eyes as she gazes at our first child, our baby girl.
“She’s absolutely perfect,” Dana says as she takes our little one’s tiny hand and puts it on her finger.
“Just like her mama,” I say, looking from our little girl to my gorgeous wife.
Dana smiles up at me. “This feels like a miracle.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Leaning down, I place a gentle kiss on Dana’s forehead, then our daughter’s. “What are we going to name her?” I ask. Although we’ve discussed names, we couldn’t settle on any of them and decided to wait until she arrived to pick one.
Dana looks up at me with a smile that tells me she’s found the right one and that her mind is already made up.
She beckons me to lean down so she can whisper it in my ear.
“It’s perfect. A perfect name for our perfect little girl,” I say.
We’re discharged to go home after two nights in the hospital. It’s finally time to create our new normal as a family of three.
I pull into the driveway and tell Dana to stay in the car so I can unlock the door and help her get in more easily.
I stick my key in the lock but halt when I notice it’s already unlocked.
“Hello?” I ask, then motion for Dana to stay in the car.
“In here!” Rosa calls from one of the bedrooms.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here when we got home,” I say loud enough for Rosa to hear me.
“I just wanted to make sure everything was ready for you.” She pokes her head out of the bedroom we turned into a nursery.
“You’re a gem, Rosa,” I say.
She smiles and shoos me away. “Go get our girls!”
I go back out to the car, lifting the car seat out with one hand and helping Dana out with the other. She’s moving slowly as she takes my arm and we go up the porch steps.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
There’s a pained expression on her face but she says, “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
“Let’s get you situated on the couch.”
Dana gets comfortable, and Rosa comes out and whisper-shouts, “Welcome home!” She comes over and sits next to Dana, looking at the tiny bundle of joy in the car seat and placing a hand on her chest. “She’s absolutely perfect. What did you name her?”
Dana bites her lips and looks up at me to answer.
“Rosaline Jane,” I say.
Tears begin to stream down Rosa’s cheeks. “You named her after me?”
“Yes,” Dana says softly, then grabs a few tissues off the side table, handing some to Rosa and keeping a couple for herself.
“Thank you,” Rosa says, wiping at her cheeks.
“You’ve been my rock and a second mom to me from the moment we met. It was the perfect name for her.”
“I thought so too,” I add.
Rosaline starts to wriggle and fuss, so I lift her out of her car seat and pass her to the woman she’s named after. Rosa gently sways with her on the couch, successfully calming her.
Dana, Rosa, and I pass little Rosaline between us our first few hours at home. I’m amazed that Dana already knows what each of Rosaline’s cries mean. Including the one that means she’s hungry. Dana has just pulled Rosaline from her breast when there’s a soft knock at the door.
Dana hands Rosaline to me and covers up. “Come in!” she shouts.
Olivia, West, and their little boy Grayson come in with giant balloons and a huge stuffed bear.
“Is it a boy like me?” Grayson asks, jumping up and down.
Olivia gazes down at him, shaking her head and smiling. “No, baby, remember? Auntie and Uncle Rhett-Rhett had a little girl,” she tells him, using the name Grayson gave me when he first started talking.
Grayson scrunches his little nose and crosses his arms over his chest. “Girls are gross.”
All the adults laugh.
Reluctantly, I hand a semi fussy Rosaline over to Olivia’s outstretched arms. She cradles Rosaline, her swollen bump providing extra cushion, before setting her on her shoulder and tapping the baby’s back to burp her.
“So what name did you decide on?” Olivia asks, looking at Dana before Rosaline releases a burp. Olivia cradles Rosaline once more and slowly sways, lulling the baby to sleep. She doesn’t fuss but nuzzles deeper into Olivia’s arms, almost as if she knows her aunt can be trusted and will love her unconditionally.
“Rosaline Jane Stryker,” Dana answers.
Olivia’s gaze snaps to Dana’s. “Oh it’s perfect. I love it.” She places a gentle kiss on the top of Rosaline’s head and gazes down at her. “Well, you have to be the most precious little girl I’ve ever seen.”
Grayson plops down on the recliner and reaches his arms out. “Okay, it’s my turn to hold the baby.”
Olivia looks at Dana, then me, making sure we’re okay with the four-year-old holding her.
Dana nods, so I take Rosaline from Olivia and carefully place her in Grayson’s arms, all while still holding her myself.
Grayson stares down at her as she stares up at him in turn.
“She’s so tiny,” Grayson whispers. “So pretty.” He removes one arm from beneath her and boops her nose. “We’re gonna be best friends, aren’t we? Even though you are a girl.”
Rosaline opens her eyes, then coos up at him. He raises his face and looks at all the adults in the room with his mouth shaped in an O. “I think she likes me.” He bounces on his seat, and I lift Rosaline off him.
“My turn,” West says, reaching for her and taking her gently.
Olivia walks over to the couch and sits down, resting her head against Dana’s. “I can’t believe my little sis is a mommy now.”
“Me neither,” Dana says, looking up at Rosaline in West’s arms.
“I’m so grateful we get to do life together and be mamas together. Just like when we played house when we were little girls.”
Dana starts crying, and I grab a bunch of tissues off the side table and hand them over to her.
“Why am I crying?” Dana asks.
“Because your hormones are going crazy after bringing a beautiful, tiny life into the world,” Olivia answers, rubbing up and down Dana’s back as she blows her nose.
“I guess that makes sense.” Dana chuckles, her tears slowing down.
This is yet another humbling moment, being surrounded by people who will love my little family almost as much as I do. God is not only a God of forgiveness but grace upon grace. Giving us far more than we could ever deserve.
There’s another knock at the door, and I look to Dana and Rosa to see if they know of anyone else coming today. Caleb plans on coming down next week, and Dana’s parents said they’ll be over a little later once they get home from their cruise. The Woodhouses are visiting family in the states and won’t be back for another week. Both women shrug. West, Olivia, and Grayson went home a while ago, so unless they left something behind, I don’t know why they’d come back so quickly.
When I open the door, I’m beyond surprised.
“Oscar? Ashley?” I ask.
Ashley looks at me sheepishly. “The moment you called and told me the baby was here Oscar booked us the quickest flight, and here we are. I told him you’d want time to settle in before we barged in, but he insisted.”
Oscar doesn’t look one bit perturbed. He shrugs. “I’ve never been a big brother before.”
I grab my son and pull him against me in a tight embrace.
It’s been a slow process, getting Oscar to fully accept me as his dad and learn how to trust me. Especially with all the bumps on our journey. But God has been working on both of us, and I couldn’t be more grateful that he is here right now and that he was the one who wanted to be here for the huge moment in my and Dana’s lives.
Oscar and Ashley are each carrying something; Ashley has a basket and Oscar holds a gift bag. When they notice me eyeing them, Oscar lifts up the bag and says, “For the baby.”
Ashley lifts up the basket and says, “For the mama.”
“Let them in!” Dana shouts.
Ashley and Oscar follow me inside. Rosa continues to bounce little Rosaline. Dana slowly tries to stand while grimacing.
“Just relax,” Ashley says, carefully helping Dana back onto the couch.
“I don’t want to be rude to our guests,” Dana replies.
“Stop it. We’re not guests. We’re here to help. See?” Ashley points to the basket. “I made this for you. It’s a postpartum basket. It holds the same things I used to recover after having Oscar.” She leans down and says in a mock whisper, “And he was a ten pounder.” This brings a laugh out of Dana, and her grimace turns into a smile…then more tears.
“Thank you.” She reaches up for a hug, and Ashley sets the basket on the table and hugs my wife as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And in our world, it is.
“You are very welcome. Now.” She claps her hands together. “What do you need done?”
Oscar has already taken Rosaline out of Rosa’s arms and is walking around the living room, gently bouncing her and whispering down to her. I have no idea what he’s saying, but seeing the love in his eyes as he looks down at his baby sister, I can’t help but smile and thank God once again for the blessings He’s poured over me.
Without Dana asking anything of Ashley, Ashley goes into the kitchen and helps Rosa get the meal together.
Right after we finish up our meal, Dana’s parents arrive, and Olivia, West, and Grayson return. Crew comes over right after his shift. In less than an hour, our entire family—other than my brother Caleb—is in our home, bustling about, and helping in any way they can.
Rosaline is passed around slowly, each person not wanting to hand her over to the next. It’s a day filled with laughter, joy, and an endless stream of oohs and aahs.
I sit on the couch, my little girl finally in my arms again. Everyone except Oscar and Ashley are gone. As I stroke Rosaline’s soft cheek, I pray out loud. “Thank you for this beautiful little girl and my beautiful wife. Thank you for our family and the ways they’ve pushed us to become better versions of ourselves. Please continue to bless Dana and me with patience and understanding so we raise our family with You at the center. Guide us and help us to honor You in all we say and do. Thank you for Oscar and Ashley and the relationship we’ve built from the ashes of our past. Thank you, Father, for being so good. Amen.”
Dana sits down next to me. “I love when you pray,” she says with a yawn.
Ashley looks over at us, a smile on her face. Oscar sits on the floor, resting his head against the couch. My worlds colliding could have easily brought nothing but destruction. Instead, God worked my failures for His good.
Rosaline’s tiny mouth opens with her own silent yawn, and she nuzzles into me. Dana rests her head on my shoulder, and I rest my other hand on my son’s shoulder. My blended family embraces the silence. With my heart full of hope and gratefulness, I thank God once again for this life I don’t deserve but that He’s given me anyway.