Epilogue - Ari #2
Ella shrugs. “Could be hours, could be a day or so.”
Josh looks right at her. “If you think your water broke, Ell, we need to make sure of that. You can’t wait forever for labor to start after your water breaks.”
“Right,” Ella says. “Pregnancy brain is so real. I guess I do actually need to go to the hospital to confirm. They’ll just send me home after, though.”
“You just better keep us up to date, Ella!” Lucia points at her. “We’re not missing the birth of your first child.”
Ella laughs gently. “I promise. We’ll go get checked out, and I’ll let you guys know what they say.”
Ella’s ‘it could be hours or days until labor starts’ turns into ‘holy shit, I’m in full-blown labor’ by the time they get to the hospital.
Josh texts all of us after they confirm her water did indeed break to let us know that they’re getting her room ready. This baby is coming now.
So, the eight of us—Sage goes to hang out with Skip—are celebrating our World Series win by hanging out in the maternity ward waiting room.
I’ve already seen multiple babies since we sat down, and fuck if it doesn’t make me want one even more.
Cole just smiles at his wife, though, celebrating the fact that this will be them in roughly six or seven months.
It was late when we all got here, and the girls could only stay awake for so long. Guys, too, really. I fall asleep with my back against a chair while Lucia leans on me. Everyone else falls asleep in similar positions.
We’re all asleep longer than we realize because we only wake up when Josh walks into the room around eight in the morning.
He gets our attention, and we all look at him and wait to hear what he has to say.
“Baby’s here,” is all he says, but it’s enough to have us all jump out of our seats and throw our arms around him.
“How’s Ella?” Lucia asks.
“She’s doing great,” he smiles. “She did absolutely amazing. Visiting hours are starting, though. I’d love for you guys to all follow me and meet our child.”
We’re all buzzing with excitement as we follow Josh through the winding halls of the maternity ward until we stop in front of a room with the name Garro on the outside.
He leads us inside, and we see Ella on the bed, cradling an infant wrapped up in a blanket with the most loving smile I’ve ever seen.
“We’d like everyone to meet our son, Hudson Joshua Garro,” she says, looking down at the infant in her arms.
“A baby boy!” Harlow says excitedly.
“Congratulations!” Lucia wipes tears from her eyes, and I lean over to kiss the top of her head.
“You okay, Spitfire?”
She smiles. “I’m just really fucking happy right now.”
“Would anyone like to hold him?” Josh asks, and I swear Lucia runs over to him.
He grabs Hudson from his wife and gently places him in my girlfriend’s arms, and I practically melt at the sight.
All I can envision is our future.
One day, I’ll get to watch Lucia hold our baby like this.
“Hi, Hudson,” she says softly. “I’m your Aunt Lucia. Welcome to the world, little man.”
Harlow watches on so happily and then turns to her husband. She tries to whisper, but seeing as Knox is standing right next to me, I hear it anyway.
“I’m ready, Knox. I want this. I want to start trying.”
Suddenly, Knox is only looking at his wife, so absorbed with what she just said.
I keep my eye on my future wife. She’s rocking Hudson in her arms, and I can see how natural this is to her. How badly she wants this for us as well.
“Would you like to hold him, Ari?” she asks me.
“Yeah,” I reply softly, holding out my arms. Lucia helps me get him into the right position so I’m supporting his tiny head, and I’m so overcome with emotion looking down at him.
Hudson is perfect, a wonderful blend of Josh and Ella.
I can’t wait to have this for myself.
My entire life, I’ve never been emotional, but the thought brings tears to my eyes, and I have to wipe them away.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Hudson. I’m your Uncle Ari. We’ve all been so excited for you to get here.”
Lucia looks at me holding him, and I feel all the love she radiates.
I meet her eyes and try to tell her I’ll do whatever I can to make sure this happens for us.
If she can read what I was trying to say, all she does is smile in response.
We spend most of the day at the hospital, occasionally stepping out to give Josh and Ella some time with their son, but they’re so happy to have us there that it’s hard to even want to leave.
Especially when Hudson is that fucking cute.
It’s only seven right now, but after such a long day, Lucia jumps in the shower as soon as we get home, and we’re just heading to bed after this.
I pull on a pair of navy athletic shorts and then watch as my girlfriend walks into the room wearing only one of my oversized Stars T-shirts, her long legs on display.
“Come here, sweetheart,” I call, holding my arms open for her.
Lucia closes the distance between us quickly, falling into my embrace with her head resting on my shoulder.
“What a whirlwind the past day has been.”
I smile down at her. “Even more so for Josh. World Series champion to first-time dad in the span of less than twelve hours.”
She gazes up at me now, eyes sparkling in the bedroom light. “Hudson is perfect, isn’t he?”
“He is.” Lucia picks her head up and rests her forehead against mine. “I can’t wait for us to have our own.”
Her grin is blinding. “Neither can I.”
“I’m putting a baby in you next time,” I assert. “I fucking promise it.”
Lucia bites her lip and smiles at me. She kisses me softly before saying, “You already did.”
My heart is hammering in my chest, wondering if I heard her correctly. “What?”
Her smile widens, and she brings my hands to rest on her stomach. “You already did, Ari. I’m pregnant.”
“You’re pregnant?” My tone is laced with disbelief, but my grin stretches ear to ear.
“Mhmm.” She nods excitedly, eyes glassy.
Lucia starts crying as I scoop her up and spin her around. “Oh my God, you’re fucking pregnant, Lucia!”
She laughs lightly as I kiss her again. “I just found out the other day. I wanted you to focus on the World Series, though.”
“When are you due?” I ask excitedly.
“Early July. I should go on maternity leave around the All-Star break and be back for the postseason.”
I wipe tears from my cheeks. “We’re having a baby.”
“We’re having a baby,” she repeats, almost as if she’s still trying to process the fact that it’s true.
I set her back on her feet and then fall down to my knees. I lift up her shirt and press a kiss right over her stomach.
“Hi, baby. This is Daddy.”
Lucia looks at me sweetly. “The baby can’t hear you yet.”
“And it’s not going to stop me. You’ve got nine months of me talking to your stomach like this, sweetheart. Better just get used to it.”
She runs her fingers through my hair and smiles. “I love you so much, Ari.”
“I love you, too, Lucia.” I kiss her stomach and speak to the baby again. “I think I have the perfect way to show Mommy how much I love her. Do you think I should show her?”
“I don’t think you’re going to get an answer,” she laughs.
“I think they want to say yes, so that’s what I’m going with.”
Since we’re on my side of the bed, all I have to do is reach into my bedside table for what I want.
“Ari…” Lucia gasps when she sees the black velvet box in my hand.
“This can’t be a surprise, sweetheart.”
She starts crying harder now. “I knew you wanted to do it eventually, but I didn’t expect that to be right now.”
I smile at her before repositioning myself so I’m only on one knee, and I open the box to reveal the yellow diamond engagement ring inside.
“I’ve had this for months, Lucia. I’ve just been waiting for the right time.
And you telling me you’re pregnant with my child is the absolute perfect time for me to do this. ”
“And what are you doing?” she smiles, prodding me to actually say the words.
I take her left hand in mine. “I’m asking you to marry me.
I love you more than I knew was possible.
I didn’t think this level of love existed until I finally got to know you.
You’re the absolute love of my life, Lucia, and now you’re going to be the mother of my child.
I want to spend eternity with you. Marry me, Spitfire. Make me the happiest man alive.”
Lucia can’t get the words out through her tears, so she nods instead. I slip the ring onto her finger with a giant smile on my face before I stand up and take her lips in a searing kiss.
“We’re engaged now,” she says softly, absorbing everything.
“Engaged for now,” I assure her. “We’ll get married whenever you want to.”
“I don’t want anything big.” She presses her forehead to mine again. “Let’s elope. It can be you, me, and our baby. That’s all I need.”
“That sounds fucking perfect.” I peck her lips lightly as I start scooting her backward to the bed. “So tell me, sweetheart,” I murmur, laying her down underneath me. “Is fiancée sex better than girlfriend sex?”
She hooks her thumbs into the waistband of my shorts. “Best way to find out is by trying, don’t you think?”
I kiss her again and allow myself to get absolutely wrapped up in her.
Lucia Torres, love of my life and mother of my child.
I can’t imagine doing life with anybody else by my side.
Lucia is everything I want and more, so fucking perfect for me, and some days, I still can’t believe that I get to call her mine.
We owe all of this to our friends. We’re together because of them. They helped force us together by insisting she move in with me.
Our story ends with us spending the rest of our lives together with the family we create, but it started with our friends and a little bit of force play.