Chapter 1
I gave Jayne, Dr. Northwind, and the nurse a few minutes of privacy to do whatever needed to be done next. I didn’t need to know everything involved in the delivery. I waited in the hall, basking in the knowledge that my wife and child were safe.
My child. I might never stop smiling.
Dr. Northwind came out. “You can go back in now.”
“They’re both good? Healthy and all that?”
“As perfect as you could want. He’s eight pounds, three ounces, by the way.”
“Thanks. For everything.” I went back in. The nurse was just finishing up. She gave me a quick smile and a nod as she left.
My attention was all on my wife and child.
I couldn’t speak. I was in awe of the baby the nurse had just handed to Jayne, the tiny infant cradled in my beautiful wife’s arms, wrapped in a blue-and-white-snowflake hospital blanket that seemed incredibly fitting for who he was. He was so small and perfect.
Not just the son of the Winter Princess, but heir to the Winter Throne. My son.
Until I’d seen him, I thought I loved Jayne with everything I had in me. I was wrong. Seeing our son in her arms, I found a whole new capacity for love. For the pair of them.
It filled me with such fierceness I had no words. Just an unfathomable desire to protect both of them with every fiber of my being. That desire burned in my core in a way I hadn’t realized possible.
I knew, without a doubt, that I would give my life for them without question. Jayne had changed my life in so many ways, but now she’d made me a father.
It was as if I’d been waiting for this moment my entire life. I just hadn’t realized it.
The sensations that filled me defied words. Strands of her blue hair were still stuck to her forehead, although the sweat was drying. She’d never looked more beautiful.
I brushed the hair back, kissed her forehead, then touched my fingertip to Jack’s cheek. He had a dusting of blue-black hair unlike anything I’d ever seen. “He’s … perfect.”
Jayne smiled, her eyes on Jack. “Yeah, he is.” She looked up at me. “We did good.”
“You did good. I almost passed out.”
She laughed. “You did not. You might have been a little too worried about how I was breathing but—”
“Guilty. Sorry. I just didn’t know what else to do.” I would have done anything to take the pain from her, to do something useful. I’d felt powerless to help her. It wasn’t a feeling I liked.
“It’s okay.” She smiled at Jack, then up at me again. “You want to hold him?”
“I, uh …” I took a breath. “Yeah.”
“You can do it.” She handed him over to me.
Carefully, I held him, this precious cargo. I couldn’t believe this was my son. My life. He looked up at me, his icy blue eyes already lit with wonder. “Hey,” I whispered. “I’m your dad, and I am so happy to meet you.”
Jayne smiled. “Well, the hard part is behind us now. He’s here.”
Something told me the hard part was just beginning, but I wasn’t about to argue with her. I glanced at her. “And you’re good? Tired, I’m sure, right?”
She nodded. “A little. But I’m sure my winter elf metabolism and healing abilities will have me in good shape before you know it. A little sleep wouldn’t be a bad thing, though.” She yawned as if the very thought was making her tired.
“You feel up to seeing your parents? They’re in the waiting room.”
Her eyes widened. “My parents! I completely forgot. Yeah, of course, bring them in. And my aunt and uncle, if they’re out there. The more the merrier. Might as well get Jack Jr. used to how crazy his life is going to be.”
“Okay.” I handed him back to her, then kissed her head again. “I’ll go get them.”
With my head held high and my chest puffed out, I proudly went to tell the king and queen of the North Pole that their first grandchild had arrived. I walked into the waiting room and saw they’d been joined by Jayne’s aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Kris Kringle.
Yes, as in Santa Claus. His sister, Klara, was my mother-in-law.
Jayne’s uncle and her dad, Jack, were both asleep in their chairs, heads back, snoring softly. Jayne’s mom, the aforementioned Klara, was crocheting something.
Martha Kringle, Jayne’s aunt, was doing something on her phone. She was the first one to see me. “How’s it going? How’s Jayne?”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Jack is here, and Jayne is doing great.”
Jayne’s mom started crying happy tears. “He’s here!” She jumped up, hands pressed together, looking very much like she was holding her breath. “And Jayne is all right?”
“She’s great. They’re both great. He’s eight pounds, three ounces, ten fingers, ten toes.” I grinned at them. “Come meet him.”
The men woke up. Kris snorted once and rubbed his eyes. “What’s happening?”
“Hmm?” Jack Sr. looked around like he wasn’t sure what day it was.
I laughed and gestured at the door I’d just come through. “If you want to meet Jack Jr., Jayne said it’s all right for you to come back.”
Martha started happy-crying, too. She got to her feet and hugged Klara. “He’s here!”
Jack stood and stretched his back. “Hold on, now. We can’t all swarm in there. We’ll overwhelm them.”
Martha nodded. “You’re right. You and Klara go first. You’re her parents. And the grandparents. Kris and I are just the aunt and uncle. We can wait.” She sat down.
Jack shook his head. “You and Klara go in first. I’m sure she wants to see her mother and her aunt more than anything.”
I shook my head. “You really can all come in. She said to bring you all.”
Kris stood, hands on his belly. “She did?”
“Yes, and if you start walking now, you can be there in mere seconds.” Without waiting for more discussion, I turned and headed back through the doors. Once I was in the hall, I glanced back.
They were all following.
I opened the door to Jayne’s room and saw that she’d adjusted the bed so she was sitting upright. “Your family has arrived.”
I held the door so they could all go in, then got my phone out. “I’m going to call my parents.”
Jayne nodded. “Give them my love.”
I slipped into the hall and went back to the waiting room so I wouldn’t disturb anyone, even though the hospital was quiet.
No one had been assigned rooms nearby for security reasons.
I dialed my mom. My parents and my Aunt Zinnia were scheduled to arrive in the North Pole two weeks from now so they’d be here for Jack’s birth.
None of us had planned on him arriving early.
My mom answered. “Hi, honey. Everything okay? Jayne and the baby doing all right?”
“They’re doing great. In fact, that’s why I’m calling.” I paused. “Jack Jr. came a little early.”
She gasped. “What? He’s there? She had him already?”
“Yep. He’s here. You’re officially a grandmother.
Jayne went into labor last night, and it all happened pretty fast, which I’ve been told isn’t usual for a first baby, but apparently winter elves are different.
I would have called, but I knew you doing your show and we initially thought they were false contractions. ”
“It’s okay. How’s Jayne? Is she all right? Did everything go smoothly? Oh, Sin, I need to know everything. Wait! I better get your father.”
I laughed and waited.
A few moments later, she returned. “Okay, you’re on speakerphone, and your dad is here. Tell us everything.”
“Um, there’s not much to tell. Jayne had the baby.
He’s eight pounds, three ounces, and he and Jayne are perfectly healthy.
Jayne’s tired, but that’s normal. Her parents and aunt and uncle are in with her now.
I’ll send you some pictures as soon as I get back there.
You guys should bump your trip up, if you can. ”
“Oh, we can,” my dad said. “I’ll get right on that. You tell our beautiful daughter-in-law that we are so proud of her and we’re going to be there just as soon as we can to see our new grandbaby.”
“I will.” I swore I heard tears in his voice, which choked me up.
“I’m going to start packing as soon as we hang up,” my mom said, making me laugh.
“Great. Send me a text when you have your new travel plans so I know when to meet you in Anchorage.”
“You bet,” my dad said. “Now you go be with your wife and son. We’ll be there before you know it.”
“Okay. Love you both.”
“Love you, too,” they said in unison.
I hung up, sniffed once, and headed back to Jayne’s room. Her parents and aunt and uncle were gathered around her bed. Her mom was holding Jack and, by the looks of it, still crying. As was Martha. Although, to be fair, neither Jack Sr. nor Kris looked dry-eyed.
“What did I miss?” I asked as I came in.
“Nothing yet,” Jayne said. “But I did call down for a Dr Pepper and an ice cream sundae.”
Aunt Martha nodded. “Very important she keeps her strength up.”
I hooked my thumb over my shoulder at the door I’d just come through. “Do you want me to run down to the cafeteria and get you something? Might be quicker.”
“No, it’s fine,” Jayne said. “You called your parents?”
“I did, and they’re changing their travel plans to get here as soon as they can. They send their love. And I promised to send pictures of Jack Jr.”
“I’d better give him back,” Klara said. She nestled Jack Jr. into Jayne’s arms and stepped away.
I held up my phone and got a few good snaps. I let Jayne see them. “These okay with you?”
“I look like I’ve been run over, but I don’t think your parents are going to be looking at me.” She laughed. “Those are fine. Send away.”
I sent them by text, knowing my parents were waiting and once again very grateful that the North Pole’s tech capabilities had been vastly updated. Then I stuck my phone into my pocket.
Jack Sr. looked at me. “Do you know when your parents plan on being here?”
“Not sure yet, but they said they’d let me know.”
“Let me know, too. We need to get planning and—”
“Planning for what?” Jayne asked.
Her father’s brows pulled together. “For Jack Jr.’s Naming Day, of course.”
“Oh, right.” She yawned. “I’d kind of forgotten about that with all the contractions and delivery.” She gazed down at our child. “Just tell me where and when to show up and we’ll be there.”
Klara put a hand on her daughter’s arm. “It won’t be for at least two weeks. There’s a lot of preparation to do, and we weren’t counting on him being here so soon.”
I moved closer. “What’s a Naming Day?”
“Well,” Jack Sr. explained, “it’s a day where Jack Jr. is officially introduced to the kingdom of the North Pole and named as an heir to the throne. It’s a ceremony that solidifies his place in the royal line.”
Martha nodded. “It’s a very important event.”
Kris slid his thumbs under the straps of his suspenders.
“His name will be written in ice. Some people feel it sort of … solidifies a person’s magic.
Until then, it can be a little erratic.” He rocked back on his heels.
“Not sure what that’ll mean for this little one, seeing as how he’s got half of both of you. ”
That was a thought I’d already had, but to me, Jack Jr. looked like he’d taken after Jayne and not me, so I’d been thinking the necromancer part of him wasn’t going to be much of a worry.
Klara smiled down at Jayne. “I remember your Naming Day like it was last week.”
Jayne gave a tiny shrug. “As I was just a baby, I don’t. But I’m looking forward to it. Okay, mostly I’m looking forward to the banquet afterwards.” She shot me a mischievous look. “They hired a chocolatier especially for the occasion.”
Klara gasped, her hands going up. “We’ll have to alert the kitchen and the bakers that everything’s being moved up. And Mrs. Merriweather. She’s in charge of the planning.”
Jack Sr. put his arm around her. “There’s plenty of time.”
“And there are all the invitations to send out and decorations and the ice carvers and the—”
“Which Mrs. Merriweather is also handling and there is plenty of time,” Jack Sr. repeated, smiling at me as if to say he would handle this. “But how about we get out of here and let these two—sorry, these three—have some time to themselves.”
Jack Sr. shook my hand on the way out, his other hand on my shoulder. “I know you’re going to take good care of both of them, but you need anything, you let us know. Congratulations, son.”
“Thank you.” I appreciated it. I knew Jayne was going to be a great mom, but a little extra help was never a bad thing.