Chapter 49
49
JARED
I couldn’t believe how fast everything had moved.
One minute, I was rushing back from Miami, my heart pounding with fear that I’d miss the birth of my son, and the next, I was standing in the delivery room, holding him in my arms. He was so small, so perfect.
I felt a surge of emotion I hadn’t known I was capable of.
This tiny human was mine— ours —and I was completely overwhelmed.
The doctor was finishing up his final checks on Amelia, who looked exhausted but radiant.
She was glowing with happiness.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She’d just done the most incredible thing, and I was in awe of her strength.
“You were good,” the doctor said.
“You, too,” I laughed.
“I didn’t know you had the knowledge.”
“I was going to go into obstetrics before I changed to neuro,” he said.
“Thank goodness,” I said.
“What about you?” he asked.
“You were a rock.”
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“I think I’ll stick to brains, thanks. But I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
He laughed, patting me on the shoulder before turning to Amelia.
“You did amazing, Amelia. Get some rest, and I’ll check on you both in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Amelia said.
I watched him leave and for the first time since our son was born, we were alone.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, my voice gentle.
“Tired,” she admitted, smiling up at me.
“But happy. So, so happy.”
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion.
“Me too.”
I sat on the edge of the bed, our son cradled carefully in my arms. Amelia was propped up on pillows, her eyes heavy but still glowing with the look of a woman incredibly happy.
She reached over, brushing a finger along the baby’s cheek.
I could feel her gaze on me.
“You’re quiet,” she murmured, her voice still a little hoarse.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I glanced down at our son, then back at her, a wry smile tugging at my lips.
“Just thinking about how close I came to missing this.”
Her brow furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“I got your text that you were in labor, I was on the jet coming back from Miami. I swear, Amelia, I almost jumped out of the damn plane.”
She blinked at me, startled.
“You what?”
“I’m serious,” I admitted, shaking my head.
“I actually looked at the emergency parachutes. I was ready to go full action hero and leap out mid-air.”
Her eyes widened, and then she started laughing.
“Jared Welch, you would’ve broken your legs—or worse.”
“I didn’t care,” I said.
“All I could think about was getting to you. If I missed this… if I missed being here for you and him…” My voice broke, and I had to pause, swallowing hard.
“I couldn’t let that happen.”
She reached out, her hand finding mine, and squeezed gently.
“But you didn’t miss it. You’re here. And you’re holding our son.”
I nodded, glancing down at him again.
“Yeah. But I owe Clair for talking me off the ledge—literally. She threatened to sit on me while I was pacing the cabin like a lunatic and told me to stop being an idiot. Said if I jumped, I’d probably end up in the ocean and then I’d really miss everything.”
Amelia chuckled softly.
“She’s right, you know.”
“Oh, she definitely was,” I admitted.
“But at the time, all I could think was that I needed to be here. No matter what it took.”
“You’re here now,” she said quietly.
“And that’s all that matters.”
I leaned into her touch, my heart swelling with something I couldn’t quite put into words.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
“I am.”
“I’m guessing Shawn is happier about that than we are,” she said.
“Poor guy. I owe him an apology.”
“For what?”
“I kind of abused the poor man. I might have broken his hand.”
“Eh, he’ll survive,” I shrugged.
“He was probably just honored to be there. And mildly terrified.”
Amelia settled against the pillows.
“Good thing I texted you as soon as my contractions started.”
I gave her a look.
“Pretty sure you wrote I THINK THIS IS IT in all caps. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“That was not even the crazy part,” she said, shaking her head.
“I was in the lab, totally fine and bam—active labor.”
“Are you serious?”
“I barely made it to the car,” she admitted.
“Thank god Shawn saw me in the lobby.”
“And here I thought being stuck on a plane was stressful. The doctor told us it would be hours. I thought we had a lot of time.”
“You’re lucky you missed my hysterical phase. There may have been some very loud yelling involved.”
“Not so different from now then,” I teased.
Amelia swatted at me gently, laughing despite herself.
“It just happened so fast. I’m not complaining.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“And here he is—our little guy.”
She sighed contentedly, watching our son with wonder.
“Every minute of chaos was worth it.”
We sat in silence for a moment, just the three of us, lost in our own little world.
It was late, well past the time we were supposed to be on our date.
I hoped the restaurant didn’t hold it against me.
I couldn’t help but laugh at how things had turned out.
My grand plans—the ring, the proposal, the romantic dinner—had all gone out the window.
But this… this was better.
This was perfect.
I stood and carried the baby to the little basinet.
I returned to her, sitting on the edge of the bed once again.
“Amelia.”
She looked up at me.
“Yeah?”
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding.
“I had this whole plan for tonight. Dinner, wine, maybe a walk on the beach. I was going to propose to you.”
Her eyes widened, and she sat up a little straighter.
“Jared…”
I held up a hand, cutting her off.
“But this… this is better. Because right now, in this moment, I can’t imagine anything more perfect than asking you to be my wife while our son sleeps three feet away. Clair told me proposing while you were in stirrups was tacky. But technically, you’re not. And this seems like a good time.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Jared…”
I reached into my pocket, pulling out the ring I’d been carrying around for weeks.
I held it out to her, my hand trembling slightly.
“Amelia, I love you. More than I ever thought possible. You’ve changed me in ways I can’t even explain, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’ve made me so happy. Beyond happy. I didn’t know this kind of feeling even existed. I never allowed myself to consider what it would be like to love and be loved. Will you marry me?”
She stared at me, tears streaming down her face, and for a moment, I thought she might say no.
But then she nodded.
“Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.”
I slipped the ring onto her finger, my hands shaking with emotion.
I had never been an emotional person, but with her, it was like there were no barriers.
I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
It was gentle, tender, and filled with all the love I felt for her.
When I pulled back, she was smiling up at me, her eyes shining.
“I love you, Jared.”
“I love you too,” I said, my voice thick with emotion.
“More than anything.”
We sat there for a while, just holding each other, until there was a soft knock at the door.
I looked up to see Clair and Shawn peeking in, their expressions a mix of excitement and concern.
“Can we come in?” Clair whispered.
“Of course,” Amelia said, smiling at them.
“Come in, come in.”
They stepped into the room together.
I couldn’t help but notice the way Clair was holding Shawn’s hand.
Shawn looked pale, like he’d just run a marathon, but he was smiling.
“Congratulations,” Clair said as she looked at the baby.
“He’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Amelia said, her voice filled with pride.
Shawn nodded, his expression softening as he looked at the baby.
“He really is. How are you feeling, Amelia?”
“Tired,” she admitted, laughing softly.
“But good. Really good.”
I couldn’t help but notice Shawn’s hand.
There were definite claw marks.
I couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Dude, is that blood? Brave man for trying to hold her hand mid-contraction.”
He winced but chuckled.
“I think I need a splint.”
Amelia tried to look apologetic but was too happy to pull it off.
“Sorry, Shawn. I didn’t mean to give you battle scars.”
“If that’s the price of admission, I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said.
“So,” Clair said, peering at us both with a knowing smile.
“Anything else you want to share?”
Amelia held up her hand to show off the ring.
Clair nearly squealed.
“I knew it! I knew there was no way he could help himself.”
Shawn grinned.
“Congrats, guys.”
Amelia laughed, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Definitely not how we planned our night. But honestly, what could be better?”
Claire and Shawn stayed for a while, chatting with us and cooing over the baby.
I couldn’t help but notice how different Shawn seemed—more relaxed, more open.
It was clear that something had shifted between him and Clair.
I was happy for them.
They deserved this. And it was about damn time.
I’d give Shawn shit about it later.
After they left, Amelia and I turned our attention back to our son.
We still hadn’t decided on a name.
I knew we needed to figure it out soon.
“What do you think?” I asked, looking down at him.
“Any ideas?”
Amelia smiled, her expression thoughtful.
“I was thinking… maybe Ethan?”
I nodded, testing the name in my mind.
“Ethan Welch. I like it.”
She smiled.
“Me too.”
As we sat there, basking in the glow of our new little family, my phone buzzed.
I glanced at the screen and saw that it was Michael.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered.
“Hey,” I said, my voice soft to keep from disturbing the baby.
“Hey,” Michael replied.
“How’s everything? How’s Amelia?”
“Everything’s good,” I said, smiling down at Amelia and Ethan.
“Amelia’s amazing, and… we have a son.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Michael let out a whistle.
“Wow. Congratulations, Jared. That’s incredible. What’s his name?”
“Ethan.”
“Congratulations. You’re a daddy.”
“Thanks,” I said, my voice rough with emotion.
“It’s been a wild night.”
Michael laughed.
“I bet. It’s a day you’ll never forget.”
“That’s so true.”
“So, when are we scheduling playdates? And Disney trips? I’ve got some pointers for you about living with a newborn, by the way.”
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“I’m all ears. Lay it on me.”
As Michael launched into a list of tips and tricks, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude.
My brother, who I’d pushed away for so long, was here for me now.
I looked at Amelia and Ethan and realized how lucky I was.
I had everything I never knew I wanted.
When I hung up the phone, Amelia was smiling up at me.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
I nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.
“Everything’s perfect. Michael was planning Disney playdates.”
She laughed.
“Maybe we could wait until he’s a couple months old.”
“I agree.”
I stretched out next to her and held her close.
“I love you,” I whispered. “I love you.”