Epilogue
Sebastian
Five Years Later
My phone went off with a text message. It was time.
I turned around to gently wake Jackson. “Jackson, wake up. It’s time.
” I tried to shake him awake. He was a heavy sleeper so whenever I woke him, it was a shock to his system, and he would enter fight or flight mode.
I understood it, so I just tried to be as gentle as possible.
“What?” He mumbled.
“It’s time, babe. You have to get up.” I leaned in and kissed his neck gently.
“It’s time for what…” That’s when it hit him, and he popped up. “It’s time? It’s time time?”
I laughed. “Yeah, sleepy head. Come on.”
Jackson hopped out of bed like he wasn’t just in the deepest sleep of his life. “It’s time. It’s time. Do I have time to brush my teeth? I have to brush my teeth.”
I smiled, watching him run around. “Get dressed. Brush your teeth and then meet me downstairs. I’m going to let the dog out.”
Jackson had been bugging me for a good year to get a dog. It was right after we got married. I always said no. Then he showed me the face of this miniature Dachshund and how small they stayed even as adults and I just couldn’t tell him no anymore.
“Come on, Sunny.” I tapped my leg. We named him Sunny as a nod to sunflowers because this dog was the happiest dog in the world, just like the man who wanted him.
Jackson came downstairs looking wonderful and happy as always. “Sunny, we’ll see you when we get back!” Sunny snuggled into Jackson before taking off to his bed. The dog was practically human.
“You ready, Jacky?” I looked at him, hopeful.
“I’m ready! Let’s go.”
*
Wearing out the tile below me, I was pacing hard as I went back and forth in the same spot over and over.
“Knock, knock.” I looked up to see Quinn and my mom walk in.
“Hey Quinny. Hey mom.” I hugged them and then they went to Jackson and hugged him.
Already knowing what they were wondering, I said, “No news yet. We’ve just been in here waiting.”
Quinn nodded and said, “How long have you been waiting?”
“About an hour and a half. Not awful in the grand scheme of things but I’m just nervous. I hope everything’s alright.”
Quinn came up and hugged me. “Everything’s going to be just fine, Bash. These things take time.”
Another knock came and then, “Hellooo.” The nurse came in to talk to us.
“Hi! I’m Sebastian and this is my husband, Jackson. That’s my mom and sister,” I said to the nurse, talking fast out of excitement.
“Nice to meet you both. I’m Stacey. I won’t keep you in suspense. Everything went wonderfully. Are you ready to meet your daughter?” Time had suspended. Five minutes ago, I wasn’t a dad. Jackson wasn’t a dad. We were just Sebastian and Jackson. And in a few seconds, we would be parents.
“Bash, are you ok?” Jackson wrapped his arm around my waist.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “Oh man. This is crazy.” Grabbing Jackson’s hand, I said, “Yes. Yes, let’s meet our daughter.”
The nurse went back out to the hallway. She and another nurse wheeled in our daughter. She was wrapped in a pink blanket. Pink. I have a daughter, I thought. Jackson was standing on his tiptoes trying to see better as they brought her in.
The nurse picked her up and walked over to us and asked, “Which one of you would like to hold her first?”
Jackson’s eyes were beaming so I said, “You go first, Jackson.” The nurse handed him our daughter and I was suddenly overtaken with every emotion possible.
Every memory came flooding back to me, from the moment I hired Jackson, to our accidental coffee meeting in the work kitchen, to me finding him half beaten to death to living with me, to our pick together, to the hotel and to him moving out.
All of our little moments together. Me asking him to marry me, our wedding, and finally this moment.
Everything became blurry as my eyes filled with tears that I couldn’t clear away fast enough.
“Support her head and bottom,” the nurse told Jackson. She was swaddled so tightly in a blanket.
Jackson looked like a natural. It was unreal. He whispered, “I’m your dad, little one.” Then he kissed her cheek. “But lucky you, you have two. Here’s your other dad.”
Jackson looked up at me and I couldn’t keep my shit together.
He handed me our daughter and I cried. That’s what did it.
Tears streamed down my face for the first time since Jackson and I got married as I looked at the little human who was now our responsibility.
She would need everything from us. I ran my finger over her soft chubby little cheek and under her lip making her lips pucker out.
Jackson and I laughed. We looked up at my mom and Quinn standing anxiously but quietly, respecting the moment between us. It was the day we became parents.
Jackson wrapped his arm around me and said, “Should we tell them her name?” That alone made me cry harder. “Oh, Bash!” Jackson grabbed some tissue and wiped my face.
“Wow! I never in a million years thought this is what would turn me into a puddle of mess. She is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Yeah, Jacky. Let’s tell them her name.”
I kissed her forehead and then held her facing them and Jackson said, “Everyone. We would love to introduce you to…Alina Sue Moore.”
Quinn squealed and approached with mom. “Can I hold her?” I nodded and handed Alina to Quinn. “Oh, Alina. You and I are going to be besties. Where did you get her name?”
I smiled and said, “Just someone special we knew once.”
Quinn nodded at Alina and said, “Would you like to meet your grandma? Yeah.” She then turned to mom and handed her off.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce.” Mom quoted Shakespeare to my daughter. “May you always remain kind and gentle to those around you.” Mom turned back to me and handed Alina to me. “I’m proud of you, son.”
Looking down at our daughter and then back up at Jackson, I couldn’t believe how my life had turned out. I have three sunflowers in my life. Jackson, Alina, and Sunny bring me more happiness than I could ever hope to have, and I’ll spend my life making sure they always face the sun.
The End