Chapter 38 #3
I huff a laugh, pressing my forehead against hers. The terror of the last few hours is finally lifting and has been replaced by an enveloping warmth. “I seem to remember you telling me you were on birth control.”
Emily’s expression shifts with a sheepish, guilty little grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Yeahhhh…I was. But I might have been a teeny, tiny bit late with that one.”
I stare at her, shaking my head. I think back to that empty house, the way she looked in that robe, telling her I wanted her all to myself.
“A teeny, tiny bit, huh?” I murmur, my hand sliding down to rest over her stomach again. I’m not even mad. I’m the furthest thing from it. “Well, I guess I can’t complain about the results. Even if your timing is as chaotic as that little car of yours.”
She laughs. It makes her wince and clutch her chest, but she doesn’t stop smiling. “Hey, don’t bring my car into this. This baby is going to have excellent taste.”
“This baby,” I say, the word finally feeling real, “is going to have the best mama in the world. But how about you stop running into fires and breaking people’s jaws for a while, huh?”
Our moment is interrupted by a soft, hesitant knock at the door. The handle turns, and a familiar figure emerges through the gap.
“I have someone who’s been really worried out here.” My father’s gruff tone breaks the silence. He lingers at the doorway looking for a sign that it’s ok to come in. “He wanted to know if Emily’s okay…and honestly, so did I.”
Alex peeks his little face through the door. I can tell by the way he’s hovering that he’s terrified of what he’s about to see in that hospital bed. But color is back in his face, thank god, and the nurses have obviously cleaned him up.
“Hey, bud. You’re awake.” I beam, waving my hand for him to come join us.
He glances at Emily, and I see the visible relief wash over him as he realizes she’s okay. She’s more than okay—she’s sitting up, and she isn't alone in that bed. Her eyes fill with tears again as she opens her arms wide for him.
“Careful, buddy. She’s in a little pain,” I caution, stepping forward to help hoist him onto the mattress and into her embrace.
The image nearly breaks me. She clutches him tightly, both of them still in their hospital gowns, her tears disappearing into his dark hair. She’s never looked more like a mother than she does in this exact second.
“I’m so glad you're okay, sweetie,” she says against him.
My father watches them, a tentative look of relief on his face, though I can see him squinting at us. He can sense something is different.
“You saved me, Emily,” Alex mumbles against her gown. His eyes are squeezed shut, as if he still can’t quite believe she’s really here.
“Oh, baby boy...of course I saved you. I’d do it again and again if I had to.”
The way she looks at him as she says it makes my throat constrict. Alex hasn’t known a love like this for such a long time. Neither have I.
I can’t wait to get the three of them home.
“I’m glad you’re alright, sweetheart,” my father says, finally rounding the bed to place a soft kiss on her cheek. He turns back to me, the protector in him taking over. “Did the doctor say there were any concerns? Any complications from the smoke?”
Emily and I exchange a sheepish, thrilled grin. She just survived a literal fire, so I can see the sheer confusion on my dad’s face as we both struggle to fight back our smiles.
“Depends on what you mean by concerns,” I say, my voice thick with suppressed joy. I can feel my mouth twitch as I try to remain serious.
My dad’s brow furrows, his eyes narrowing as he looks from me to Emily. Alex looks up at her, sensing the change in the mood while she continues to stroke his hair.
“Well, apparently the doctor had to run some tests when I came in,” Emily says softly, her gaze dropping to Alex. “And they found something kind of unexpected.”
I almost feel guilty for the flash of concern that crosses the kid's face, but my mouth is totally giving me away. I can’t take my eyes off her as the next words leave her mouth. Her smile is practically illuminating the entire room.
“They found out that you’re going to be a big brother, Alex.” Emily beams at him, and my heart feels like it might actually burst.
Four months ago, Alex and I were barely keeping our heads above water. Now, he has a mother who adores him and a sibling on the way.
Alex jolts with a startle, his nose scrunching up as a massive smile breaks across his face. “I am?”
“He is?” my dad cuts in, his voice cracking.
I inhale sharply and huff an incredulous laugh. “Yup. We’re having a baby.”
I move to the other side of the bed, resting my hand on Emily’s shoulder. She immediately reaches up, lacing her fingers with mine. My dad blinks slowly, looking like he’s caught between laughing and crying.
I stand there, rooted to the spot, looking at the scene in front of me for what feels like an age. I came so close to losing it all tonight.
But as I watch them—my son, the woman who’s going to be my wife, the woman who’s carrying my child—the magnitude of it finally hits me.
Every moment of darkness, every lonely night, and every mile of that drive was worth it if this is what I get to keep for the rest of my life.