Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Xander
Scotland
I am a gibbering wreck. My little girl has not yet arrived. Evie suddenly decided we needed to be in Scotland, so we arrived in January—just after New Year’s—and we’ve not left.
Jonno has just come back. He shot off to America for a week. No details, just gone. There is definitely something going on with him. But I don’t have the capacity for his games, so I’ve left him to Kitten. She speaks fluent Greystone. Although I feel it will be James to crack the code when he arrives tomorrow.
Evie is very unsettled, and I’m not sure if it’s because of Jonno’s disappearance or the baby’s impending arrival.
Kellen is convinced the baby will come on his birthday. He keeps saying she knows it’s the best date to be born on, and as she’s a genius child, she’ll come on the twenty-second of March.
I’ve offered in the very selfless act of having sex twenty-hours a day to get things moving along. But strangely, my offers keep getting turned down. Everyone looks sceptical, but I keep getting the books out to prove I’m right.
The morning dawns and I’ve not slept, but it has its advantages as I’m first to get my boys up. They’re saying odd words and I have bagged their first words as Pa pa pa ie me. My heart swells with love, as it does every morning. I never take it for granted, not after everything that’s happened. Every day I thank my lucky stars I get to see these two grow.
“Pa pa pa pa.” Sorley stands and puts his arms up, his eyes full of sleep.
I smile at him and pluck him out of his cot. “Shall we get you sorted? Your brother is a lazy bones today.” Lochi is not standing. He’s happily laid in his blankets, watching us. We do a bit of changing nappies and I put Sorley back in his cot and take out Lochi and repeat. “Is today the day when your sister comes?” I ask them. They regard me with their gorgeous grey eyes, so like Evie’s.
“Da Da Da da,” Sorley chants.
“Yes, he’s here. Do you want Daddy?” I hold them both, and they cling like monkeys around my neck as I walk out onto the landing.
A commotion at the bottom of the stairs attracts our attention and I see James and Bucky pile through the big front doors. The little boys squeal in delight and Evie’s oldest sons tear up the stairs to take their brothers, kissing me for good measure.
“No signs yet?” asks Bucky, swinging Sorley around to make him giggle. “Get her out on a jog, that’ll do the trick. I’ve read in a book, a long brisk walk or…” He rolls his eyes at me and starts to laugh. The laugh dies on his lips when we hear Kellen shout and we all turn towards the bedroom. No soundproofing here!
“Xander, Xander! Get Aileen and Kerry. The baby’s coming.”
We all turn to walk towards the room, when Jonno shoots past us, out of his bedroom and into theirs, leaving the door open so we can see in. He shoves Kellen out of the way and grips Evie’s hand.
“Birthing partner,” I say sagely to James, whose mouth is agape at his uncle’s antics. “He’s been acting weird, even for him. You need to talk to him,” I tell James, watching the scene in the room.
Evie insisted on walking down to the fairy house. She said she needs to give birth there. We’ve rigged up a hospital room of sorts, and Kerry the midwife has been brought in to try and ensure a home delivery. My dad is totally unruffled. He says she and the baby will be fine. I think he’s lost the plot, he has way too much faith in old legends and folk stories. He says it’s a full moon tonight, and she’ll be here by the end of this day.
Kell will get his wish of their birthdays being the same. I’ll just be happy for everyone to be safe and sound.
We wait, and as 10:00 p.m. approaches, so does my daughter. Jonno is hanging onto Evie’s left hand, Kellen is on the right. The boys are outside with my dad, while Kerry and I are working to deliver the baby.
“Are you really going to deliver your baby again?” grimaces out Kellen as Evie is hit with another contraction and grips his hand for dear life. Jonno is working on breathing with her.
“I can see the head, Evie,” Kerry tells her as I watch the full head of black hair come into view.
The rest of the delivery goes smoothly, and eventually I hold my baby to my chest and feel a wave of love pass from me to her and vice versa. I gently place her on her mother’s stomach. She opens her eyes—sky blue, the same as mine and Dad’s. I don’t even realise I’m crying until Kellen hugs me.
“Hello my beauty,” I hear Evie whisper to her. “I’ve waited a while to see you again.” She kisses the little girl who roots around for food, and we wait a few minutes to cut the cord while they bond.
“Xander, come cut the cord,” Kerry says and hands me the implements. Kell stands next to me. We both have our hands on the scissors, and as we trade one tether for another, I thank my lucky stars I’ve gotten to do this again.
I watch my little girl be measured and all the statistics taken, but I don’t need a written record. I will remember every second of this. It is etched on my mind, exactly the same as the twins’ birth.
I place the baby onto Evie, who helps her latch on to see if she wants to feed, which she does. I stand in the moonlit room watching my daughter be cared for and loved by her mother. For me, there is no sight more magnificent. I feel the love swirl around me. The magic of the moment shimmering around us all.
“Rioghnach,” I whisper, almost to myself
“Little queen,” translates my dad. “Very apt, don’t you think?” He winks at me as he walks towards his granddaughter, smiling to himself.
.