Another Epilogue
Adrienne
5 months later
“It’s time.”
He looks up at me from where he’s watching the baseball game on the couch and just stares. He takes in my suitcase and my winter coat. Suddenly, he leaps up, jumping over the coffee table and almost face-planting when he catches his foot.
“Jeez, Caden, be careful,” I state, reaching for his arm. “I don’t want to have this baby alone because you’re in the ER with a broken arm.”
He stops directly in front of me, his pulse pounding fiercely in his throat. “I would never leave you alone. Broken arm or not, I’ll be right beside you.”
“Well, then you better grab your coat and keys, because I probably need to be at the hospital soon.”
He runs over to the front entrance closet, shoving his arms into the sleeves of his coat quicker than I’ve ever seen someone try to do before. “How far apart are the contractions?” he asks, slipping his feet into his boots.
“Just under five minutes.”
He pauses and looks up at me with wide eyes. “Five minutes? That’s so…close!”
I give him a tight smile, feeling another contraction coming on. “I know, but they said not to come in until they were about five minutes apart. I didn’t want you to stress while we waited.”
“So you didn’t tell me at all?” he says in a panic. I reach for his hand and give it a squeeze, breathing through the contraction. When it’s finally passed, he adds, “You said you were reading.”
“I was,” I insist. “And don’t be mad, but I needed just a little time to be alone. I’m about to push a watermelon out of my vagina, and I wanted a few minutes just to be calm.”
His eyes are wild as he continues to try to tie his boots. If it weren’t so hard for me to get back up once I was down, I’d just do it for him. “And you’re saying I’m not calm?” he asks frantically, finally getting the second boot tied and standing up.
I reach over, running my hand down his cheek. “We’ve got this, cowboy.”
He holds my gaze and finally smiles. “I’m supposed to be the one who keeps you calm.”
“And you will. I’ve got the best coach and baby daddy in the world.”
“Damn right you do, sugar,” he says, slamming his lips against mine in a hard, fierce kiss. “Now get that sexy ass in the SUV so we can go have a baby.”
We leave the house, making sure the door is locked as we go. The April air is cool, but I don’t really pay much attention to it. Right now, my focus is getting to the hospital and settled before this baby is born in a vehicle.
“Caden,” I say gently, as we blow through a stop sign. When he doesn’t respond, I repeat, “Caden? Let’s not get into an accident, okay?”
That seems to catch his attention as he lets up on the gas pedal a little bit. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I’m just…excited. And nervous.”
I reach over and take his hand, entwining our fingers together. “Me too.”
We make it to the hospital safely, and when he stops in front of the main entrance, he jumps out. I have the door open, but he’s right there, taking my hand and helping me move toward the automatic doors.
“Yes, hello, I’m having a baby!” he blurts out, earning a chuckle from the woman at the front desk.
“You are?” she asks, glancing down at his stomach with humor-filled eyes.
“Well, no, not me, but my…my…”
“His girlfriend is having a baby,” I interject.
“Yes, her. My girlfriend,” Caden adds.
“Right this way, mama,” the woman says softly, walking over to grab a wheelchair. “Have a seat and I’ll take you.” Turning to Caden, she adds, “Go out and park your vehicle in the main lot. You can meet us in Labor and Delivery.”
He nods, turning and bolting away. Suddenly, he stops and runs back. He leans down and presses his mouth to mine. “I’ll be right back. I love you.” Then, he’s gone again, running off to move the vehicle.
“First time dad?” the woman asks, pushing me toward the hallway where I’ll be admitted.
“That obvious, huh?” I ask with a chuckle.
“The first timers always make me smile.” She pushes the call button to request admittance to the wing where I’ll be delivering our baby. “Good luck to you, dear.”
“Thank you,” I reply, as a nurse pushes me inside and to the counter.
By the time Caden joins me, I’m registered and getting settled in my room. He’s by my side immediately, encouraging me to breathe through the contractions and offering as much support as possible.
“I sent messages to the list,” he informs me. As part of our pre-baby planning, we made a list of the few people we wanted to inform when I went into labor. The only ones planning to come to the hospital now are Jack, Stevie, and Scarlet. My mom already has her boss on notice and will be heading to town soon, while my uncle Gary will wait until I’m back home to come meet his nephew. Scarlet is going to keep her and Caden’s parents informed, as well as Gram, who all agreed to wait until after the baby is born to come meet him, so they don’t overwhelm us and overcrowd the waiting room.
By the time midnight rolls around, my labor is in full swing, the contractions hitting every minute and a half. Dr. Halloway comes in with a knock. “How are you feeling?” she asks, giving me a sympathetic smile.
“Ready for it to be over,” I grumble and groan as another contraction starts almost as soon as the previous ended.
“I’ve been told you’re there,” she informs me, walking over to wash her hands and put on gloves. The nursing staff preps the room, but I pay them no attention. All I can think about is the pain, and my God, does it hurt.
“Hey,” Caden says, getting right up next to my face as I pant. “You’ve got this, baby.”
“I don’t know if I can,” I say, starting to cry as the emotions grip. I feel so overwhelmed right now.
He takes me in his arms and runs his hands through my curls. His smile is full of awe and pride, and I don’t miss the tears in his own eyes. “It’s almost over, Adrienne. In just a few minutes, we’re going to meet our son.”
“Ready to push, Adrienne?” the doctor asks, taking her position between my legs.
I glance at Caden and grab on to his strength. “I’m ready.”
He smiles as we begin the process of pushing. I listen to the nurse and do as instructed, keeping my eyes focused on Caden’s face. He counts along, telling me how amazing I’m doing. I almost call him a liar. I’m not doing well. I want to quit. I want the pain to stop. I want to hold my baby.
Suddenly, I hear a cry.
“Don’t push, Adrienne. I’m adjusting the baby and clearing his airway,” Dr. Halloway instructs gently, working quickly. “All right, girl. One big push and he’ll be out.”
I push with everything I have until the moment I feel…relief.
The room is filled with the cries of our baby.
Our son.
“Look at him, Adrienne. Look at our baby,” Caden says softly.
I shift my eyesight down and between my legs, taking in the small baby the doctor is holding. He’s screaming his head off and covered in grossness, but my God, he’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.
“Meet your son, Mommy,” Dr. Halloway says, gently placing the baby on my chest. I didn’t even realize the nurse had covered me with a paper sheet as she goes about wiping him down.
I wrap my arms around the crying newborn, tears of joy and happiness pouring from my eyes. “Hi, baby. I’m your mama.”
I take my eyes off him to look at Caden. He’s crying. Openly crying as he watches. He must feel my eyes on him, and he turns his gaze of wonder my way. “You did it,” he whispers, leaning over and kissing my lips. “You are the strongest, most amazing woman I know. Thank you so much for this gift.”
I lean my head against him, the exhaustion taking hold. “I’m so tired. I want to sleep. And a huge cheeseburger.”
He snorts a laugh. “I can arrange that, sugar.”
“Text Jasper. Tell him I want an I’d Smash That burger. And fries. Lots of fries. Stat.”
He laughs. “I’ll get right on that, but maybe we’ll shoot for lunch. It’s almost one in the morning.”
I close my eyes. “Okay.” Then, I ask, “Is he okay?”
“He seems perfect,” Dr. Halloway answers. “Ten little fingers and ten little toes. And obviously a healthy set of lungs.”
The nurse reaches for my son, saying, “I need to take him over and run a few tests. I promise I’ll bring him back to you in just a few minutes.”
“’Kay.”
The next several minutes are a blur. The doctor finishes doing what she has to do, and I do the same. The whole time, I keep looking over to the side of the room, where Caden hovers over our son. He watches the nurse’s every move, listening to her explain what she’s doing and even helping from time to time.
Finally, after the doctor has finished up, Caden’s handed our son and makes his way over to my bed. “I think he’s hungry already.”
“You think?” I ask, barely able to take my eyes off the baby wrapped in a blanket and wearing a blue, pink, and white striped hat.
“Oh, I’m sure of it. He’s my son. He’s already craving boobs.”
I bark out a laugh and reach to pull down the blanket so I can take a better look at his sweet, perfect face.
“Here, Mama. You ready to hold him?” Caden asks, standing up.
“Yes, but I want you to for a few more minutes.”
He smiles at me and takes his seat once more. I glance over, spotting his phone sitting on the table. I click on the photo app and start taking pictures. I take what feels like hundreds of them, but I want every second to be documented. Caden even looks up and smiles for a few of them. He’s the sexiest new dad I’ve ever seen.
After a few more minutes, it’s my turn. He carefully hands over our son, placing him in the crook of my arm. “What do you think? Isn’t he perfect?” he asks, when he settles back on the stool.
“Absolute perfection.”
“We still have to settle on the name. Which one do you like best?” he asks, referring to the list of three final names we came up with. We had decided we’d wait until we saw him before we made our final choice.
“I like…Finn.”
Caden smiles. “Me too. Finnegan Joshua Neumann.”
I nod in agreement. “Joshua is going to be so thrilled when he hears the middle name.”
“Oh, for sure. He’s already bought a small basketball. Scar told me he’s planning to bring it with him when he comes to meet his new cousin.”
I smile widely. “He’ll be a b-ball player for sure.”
“Well, of course. With both a mom and a dad who played, he’s destined for the court.”
“Or maybe he’ll just be a big player like his dad,” I tease.
Caden groans. “Maybe, but that’ll all change the moment he finds the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.”
He moves, pulling something out of his pocket. The sight of the small ring box has my heart palpitating in my chest. It makes it hard to breathe. “Someone told me I should get you a push gift, and there was only one thing I could think of that I wanted to buy.” He flips open the box, revealing the most gorgeous square-cut diamond ring. “Adrienne, you’ve made me happier than I ever realized I could be. You’ve given me a family, a beautiful baby boy. But there’s one thing missing. Will you be my wife? Will you marry me?”
I sniffle and nod my head. “Yes.”
He slips the ring onto my finger and presses his lips to mine, sealing our destiny with a kiss. “I love you,” he whispers, resting his forehead against mine.
“I love you too.”
He carefully climbs onto the bed, drawing me into his embrace, and I realize my life is absolutely perfect. It hasn’t been easy and it wasn’t always pretty, but you have to take the ugly in order to appreciate the beauty. And my life with Caden is just that.
Beautiful.
He sighs and holds us close, our son tucked securely in my arms. “This. This right here is all I need.”
I nod, completely understanding, because I feel the same way.
Life is good.
The End