Chapter 16 MAX - AGE SEVEN
Walking down the hospital hall, I glance up at Mom.
She is so excited as she holds my dad’s hand tightly.
We are going to see Noah and Emma’s new baby for the first time.
I can’t explain it, but my stomach has this funny feeling in it.
I feel like something big is about to happen, but I just don’t understand it quite yet.
Dad opens the hospital room door and grins down at me, putting his hand on my shoulder and guiding me in after Mom.
I see her rush to Emma’s side as they both cry in each other’s arms before Emma holds out the tiny pink bundle to her. Mom wipes her tears and smiles down at their baby before holding her close to her body.
Dad puts his arm around Mom, and they whisper something to each other before Mom blinks back her tears again as they watch the sleeping newborn.
“Do you want to hold her, Max?” Emma pulls me out of my thoughts, and I find myself nodding my head at her.
“Let’s sit on this chair over here, buddy.” Noah smiles at me and moves some things off the chair for me to sit down.
My hands get sweaty as Mom walks over. “You ready to meet your new friend, Max? When she’s older, you guys are going to have so much fun together. You will have to teach her everything you know and protect her just like you do with your little cousin, Ryland.”
She lays the tiny bundle in my arms, and my heart beats fast against my chest as I get my first look at her. Her dark hair is peeking out from the pink hat she is wearing as she sleeps peacefully in my arms.
I take in her tiny nose and mouth as a small smile plays on her lips in her sleep. A tiny hand escapes the swaddled blanket, and I can’t help myself as I touch it. Her fingers curl around mine and hold it tightly.
“What’s her name?” I whisper, not being able to take my eyes off of her.
“Lily Anna,” my mom softly says. “She’s named after Emma’s favorite flower, and Anna was her mother’s name.” I don’t know why, but emotions clog my throat when I hear her name.
“Lily Anna,” I whisper quietly. I hear Mom and Dad start talking to Noah and Emma, but their words become distant as I hold Lily in my arms. All my focus is on her as I watch her eyes start to blink before they open.
At first, I think they are blue, but as the light hits them, I see the green mixed in.
She holds my grey eyes, and my stomach does that little flip again.
I feel a sense of familiarity like I’ve seen those exact same eyes before.
Love and a feeling of protectiveness wash over me that my seven-year-old self doesn’t understand.
“I’m going to keep you safe, Lily,” I find myself whispering to her. “You will always be safe with me.” Her beautiful eyes stare into mine, and I feel a deep peace settle in my body. She feels like…I search for the right word in my mind, not being able to grasp what I’m feeling.
She feels like…
Home.
THE END