EPILOGUE
“Oh, my fucking god!” I scream as I bear down again. I grip Jaden’s hand with such force it’s almost white.
“Blaire, just one more big push. C’mon, babe. I know you can do this.” He stands beside me, ready to move to the end of the hospital bed as soon as my OB tells him to.
“Alright, Blaire. Jaden’s right. One more hard push and it’ll all be over.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Breathe, baby.” He tries to let go of my hand, but I grip it tighter.
I pull in a deep breath and yell, “Here it comes! Ahhhhhhhh.” I squeeze Jaden’s hand as hard as I can and push with the same force.
Suddenly, I fall back onto the bed, feeling some relief. A scream comes from my new baby. I try to sit up, but I can’t. Tugging on Jaden’s hand, I ask, “Is the baby okay?” My heart pounds fiercely as I lie, waiting to hold it.
“Congratulations, Blaire, and Jaden. It’s a boy.” My OB lays our son onto my chest, and he lets out a whale of a cry. I smile and tears begin to seep from my eyes. At my advanced age, I never thought I’d have another child. I wasn’t sure I wanted to start over, but Jaden asked me to at least think about it.
I got pregnant after we were married a year. It was the greatest night of my life when I showed Jaden the positive pregnancy test.
He swooped me off my feet and spun us around in the living room of our new home. I cupped his scruffy jaw and smashed my lips to his.
He sat me down on my feet and held me close. His heart pounding rapidly, the same as mine. I tilted my head and caught his beautiful blue eyes with mine.
“We did it.” I smiled.
“You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Blaire.” Jaden embraced me tightly and met my lips with his. We kissed deeply for several minutes.
Our new son cries out again, bringing me back to the present. Jaden stands to my side, caressing the baby. He leans closer and kisses me tenderly.
“I love you,” he says.
My heart triples its pace and I smile wide.
“I love you too.” I tilt my head and kiss my new son’s head, then look back at Jaden.
“We need to give our son a name.”
He smiles and rubs his chin.
“Um…I know we didn’t really talk about names often, but I’d like to name him after my dad.”
“Burt?” I give him a furrowed look.
He laughs and says, “No. My dad’s middle name is Joshua.” He leans toward the baby and kisses his head.
“What do you think about Joshua Michael Lugo? We can call him Josh.” His eyes light up.
“It’s the perfect name for our son.” I move to try to reach him.
He sees me and leans down. Our lips meet with a sweet, tender kiss. My heart blooms with so much love, I can’t begin to understand it.
I wake up in the birthing suite and see Jaden asleep in the recliner right next to my bed. I reach over and pat his arm.
He jolts upright, his eyes blinking rapidly.
“What’s wrong, Blaire? Is Joshua okay? Are you okay?” He stands and paces swiftly from the door to the window.
“Jaden.” I wave my arm in the air that’s not attached to the saline IV. He turns and walks toward me.
Leaning down, he kisses my head and asks again, “Are you and the baby okay?”
“Yes. We are both fine. Sit down.” I point to the recliner, and he walks over to it and sits. He leans forward, his hands clasped under his chin.
“Preston texted me. He asked if he and Britney could come by before they go on their road trip to Georgia. Are you okay with that?”
He scrubs his face and leans back in the recliner. He blows out a long breath and smiles.
“Of course. I can’t wait to see Britney’s face when she meets her baby brother.”
“Good. I’ll send Preston a text. They should be here within the hour. I know he has a schedule planned for their entire trip and he won’t want to deviate from it too much.” I grab my phone from the bed and send Preston a text message.
Jaden tenderly lifts Joshua from the hospital bassinet, then sits beside me on the bed. I reach over, caressing Josh’s soft blond hair. His eyes flutter and he smiles.
“He already knows his mother’s loving touch.” Jaden leans into me, kissing my hair.
I smile and take in the absolute beauty of my husband holding our son. My heart blossoms with love for them. I know having a baby at my age may have sounded crazy to some, but I know what’s good for me and this is perfect.
A knock sounds on the hospital room door, and Jaden hands Joshua to me before standing. When he gets to the door, he swings it open.
“Good morning, Preston.” He greets my ex-husband. They’ve actually become good friends, and that makes family holidays together much easier on me.
“Mommie!” Britney yells, running toward the bed.
“Wait, wait.” Preston comes barreling after our daughter.
“Be careful with Mommie. Let me help you.” He lifts Brit around her waist, holding her up so she can see me and Joshua. Her eyes twinkle as she sucks on her index finger.
“Hey, baby girl.” I reach for her and caress her chubby cheek.
“Here, Preston.” Jaden slides a chair next to the bed for him and Britney to sit in.
“Thanks.” He sits and holds Brit so she’s able to sit on the edge of the bed.
Her little hands pet Josh’s hair gently. I lean down and kiss her head.
“Say hello to your new baby brother, Joshua,” I say to Britney.
She giggles and pulls her hands together against her chest.
“Daddy, look at my baby. He’s so tiny.”
“Yes, he is, princess.” Preston kisses Britney’s cheek, then looks at me, smiling wide.
“Congratulations, Blaire.” He looks up at Jaden and says, “You too, Jaden. You’ve got a handsome little guy there.”
“Thank you, Preston.” I turn toward Jaden on my other side and see him nodding and smiling.
“Let me get a picture for Britney to have in her room,” Preston suggests.
“Oh, thanks. I love that idea.” I try to sit up a bit, but I wince and cry, “Oh, ow.”
“Easy, Blaire.” Jaden stands and slides his arms around me, carefully moving me to a more upright position.
“Thank you.” I smile, then situate Joshua while Preston helps Britney scoot closer to me.
“Be careful, princess,” Preston warns as he retrieves his phone from his pocket.
“Okay, smile everyone.” He holds the camera out, then looks over at Jaden. Waving his hand, he says to him, “Get in the picture. You’re a part of Britney’s family too.”
Jaden walks around and stands next to Brit, placing his arm around her.
“Now we’re ready.” A flash lights up. After taking the picture, Preston slides his phone back into his pocket.
“Be sure to send that to me, please,” I say.
“I will. Alright my sweet princess. We should get on the road. We’re wasting daylight.” He looks at his wristwatch and walks over to Britney on my bed.
“Oh, Daddy. I want to stay with Mommie and Jaddy and play with Josie.” She tilts her head up to me. Her eyes pleading with me to let her stay longer.
I let out a laugh when I hear Britney misspeak Joshua’s name. When she first met Jaden, she couldn’t say his name either. So, when she called him Jaddy, it just stuck.
“Oh, baby girl. Joshua is too little to play with right now. Besides, you and Daddy have a super fun trip planned. You can come over and stay with us when you get back. Okay?”
“Promise, Mommie? Daddy? Jaddy? I can stay with you and play with Josie?” She looks at each one of us with her big blue eyes wide as she says our names.
“You bet. I promise you can stay as long as you want.” Jaden smiles at her, then kneels down. Britney slides off the bed and runs to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He stands, lifting her onto his hip. He carries her back over to the bed so I can kiss her goodbye.
“Be good for Daddy. I love you.” I kiss her cheeks as she trails her finger along Joshua’s head.
“Be gentle.” I remind her. She pulls her hand back, sliding her finger between her lips.
“Okay, princess. Let’s get going.” Preston reaches for Britney, and she waves her arms as Jaden hands her over.
“Bye, Mommie and Jaddy. Bye Josie.” Her little arms wave wildly as Preston carries her out of the hospital room.
Once it’s just me, Jaden, and Joshua, a tear slides down my cheek. Jaden wipes it away and asks, “What’s wrong, kitten?”
“Nothing. I’m so blessed to have you. Our son. Britney. My heart can’t handle all this joy I feel at the moment.” I draw in a deep breath as Joshua wriggles against my chest. I swear my heart will explode at any moment.
“I’m the lucky one. I’ve got it all now. My life is completely fulfilled.” Jaden leans down and kisses Joshua’s head gently, then his deep blues meet mine. He cups my chin in his soft hand, tilting it up. His lips cover mine, kissing me deeply.