A few months later
ALEX
My delivery, which is a C-section, stirs a bit of controversy, especially among the younger Nolans and their partners, who all gave birth naturally. But Lake shows me nothing but support, withholding any hint of judgment.
A few of Bay’s brothers express from time to time a certain kind of surprise, accompanied by raised eyebrows, assuming that nothing can ever go wrong in a True Mate pairing when it comes to childbirth, but I am simply too afraid that my petite body will not handle it as well as I want it to, and the doctors are on my side.
On the scheduled day we arrive at the clinic, Bay stays beside me the entire time, holding me close and even cracking jokes, which is not something he usually does, but he tries so hard to make this whole experience feel light and positive for me.
Exactly at ten in the morning the operation takes place, and a healthy little boy with a dark pink tuft of hair on top of his head is lifted out of my abdomen.
My beautiful son.
Bay is the one who gets to hold him first, and I see a rare, powerful emotion wash over his face.
"Welcome, Gem," he says and presses a gentle kiss to his tiny forehead.
Lake is next, his eyes filling with tears, and I am the third in line to hold my baby.
Blue and Sebastien arrive at the hospital as well, of course. The moment Blue sees Gem he laughs and says, "You can tell he belongs to the Lowen family, that pink hair. Maybe you should hyphenate? Gem Lowen-Nolan has a nice ring to it."
Sebastien also takes little Gem into his arms, even though he already has several grandchildren, but there are tears gathering in his eyes as well.
"I am so happy, Alex, it’s feels like my family is finally complete," he whispers and leans in to press a kiss to my forehead. I know the past years still weigh heavily on him.
My relationship with him has grown much closer over these last few months. Bay and I visited him a few more times at his home, and I had a chance to get to know my half-brothers better.
The loneliness I grew up in, followed by the years in college when I lived in a sort of vacuum without any sense of belonging, all of it fades away, my life is becoming more stable.
Bay surrounds me with love and support every single day.
I share a strong, meaningful bond with Lake as well, but the warmth and acceptance I receive from Sebastien and his family have become especially important to me.
They give me a sense of stability and belonging that feels so perfectly… grounding.
My life is finally safe. Normal. Simply normal. And step by step, Bay and I are building it together.
That evening, when we are alone, I feed Gem for the first time.
I do not have much milk yet, but we carefully weigh him before and after to make sure he gets the right amount, and after offering him both nipples we manage to reach a satisfying twenty milliliters.
I know that after a C-section it does not always come in right away, but Bay promises to support me and to help me build up my supply, and I… hold him to that.
When it is time to sleep, Bay and I put our masterful plan into motion.
Everyone knows that Joining between True Mates regenerates wounds and heals illnesses, so that night Bay lies down beside me and even though I am only a few hours out of surgery, we join gently and he stays inside me the entire night.
By morning my scar is only a pale shadow on my abdomen, and I feel… wonderful.
Yup! Being a True Mate has its enormous advantages.
Many people even say it is true magic.