Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
COOPER
“Finally,” Evan says with a groan as she walks into our apartment. I’m right behind her with Emmy’s car seat in one hand and Evan’s hospital bag in the other.
“Happy to be home?” I ask, tossing her bag down in the entry and sliding an arm around her waist.
“You have no idea,” she says, leaning into me, dropping her head on my shoulder. “If I had to stay in that hospital for one more second, I was going to lose it. I need a shower, lunch, and my own bed, desperately.”
I set Emmy’s car seat on the floor, glancing down to make sure she’s still asleep before I turn Evan to face me, wrapping an arm around her waist and tangling my other hand in her hair, breathing her in.
She winds her arms around my waist, sighing as she melts into me, and everything inside me settles.
With her in my arms and our baby sleeping at our feet, everything I need in the entire world is right here within my grasp.
The happiness is so huge it stuns me a little.
I didn’t know life could feel like this.
“I’ll get you all of those things,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I just wanna hold you for a minute when it’s only us. There have been so many fucking people around the last few days. I’ve missed you, Rhodes.”
She huffs out a laugh, burying her face in my neck and pressing in closer. “I’m surprised all those people aren’t around right now. Seems like they would want to be here to, like, carry Emmy over the threshold or whatever.”
I laugh, because she’s not wrong. For the entire three days we were in the hospital, we were barely ever alone.
Someone from my family or hers was always around bringing food or clean clothes or changing a diaper or taking the baby from us so we could eat with two hands or take a nap.
I’m usually the one taking care of everyone, so being taken care of like this was a weird flex, but I loved it all and I know Evan did too.
All those people are probably the only reason the two of us can stand up right now instead of keeling over from exhaustion.
But for a few minutes, this is all I want.
Her. Me. Emmy.
Our family.
I lean back, cupping Evan’s face in my hands. “I asked them to give us some time alone. I’m sure they’ll be barging in here before long, but I wanted to be with you for a little first. Only you.”
Evan glances down at Emmy with a wry smile on her face. “I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be just me and you for a long while.”
I grin, looking down at our baby girl too. “Yeah, but she’s really tiny and cute, so I’ll allow it.”
Evan smiles, leaning in to press a kiss to my cheek.
“I guess we should maybe buy baby things or whatever. She was born early, so we didn’t really get around to that.
I think your mom, Cece, Jo, Hannah, and Amelia bought enough baby clothes and diapers and that kind of stuff to last a lifetime, but she needs a place to sleep and I’m sure there are other things, I just don’t know what any of them are. ”
I grin internally because she just handed me the opening I’ve been waiting for. I bend down, unbuckling Emmy from her car seat and lifting her into my arms, dropping a kiss on her tiny head and breathing her in. My heart expands with love for her.
I’m a dad.
It’s fucking great.
Holding Emmy with one arm, I lace my free hand through Evan’s. “Come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
I tip my head down the hall. “Guest room.”
With a shrug, she follows me as I lead her down the hall, coming to a stop in front of the closed door to my spare bedroom.
I could say something, prepare her in some way, but thinking that the shock value will be way more fun, I stand to the side and push open the door, guiding Evan inside with a hand low on her back.
The second she steps into the room, she freezes, her hand gripping mine as she takes everything in.
The three walls are painted a creamy off-white, and then there’s a bright green accent wall.
A light wood crib with a colorful striped sheet stands along the green wall, with a big pink wooden sign over it that says Emmy.
There’s a matching dresser along one wall with a changing table on top, a fluffy yellow rug in the center of the room, and sitting in one corner is a fully stocked bookshelf and a massive, cozy reading chair piled with pillows in every color of the rainbow, a blanket tossed over the back.
“Her favorite place,” Evan whispers, voice raw and full of emotion. She turns to me, tears glossing her eyes. “How did you know?”
Stepping to her, I lay my free hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears with my thumb.
“You. When we were in the car outside my parents’ house on Christmas Eve, you told me you’ve never had a favorite place.
When I asked you what your favorite place would have looked like, you said it would look like this. ”
“You remembered that?”
I smile, leaning in and kissing her forehead.
“I remember everything. I wish someone had given you your favorite place when you were little, but I thought maybe we could give Emmy hers. One day she might decide she hates green, or she might turn into an emo kid who paints the walls black and hangs weird posters all over the walls. But for now, I thought she might like this.”
“How did you do this?” she asks in quiet voice, her gaze still roving the room, taking in all the details.
My heart squeezes at the look on her face, and suddenly I see a much younger Evan, standing in a bedroom she hates, waiting for someone to see her. I see her—then and now—and I make a quiet vow always to make sure she knows it. She is the center of my universe, and I want to give her everything.
“My brothers. All the furniture and everything was already up in the empty apartment that used to be Noah’s.
The paint too. They put it all together when we were in the hospital.
This apartment was already ours. Now it’s hers too.
There’s all kinds of other shit up there the internet told me we needed, but we can deal with all that later. ”
Evan leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder, wrapping one arm around my waist and laying her other hand over mine on Emmy’s back.
Dipping her head, she presses a kiss to Emmy’s cheek and then tips her head up, laying her lips on mine in the softest, sweetest kiss.
“I love you,” she says, voice thick and eyes swimming with feeling.
“You are the best person I have ever known. My favorite person. Thank you for this. For everything. For loving me and for giving this to Emmy and for making us a family even when I didn’t realize that was exactly what I needed.
You always knew.” She looks down at Emmy and swallows hard.
“For a long time, I didn’t think I could do this.
I didn’t want to do this,” she says quietly.
“And now?” I ask, stroking a hand over her hair, already knowing the answer but wanting her to say it. To know it for herself.
When she looks at me, the love in her eyes has my heart thudding against my ribs, my entire world shrinking to just the three of us. This place. This moment. Perfect. “I still don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but I want to figure it out. I want to do it, but only if I get to do it with you.”
Evan curls into me, and I lay my cheek on top of her head, our daughter between us and our hearts beating in sync, and I think that life couldn’t possibly get better than this.
When Evan’s stomach growls, Emmy jerks awake with a small cry. I snort out a laugh, rubbing a hand over Emmy’s belly. “Looks like both of my girls need to be fed. How do you feel about quesadillas?”
Evan groans, and the sound goes straight to my dick. I mentally tell that asshole to calm the fuck down because he won’t be getting any action for a while. “I feel amazing about quesadillas, but you really don’t have to cook. We can order in or something.”
I shake my head. “Bite your tongue, Rhodes. You delivered a whole entire baby. The absolute least I can do is make you lunch.”
Evan pokes her tongue into her cheek, considering me. “Well, when you put it that way…who am I to stop you?”
Grinning, I lead her into the living room and settle her onto the couch with Emmy, laying a blanket over her and tucking it around her legs, setting a handful of cherry Jolly Ranchers next to her and handing her the pink notebook and pen sitting on the coffee table so she can dream and plot a little if she’s feeling inspired.
Ducking into the kitchen, I make the baby a bottle and fill a tall glass with ice and cherry seltzer for Evan.
Back in the living room, I hand her both then grasp her chin, tipping her face up and kissing her, long and slow, my tongue invading her mouth to tangle with hers, smiling when she sighs against my lips.
Breaking the kiss, I press one more to her forehead and bend to kiss Emmy before heading into the kitchen.
As I make lunch for both of us, catching glimpses of Evan snuggled up with Emmy through the kitchen doorway, smiling as she flips through her notebook, I am well and truly home.