Epilogue
Kazimir
Three Months Later
I wipe the sheen of sweat from my wife’s forehead as the midwife leans closer.
“One more push, Chloe. Give me everything you’ve got.”
“You’re doing so great baby,” I tell her, squeezing her hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m tired,” she manages, her voice strained.
“I know, baby. I know. Just a little more.”
The midwife smiles. “He’s already crowning. One more good push.”
Chloe takes a deep breath and pushes again, a raw sound tearing from her as her fingers tighten around mine, almost hard enough to break them.
I don’t care, she can crush every bone in my hand if it helps her get through this.
I can’t even begin to imagine the pain she’s in right now.
If I could take it from her and carry it myself, I would without hesitation. I hate seeing her hurt.
“That’s it,” I whisper. “Come on, baby. You’ve got this.”
She pushes again, and then a cry fills the room. Our son is here, and for a moment, I can’t move. I have seen a lot of things I thought were impressive. But none of it compares to this. Watching Chloe bring our son into the world is the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed.
I look at my wife, completely overwhelmed. She did this. She brought our child into the world. I reach over and wipe another bead of sweat from her forehead before pressing a kiss against it.
“You did it,” I whisper. “You did it, baby. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
She smiles through her exhaustion. “We have a son.”
I look toward the nurses as they carefully clean him, and another cry bursts from his tiny lungs. Our son, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more beautiful sound. While one nurse helps Chloe get cleaned up, another wraps our baby before bringing him over to her.
The moment he settles against her chest, something inside me shifts. He’s so small. And yet he already has such a presence. Chloe looks down at him with tears in her eyes, she bares her breast and he latches. I can only stare.
This woman has given me everything. A home, a family, a reason to want tomorrow. I reach out and gently brush my thumb over our son’s tiny cheek. He moves slightly, and my chest tightens. Then his eyes open, blue, the same shade as mine.
Chloe looks at him, then at me, and smiles. “He has your eyes.”
“He does,” I say softly.
“Hey, baby.” Her voice is soft as she looks down at him. “We’re your parents.”
I smile. Parents. The word still feels strange in my head. I’m a parent. Chloe looks up at me. “How about Roman?”
I meet her eyes, Roman. For months, we’ve gone back and forth over names, never quite settling on one. “Roman,” I repeat.
She nods. “Yeah. I looked it up, and I love it.”
I look down at our son again. “Roman it is, then.”
I reach for his tiny hand, and his fingers curl instinctively around mine. “Hey, Roman,” I whisper.
Chloe watches us, her eyes filling with tears again. “I’m so happy.”
I look at my wife. “So am I.” I lean over and kiss her, soft and careful. “I love you.”
I glance down at our son. “And I love him.”
A year ago, I had no idea any of this was waiting for me.
I didn’t know I would meet the woman who would change everything.
I didn’t know I’d be standing in a hospital room, holding my newborn son’s tiny hand.
I certainly didn’t know my life could become this.
But somehow, the greatest twist of my life brought me here. To Chloe. To Roman. To my family.
I look at our son again, already imagining all the things I want to teach him.
The values my own father never taught me.
The lessons I had to learn the hard way.
I want him to know what loyalty means. What love means.
What it means to protect the ones you love.
And more than anything, I want him to grow up knowing he is loved.
I look at Chloe, and she gives me that smile that always stops my heart. I’m a fucking lucky man.