Epilogue
Graham, Five Months Later
“Cono, Naomi, slow down.” I reach for her hand, pulling her back to my side. “He’s quite literally not going anywhere. Relax, before security thinks you’re here to kidnap the damn kid.” I nod pleasantly to a passing hospital cop.
Naomi huffs, checking over the stuffed puppy she bought months ago one more time as I hit the button for the elevator. There’s a horrible buzzing noise coming from somewhere in this hall and it’s driving me slowly mad as we wait the ten seconds for the elevator to reach the first floor.
“I’m sorry,” she says when we step in and she hits the button for the third floor two dozen times before I smack her hand away. “A whole new person just came out of my best friend, and I have been waiting five entire months to meet the little crotch goblin.”
“Maybe don’t refer to their son as a crotch goblin when we get in there,” I suggest with a snort, a hand at her back as we exit the elevator, my other occupied with a basket of snacks Naomi picked out for Poppy.
She snorts. “I’ve been calling him a crotch goblin for months. He will be my little crotch goblin forever. Nelly thinks it’s cute. You know how she likes her fantasy shit.”
“And Elias?”
“It’s growing on him. Room three-oh-nine,” she tells the nurse at the reception desk.
She buzzes us through and the nurses at the desk inside the ward point us in the direction of Poppy’s room. There are already voices floating from inside when I push open the extremely heavy door.
“Look at your little toes,” Clara coos. “I could just munch, munch, munch on them all day.” Her blonde curls are tied back as she hovers over the clear bassinet stationed next to Poppy’s bed. Elias is sitting next to his wife on the bed, his arm around her shoulders.
Despite looking exhausted, neither of them have ever looked happier, turning bright smiles our way as we enter the room. Naomi shoves the stuffed puppy into my arms to rush her friend’s bedside. She hugs Poppy carefully, kissing her raven black hair a thousand times.
“Look at you!” She squeals. “How are you?! You look amazing! How’d it go?! Is your vag okay?!”
“Aye Dios…” Rowan mutters, turning to take the basket from me. He sets it on the counter under the tv. “She really needs to ask that immediately? Just throw it out there?”
“I mean,” I shrug. “Valid question?”
Clara glances over. “She needed seven stitches.”
We both wince at the same moment Poppy tells Naomi that everything was fine. “I mean, it was pretty fucking horrible up until the epidural, but holy shit those drugs are amazing.”
“Yeah they are- OW!” Rowan elbows me in the ribs.
To get away from him and his violent elbows, I join Clara by the cradle looking down at the new member of our family. “Hola, mijo,” I reach out to adjust his hat and note the full head of dark hair. “Aw, Elias, he has your original hair.”
Elias laughs, kissing his wife’s equally dark head. However, it appears he very recently got his hair rebleached for the occasion of his son’s birth. “Yes, well, hopefully he develops his mother’s eyes.”
Poppy smiles, her blue eyes glimmering in the afternoon sun through the window. “I’m not holding out hope. Cristian got your eyes too thanks to those strong Santos genes.”
Naomi joins me at the bassinet, tears filling her eyes the moment she see his peaceful little face. He’s bundled up tight in the blue blanket we got him, his name in cursive scattered amongst various sea animals.
“Hi, Gabriel,” she murmurs softly. “I’m your Tía Naomi.” I smile slightly. She spent weeks repeating it over and over when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. “Tía Clara is your godmother, but only for now. One day she’s going to die and then you’ll be all mine—”
“I already wrote the letter claiming you murdered me,” Clara whispers just as sweetly, as if they aren’t discussing each other’s demise over a newborn. “Maybe if you weren’t such a stuck-up bitch she would have picked you first—"
“Kiss my dick, blondie—”
“Both of you relax,” Rowan rumbles, taking a seat on the couch that will become Elias’ bed for the next few days. “No one is getting him because both his parents are going to live a long happy life and you two are going to spoil him rotten regardless of who has what title.”
Naomi and Clara share a look before nodding. “True.”
Poppy laughs, a tired but joyful sound. “You can hold him,” she tells us. “He might wake up a little, but he won’t fuss much. He already ate.”
“Me first!” Naomi and Clara both reach at the same time but I push both their hands away before either can actually grab the baby.
Rowan gestures to Naomi. “Let her hold him.”
“But—”
“You already held him for an hour before she got here, Clara,” he reminds her. “Be fair.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” she hisses at him in rapid Spanish as Naomi reaches in to pick up Gabriel, careful to support his head the way I taught her.
“I am on your side, but you can’t hog the baby—”
“Watch me!”
I drown them out, completely absorbed by the sight of Naomi taking a seat in the rocking chair in the corner, entranced by the infant in her arms. She’s so happy, whispering softly to the sleeping baby boy while she gently rocks.
She looks as in love with him as if he were hers.
Which of course immediately makes me wonder what she’ll look like when she’s finally ready to have ours.
I have no doubt every single one of our children will look like her, it’s only been a fantasy of mine for years.
Now it just feels a little closer, seeing the way she holds Gabriel like the most precious thing in the world.
We’ve never come back to the topic of marriage, but every now and then I see her looking at rings in windows when we go shopping, or at dresses on social media.
Soon, I tell myself. She’s not ready yet, but she will be soon. Paciencia y fe, Elias’ mom always says.
“He’s so beautiful, Nelly,” Naomi sniffles, not looking up from the little person her best friend made. “Good job. Great combination of ingredients. Most amazing chef.”
Poppy laughs again, leaning against her husband’s side to watch them.
Her entire pregnancy was a little touch and go after the initial reveal.
Many weeks of bedrest, constant appointments to ensure everything was still going well, the worry between them constant.
It’s nice to see her content now, healthy and strong if in need a decent nap.
Elias catches me watching Naomi and grins. “You think you’re ready to have one of these, amigo?”
“Sí,” I nod, not even hesitating.
I lean my thigh against the end of the bed, smile wide, watching as Naomi adjusts Gabriel’s blanket. She coos nonsense to him as if he could understand a single word.
“I’ve been ready a long fucking time.”
Soon… Very soon…