Chapter 29
Cole
After a couple more hours, our baby girl is here. She is absolutely perfect, just like her mother. She has a little bit of dark hair, it is amazing how much she looks like I did as a baby.
After delivery, we were moved into a new room, and now the three of us are cuddled up together on Ellie’s bed.
We were both so exhausted, since we had been awake since yesterday morning.
Ellie fell asleep finally, and I’m lying here lost in my girls.
I can’t sleep because I am still high on this feeling.
A few minutes later, the baby starts making noises, which wakes Ellie. She blinks a few times and looks down at her, then up at me. She looks so tired.
“Here, let me change her, and then you can try feeding her again,” I say. We decided to try breastfeeding, and it is going well. After a fresh diaper and settling back into Ellie’s arms, the baby immediately starts eating. I gently sit back down beside Ellie.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her.
“I’m sore, but I feel more tired than I do sore.”
“Well, once she is fed, I can take her, and you can sleep some more before everyone starts coming in to visit.”
“Have you slept at all?” she asks me.
“No, but I’m all right.”
“Cole, you look exhausted. You need sleep too.”
“I’m OK, I couldn’t sleep if I tried,” I say, smiling down at her.
“You should at least try take a nap after I do.”
“I can try,” I agree.
A few minutes later, she finishes feeding the baby. I give her a kiss and grab the baby from her. “Sleep well, don’t worry about us. We are just going to spend some daddy-daughter bonding time together.”
She smiles at me again. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now sleep.” I walk over to the chair and hold the baby. Luckily, the chair reclines, so I lie back and put her on my chest. I can see Ellie from where I am sitting, and it appears she is already asleep.
Suddenly, I wake up to a clank. My eyes pop open. Shit. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I glance around and Ellie is sitting on her bed, holding the baby.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she says.
“It’s OK, is everything all right?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I woke up, and you didn’t look comfortable, so I grabbed her from you.”
“I’m surprised I fell asleep and that I didn’t feel you grab her,” I say.
“You looked so tired before I fell asleep, so I’m not,” she says, lightly laughing.
I walk over to sit with them on the bed again.
“Mom texted me, they picked up your mom, and they are on their way to visit. They should be here any minute,”
“All right. They are going to love her.”
I get up and kiss Ellie on top of her head and use the restroom. Just as I come out of the bathroom that is attached to our room, there is a knock on the door, and it opens. Mom, Dianne, and Greg all come in.
“Hi,” all three of them say quietly with huge smiles on their faces.
“Come on in,” Ellie says to them.
She adjusts the baby in her arms so she is facing everyone.
“Everyone, meet Elizabeth Louise,” Ellie says.
“Oh. You used my middle name,” Mom says with tears in her eyes.
“You used both our middle names?” Dianne says, also with tears in her eyes.
“Yes.” Ellie smiles at both of them.
“She is so beautiful,” Mom says.
Greg walks up to the bed and kisses Ellie on the side of the head. “I’m so proud of you,” he says to her, and then he comes over to me and shakes my hand, then hugs me. “Congratulations, son,” he says to me.
“Thank you,” I say to him. Everyone else is looking at us with tears when we pull away.
They all spend a couple of hours visiting before Dianne stands up. “Well, we should get going so you all can get some rest. Did they say when you will be going home?”
“I think in the morning,” Ellie says.
“OK, just let us know and we can come make you all some food and help get you three settled.”
“All right, that sounds good,” Ellie says.
They all say their goodbyes and leave.
Ellie
After everyone just left, Cole and I are sitting on the bed with Elizabeth.
“You still feeling all right?” Cole asks.
I smile at him and huff out a little laugh. He has been so attentive to me. I don’t know why I am surprised. This man has been amazing since I met him.
“What?” he asks after I still haven’t answered him.
“I am great, Cole. Stop worrying about me.” I smile at him.
“I just want to make sure. I don’t want you to be in pain.”
“I know. I am a little sore, but it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“Good.” He leans over and kisses me again. “I want to hold her again.” He starts taking off his shirt.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“I want to do skin-to-skin with her.”
My heart melts a little. “Oh.” Then I start unwrapping her from the blanket.
He grabs her from me, takes off her onesie, and changes her diaper.
Then he goes and sits down with her. He leans back in the chair and lays her on his chest, and that image is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.
How am I going to make it six weeks without sex?
It’s only been a few hours since I delivered Elizabeth, and I already want to jump his bones.
Cole is staring back at me when he says, “Ellie, we have six weeks of waiting. Quit looking at me like that.” Then he starts covering Elizabeth with her blanket. I meet his eyes, and my cheeks heat.
“You are going to be the death of me.” He shakes his head and laughs.
I smile and lean back on the bed. Yep. The next six weeks are going to be miserable, I think to myself.