Chapter 30
Cole
The next morning, the nurses are helping us get ready to go home.
Ellie is doing amazing. It doesn’t even seem like she just delivered a baby yesterday.
We get Elizabeth into her car seat, and then we head home.
Ellie sits in the back with Elizabeth, and I sneak glances at her in the rearview mirror occasionally.
Once we make it home, I carry the car seat and tell Ellie I will grab our other stuff once I get them settled inside.
We get inside, and Ellie gets comfortable on the couch, holding Elizabeth.
I get the bags. I finally make it back inside, and Ellie is lying down with Elizabeth on her chest. They are both fast asleep.
I grab my phone and take a picture of them.
I text everyone and let them know we are home but my girls are sleeping, so don’t come over yet.
I tell them I will let them know when they wake up, then they can come.
I start moving some of the stuff from the baby shower to where I think Ellie will want it all.
I want to make anything I can easier on her.
A little while later, I’m in the nursery, still putting things away, when I hear Elizabeth making noises. Just as I get back into the living room, Ellie wakes up.
“I heard her and wanted to come check on her, I can take her if you want to sleep a little longer.”
“That’s OK. I can’t believe I fell asleep so fast,” she says.
“It has been an eventful couple of days,” I say.
She sits up, and I sit beside her. She adjusts Elizabeth in her arms and starts feeding her.
“I let everyone know we were home but told them not to come over yet, since you were sleeping. I’ll let them know they can come over now.”
“All right. I’m getting hungry, can you ask Mom and Dad to stop and get something to eat?”
“I can do that.” I text everyone to let them know they can come over now, and then I text Dianne separately. She says they will grab something for everyone.
An hour later our apartment is full of our friends and family.
“Oh my gosh. She is so beautiful,” Bri says when she sees Elizabeth. “Can I hold her?”
“Of course,” Ellie says and hands Elizabeth to her. “I’m going to go get something to drink, since you have her.”
Ellie walks into the kitchen, my gaze following her until she walks past Jordan.
I see the look on his face, and it isn’t one I recognize.
I follow his line of sight, and he is looking at Bri.
Now I understand the look. With how busy things have been for Ellie and me, I keep forgetting to find out what is going on between them.
Ellie walks back into the room, and my eyes go to her immediately, like they always do.
I look her up and down, and when I reach her eyes, she is looking at me too.
If she doesn’t stop giving me her fuck-me eyes, the next six weeks are going to be torture.
I raise an eyebrow at her, and she smiles.
She is so beautiful. She walks over and sits on my lap, and I’m really wishing she wouldn’t have done that because of how painfully hard my cock is.
I shift her on my lap, so she isn’t touching my dick, and she looks down at me with pinched eyebrows.
She leans away from me as much as she can for being on my lap.
My dick finally gets the message, and she gets up and goes into the bedroom.
I look over at Elizabeth, who is now being held by my mom, and confirm she is OK. Then I go to find Ellie.
I walk into the bedroom, and she is sitting on the bed. She looks up when she sees me, and she has tears in her eyes. I practically run to her. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting?”
“No, I’m fine. Just go back in there.”
“Clearly you aren’t fine, Ellie. What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
I grab her chin and lift her face to look at me. “You are not fine. If you are hurting, take some medicine. You can’t just sit in pain like this.”
“I’m not in pain, Cole. Just go.”
“I don’t understand, Ellie.”
“I don’t know why you even came in here.”
“Because you were fine, and then you weren’t, and I knew something wasn’t right. I’m not leaving this room until you tell me what is wrong.”
“Will you quit acting like you care?” she cries out.
“Quit acting like I care? What does that even mean?”
“You don’t want me anymore. You thought this was what you wanted, and now that Elizabeth is here, you don’t want us anymore. I get it. I knew this was going to happen.”
“Where in the hell did you get that idea?” I’m so confused on what could be making her think this. I haven’t given her any indication that I don’t want her.
“You were hard when I sat on your lap, and then you pushed me away. I get it, you don’t want me anymore.”
Then it clicks. “Ellie. No. I was hard because all I did was look at you, that’s all I have to do to get hard is look at you.
You’ve always been beautiful to me, but now that you are the mother of my child, nothing tops that kind of beautiful, you are practically glowing even after giving birth.
You sat on my lap, teasing the fuck out of my dick.
I had to scoot you away from it so it would get the memo that we can’t do anything for six weeks and the room is full of our family and friends.
There will never be a time I don’t want you, Ellie. ”
“Wait, you were hard just looking at me?” she asks.
“Yes, Ellie.” I laugh lightly. “I’m like a teenager when it comes to you. I feel like I can’t get enough.”
“Oh,” she says, surprised by my confession.
“Yeah.” I smile. “Please, never think that again. There will never be a time I don’t want you. I’ve told you this, and I mean it.”
“OK,” she says quietly.
“I love you.” I kiss her. “Now, let’s go back in and check on our girl.” I wipe her eyes, then grab her hand and lead her back into the living room with everyone else.
Dianne looks up when she sees us. “Everything OK?” she mouths to me, and I nod.
I sit down and pull Ellie onto my lap again. Sitting sideways, she has one hand on my chest and the other wrapped around my neck while I have one of my arms around her back, holding her to me, and the other over her thighs.
“Oh my gosh!” Bri says, and everyone looks at her.
“What?” Jordan asks.
“Look at that rock!” Bri points to Ellie’s hand on my chest.
“Oh, that’s beautiful! Why didn’t you guys tell us?” Mom says.
Suddenly the room bursts with excitement.
“Oh, I guess we both forgot with everything going on. This happened the other night. My water broke when we got home. Elizabeth had to steal Cole’s moment,” Ellie says and laughs.
“Congratulations!” Bri says and comes over. She pulls Ellie up and gives her a hug. “We need champagne! Wait, you can have champagne now, right?” she asks Ellie, and everyone laughs.
“I can, but let me feed Elizabeth first. Then we can celebrate.”
“Wow, you are such a mom,” Bri says, and everyone laughs again. Ellie grabs Elizabeth from her mom and comes back to sit on my lap. She covers herself with a blanket and starts feeding Elizabeth.
Ellie
Once Elizabeth is finished eating, I ask who wants to hold her next so Bri and I can celebrate.
“Can I hold her?” Jordan asks quietly.
“Yes. Of course,” I say and walk Elizabeth to him.
He’s holding her kind of awkwardly. “Here, this way is more comfortable,” I say and adjust Elizabeth in his arms. Once he seems to be situated, I step away.
“Ready for that champagne?” I say to Bri. Her eyes are wide, and she is staring at Jordan.
She shakes her head. “What?” she asks.
“Champagne?” I ask, smiling.
“Oh, yeah. Let’s go grab some.”
We go into the kitchen. And I grab the champagne while she grabs glasses for everyone. “You good?” I ask.
“Did you see how hot that was?” she asks with flushed cheeks.
“There’s something about a man holding a baby,” I say with a laugh.
“You’re telling me.”
We walk back into the living room. I have Cole open the bottle, and we pour a glass for everyone.
“I’d like to say something,” Dad says, and we all look at him.
“Ellie, I am so proud of the woman you have become. You moved to a new city all on your own, took on a new promotion, and now you have a beautiful baby girl, a beautiful home, and a great man to call your future husband. I love you.” He takes a brief pause and wipes his eyes.
“Cole, thank you for loving my daughter. Letting her see what love really looks like and helping her in making my beautiful granddaughter. To Ellie and Cole,” he says and raises his glass.
We all clink and have a drink, and then Cole kisses me.
After a few hours, everyone is gone and it’s just the three of us. Our first night at home as a family.