Five years later…
“Gentle, Maddie.”
“I know, Sammy. Stop pestering me.”
“Oops. Someone’s grumpy,” Aaron quips.
Emily swats at his arm. “Don’t tease her. She’s nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.” Maddie glares at both of them before turning to me. “Tell them I’m not nervous, Gracie.”
“She’s totally not nervous.” I smirk, sending a knowing glance to my best friend and cousin who, by the way, have been married for a year now. So much for ‘we’re just having fun.’ They’re an incorrigible pair of idiots, but I love them all the same.
“See? I’m not,” the ten-year-old insists, extending her short arms towards her brother. “Give her to me, please?”
“Yes, princess, but remember—”
“Gentle, I know.” She shifts nervously on the couch, because our girl is totally freaking out right now despite her cool exterior. A treat she’s inherited from her brother, no doubt.
“All right, here we go.” Carefully, Cal sits down next to her and even more slowly, places the small bundle in her awaiting arms.
The four of us hold our breaths as Maddie gapes at the tiny baby in her arms, mouth wide open with an expression of utter bewilderment and indescribable love. I recognize it because that’s exactly what I felt—and I’m still feeling—two days ago when I gave birth to our daughter.
Our own little flower, our beautiful Lila.
“Hi, baby,” Maddie whispers as she carefully touches a finger to Lila’s forehead, brushing away a few strands of blonde hair that have fallen from her pink hat. I steal a glance at Cal, who has never looked more in love. And that’s saying something, since he all but broke down the day we got married three years ago. “I’m your Auntie Maddie. You’re very tiny.”
“You’ll have to take good care of her now that she’s here,” Cal tells her softly, one hand brushing his sister’s long brown hair. “She’s going to look up to you and would want to be like her auntie.”
Maddie smiles, not taking her eyes off the newest member of our family. “She’s my new best friend,” she says. “I hope Rocket doesn’t get jealous.”
I chuckle. “I’m sure Rocket won’t mind sharing. Now there’ll be two of you to drive him nuts.”
Aaron watches his nieces with loving eyes—yes, he’s a self-proclaimed Cool Uncle of both girls despite not being my brother and Maddie not being my daughter for that matter—and blurts out, “Em, I want one.”
I expect one of my best friend’s usual snarky comebacks, but instead she says, “Okay. We’ll order one when we get home, if you know what I mean.”
“Gross,” Cal mutters, throwing them an amused glance. “Thank you for watching Maddie for the past couple of days, by the way.”
“No biggie.” Aaron smiles. “She’s a gem, and I’m sure this little one will be too.”
“I hope so, because I already miss all the sleep I won’t get in the next few years.” I sigh, which makes everyone laugh.
As Aaron and Emily go back to drooling over Lila, Cal wraps me in his arms and kisses my forehead. “She’s finally here, and she’s perfect.”
I press a gentle kiss to the side of his jaw. “I love you so much, Cal. Thank you for giving me our beautiful family.”
He pulls me even closer as he whispers, “I love you, sunshine. Forever.”
A sudden blast of love and happiness crashes into me like a wave that’s been waiting far too long to get back to the shore. Finally, my heart sings as I drown in pure bliss.
When my dads arrive in Warlington the following day to meet their newborn granddaughter, I take a moment to just… look. To look at the family I love, the one I’ve always longed for, and in that moment, I realize the single most important truth of all.
No matter how many obstacles were thrown my way, no matter how many times I felt I would never be enough, no matter where life planted me…
I bloomed with grace.
