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“You are going to be fine. I promise. You’re healthy as can be. Every single one of your checkups has gone perfectly.” I should know. I was right there by her and Boston’s sides for all of her prenatal appointments. I know way more about uteruses than I care to. “You’re going to be fine. You two have your first baby on the way. Nerves are high. Just take a deep breath and relax. Let Rhett and me take care of you guys.”
Right now, I need to be the rock for Ashely and Boston that they’ve been for me. And I need Rhett’s calming presence by my side to do it well.
As if reading my thoughts, Rhett literally moves to my side. She slides her arm into mine, giving Ashely a soft smile. “We’re both here for you. Ready to help you with whatever you need.”
I’m so fucking happy to have her here with me. Unfortunately, all I can think about is what happens when all this is over. Once labor is done and the baby is born, Ashely won’t have an excuse to keep Rhett here by my side.
And that makes me really fucking sad.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rhett
I can’t tear my eyes away from the bundle of joy Ashely's holding in her arms. Rose is only hours old and yet I can tell that Ashely and Boston already feel a bond with her that goes beyond simple biology. It was a quick, easy birth. Ashely seemed to go into real labor moments after I arrived. Two hours of contractions and two pushes later, baby Rose Annalise arrived.
The hospital room is filled with a peaceful stillness, broken only by the sound of Rose’s tiny breaths, the occasional bleeps of machinery, and our soft chatter as the four of us take her in.
I’m overwhelmed by a million emotions—love, sadness, and an irrational, deep sense of responsibility toward Beckett. He's a natural at being an uncle. Ashely passes the baby to him. He holds her with such ease, it’s hard to believe he's never had a baby of his own.
He doesn't need me. I know that. But maybe I need him. I can't think about that. I've been doing so well on my own. I push the thought of a future with Beckett from my mind, focusing on baby Rose. I can’t imagine what she’ll be like when she grows up, but I already know that these three people would do anything for her. And that's all she's going to need to get along in this world just fine.
Time passes by in a blink, and I know it's time for Beckett and me to leave the new family to rest together. Before we leave, Beckett insists on getting a picture of me and the baby. I take her from his arms, inhaling her sweet, newborn scent.
Holding her tightly, I whisper a little blessing, hoping she'll be safe and happy and forever loved. I stare at his phone, letting him take the photo. I cross back over to Ashely, offering one more round of congratulations to the new mom.
Ashely says, "I can't thank you enough for coming. But don't leave the city yet. There's a big event at the rooftop bar tonight. Make Beckett go. He's been such a homebody ever since..."
The words die on her tongue.
Since I left him.
That's what she wants to say.
I quickly fill in the awkwardness by saying, "I'll go. Why not?" I lean down, carefully handing precious Rose back to her mama.
“Oh good! You can borrow something of mine.” Ashely takes her back from me, planting a sweet kiss on the top of her head.
“She still has clothes at my house,” Beckett says. He stares at me, a wistful look in his eyes. “You don’t have to go. If you don’t want to. I think you’ve done enough for Ashely already.”
“No,” I say. “I’ll go. I’ll just need a car, really early, to get back to work. If that’s okay.”
A look passes between him and me; an unspoken acknowledgement that I’ll be spending the night at his place. Tingles dance over my body in anticipation of what could happen between us. Those tiny hairs stand on end on my arms and at the back of my neck.
We take a car back to the Village. Our arms brush against one another’s as we sit in the back seat together. The tension between us runs hot and palpable. I swear—if he reached out and touched me right now, a fire would start in his car.
The conversation is nothing short of awkward. “So,” he says. “How’ve you been.”
“I think you know,” I say, a little smile dancing on my lips as I give him a knowing glance.
“You know me so well,” he laughs. “I may have been keeping tabs on you.”
I hold up my hand, a tiny space between my forefinger and thumb. “Just a little.”
“Yeah. Just a bit.” He glances down at my coat. “I’m glad you kept the coat. I wish you would have kept the NSX.”
“I couldn’t let you give me a car.”
“I know,” he says. “How’s Bunny?”
