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In one last push, our baby slid out, pissed as hell and looking exactly like me.
Dark hair, lightly bronzed skin, slightly upturned eyes.
God, he was my exact replica.
The blood and gore was all Beckham, though.
Which I told her, causing her to laugh.
“Shut up!” She snickered. “Oh, he has a headful of black hair just like you. I’m going to have two of you with awesome hair!”
Tears filled my eyes as I watched Beckham get cleaned up right along with the baby.
And later, when the doula had left Beckham and our child for privacy, I leaned forward until my head was nearly touching the screen.
“We did good, Troup,” she whispered.
“How much did he weigh?” I asked, belly tight with nerves.
“Six pounds, three ounces. Eighteen and a half inches long,” she whispered. “He’s perfect.”
I licked my lips.
“What are you naming him?” I asked.
Her grin was wide. “I’ll tell you in the morning.”
After another thirty minutes of visiting, I looked over at the warden and realized he’d been rather patient with me.
“I love you, Beckham,” I said softly. “Get some sleep, okay?”
She smiled tiredly at me.
“Love you, too.”
Five minutes later, I was standing and offering my hand to the warden.
He took it and shook it, not looking the least bit offended that I’d taken him from his bed in the middle of the night.
We walked together toward the door.
“You know,” Warden Stanley said. “There’s not one single thing in this world that I wouldn’t have done to get my granddaughter back. I would’ve lied, cheated, stolen or killed anybody, and I do mean anybody, to get her back. I wouldn’t have cared about the consequences.” He tilted his head slightly. “That’s why I’m giving her everything that she needs from you. She gave me part of my soul back, and I will continue to give her everything I can just because she did that for me.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You protected her. You showed her that you were willing to go to jail for her. That guy might’ve been your friend, at least until he did the unthinkable, but she was yours to take care of. Your friend violated that, tainted it. You deserved to get back what he took.”
With that, I was escorted back to my cell.
• • •
The next morning, I could barely contain my excitement as I was escorted to the trailer that I got to meet my girl in once a month and this visit just happened to be the day after she gave birth.
This time, I’d get to meet my girl and my son.
I all but ran up the stairs and yanked open the door.
When I found her on the couch, passed out, I stilled.
I’d expected her to be awake.
The baby in the car seat wasn’t awake, either.
I shakily bent down and looked at the new life that we’d created together. That Beckham had brought into this world all alone.
He made a squeaky sound that caused me to smile.
I unclipped the buckles and clumsily pulled him out of the carrier.
The moment he was in my hands, I felt like my soul had literally left my body.
For the first time in a long time, Beckham wasn’t my first thought anymore. The baby boy that was mine was.
“He’s perfect,” she whispered.
I looked over at my wife who was now awake. “I agree. He is.”
“He looks just like you,” she grumbled, pouting so cutely that I had to smile.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “He does, doesn’t he?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s okay. His daddy is the most handsome man in the world. I’ll allow this.”
I took the seat on the couch next to her, and she curled into my side, her face resting against my bicep.
“What name did you decide on for him, baby?” I asked.
“Hiro.”
I felt the breath leave my lungs.
Not because I hated it, but because I loved it.
I looked down at our son and smiled. “I love the name Hiro.”
Her breath hitched. “I’m not telling my family his actual name yet. I want that for just us until… until you’re out. He’ll go by Kase until you’re there.”
I felt something squeeze my heart tight.
God, I didn’t want her to lie to her family.
But this little guy in my arms? I would do absolutely anything for him and his momma. If it made her life easier not to say anything, who was I to contradict her? I’d already fucked up enough by not being there when she needed me.
“Hiro Kase Aoki,” she whispered softly. “Your son.”
CHAPTER 19
Naughty ideas and suggestions always welcome.
-Bumper sticker
BECKHAM
Four months later
“What do you fuckin’ mean he’s been transferred?” I screeched.
Warden Stanley looked at me sympathetically.
“I don’t know,” Stanley offered. “I really have no fuckin’ clue. One day he was here, and the next he was gone. There was no warning. No ‘he’s about to leave’ like we usually get. Just up and gone. I didn’t even have time to pack his shit. He left it all behind.”
