Page 48 of The Scars We Heal

I sucked on the inside of my cheek, deadpanning, “What do you suggest I think about in this hospital instead?”

He tapped his lips. “Would you rather have to put ketchup or black pepper on everything you eat?”

One of my brows raised, but I humored him anyway. After all, I asked to talk about something else, and he delivered. “How much ketchup or black pepper?”

“Enough that it would be noticeable.”

“Hmm…” I thought about it for a moment and imagined myself putting ketchup on ice cream or black pepper on a slice of cake. “I think I’m gonna have to go with black pepper. I already put salt and pepper on almost everything. I just can’t imagine putting ketchup on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“You’d be okay with putting black pepper in your coffee?”

With a slight lift of my shoulder, I replied, “I’ve heard it actually helps the taste.”

“You learn something new every day.”

“Okay. Would you rather win the lottery or not have to pay any taxes?”

Without skipping a beat, he said, “Not pay taxes, for sure. Do you know how much they take out when you win the lottery? It’s a lot. Taxes add up in a profession like mine.”

“Fair. Although, winning the lottery sounds pretty nice,” I murmured.

“I’d help you out before you’d ever get to the point of needing the lottery.”

My brows shot up, and he turned away, his cheeks flushing like he hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

Countless rounds of would you rather and a conversation with my mom and Ellison’s mom—Hanna—later, a nurse emerged from the hallway, her gaze catching on me. “Are you Caitlin? Colter Carson’s sister?”

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but several people had come in and out of the hospital, so I imagined it had to have been a couple hours.

All my words were lodged in my throat at that moment, so I just nodded.

She smiled, waving for me to follow her. “Great, honey. You can come back if you’d like. The baby’s here, and Ellison did great.”

I glanced at Jake, waiting for a response from him before getting up.

“Go. I’ll be right here when you get back,” he reassured me.

The nurse led me down the long hallway, taking a few different turns until we made it to the room Ellison was in. “She’s right in here. Come meet your nephew.”

Hanna and my mom sat along the wall of the hospital room, but they got up and offered to walk around and find some snacks to give us all some more space.

Colter was sitting next to Ellison’s bedside, wet streaks still clinging to his cheeks. The newborn, a tiny bundle with fuzzy dark-brown hair, rested against Ellison’s chest, sleeping peacefully like an angel.

She looked up at me, absolutely glowing with a radiant smile.

“What’s his name?” I asked, a tear welling in my eye.

“Levi.” She looked up at me, joyful streaks already painting her cheeks. “We named him Levi. Do you want to hold him?”

I sniffed, nodding. “Yeah. Can I?”

Carefully, she handed my nephew over to me. As I cradled him in my arms, his mouth stretched into a big yawn, eyes fluttering open to reveal his mom’s shade of blue.

“He looks just like you,” I told Ellison before teasing Colter. “Wouldn’t have even guessed this was your kid if I didn’t know better.”

Colter shrugged, playfully rolling his eyes. “They can all be mini Ellisons, for all I care.”

Ellison’s eyes widened. “All? Settle down there, Sparky. He was just born.”