Page 130 of One Reckless Night

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JARED

Icouldn’t believe how fast everything had moved. One minute, I was rushing back from Miami, my heart pounding with fear that I’d miss the birth of my son, and the next, I was standing in the delivery room, holding him in my arms. He was so small, so perfect. I felt a surge of emotion I hadn’t known I was capable of. This tiny human was mine—ours—and I was completely overwhelmed.

The doctor was finishing up his final checks on Amelia, who looked exhausted but radiant. She was glowing with happiness. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She’d just done the most incredible thing, and I was in awe of her strength.

“You were good,” the doctor said.

“You, too,” I laughed. “I didn’t know you had the knowledge.”

“I was going to go into obstetrics before I changed to neuro,” he said.

“Thank goodness,” I said.

“What about you?” he asked. “You were a rock.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “I think I’ll stick to brains, thanks. But I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

He laughed, patting me on the shoulder before turning to Amelia. “You did amazing, Amelia. Get some rest, and I’ll check on you both in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Amelia said.

I watched him leave and for the first time since our son was born, we were alone. “How are you feeling?” I asked, my voice gentle.

“Tired,” she admitted, smiling up at me. “But happy. So, so happy.”

I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. “Me too.”

I sat on the edge of the bed, our son cradled carefully in my arms. Amelia was propped up on pillows, her eyes heavy but still glowing with the look of a woman incredibly happy. She reached over, brushing a finger along the baby’s cheek. I could feel her gaze on me.

“You’re quiet,” she murmured, her voice still a little hoarse. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I glanced down at our son, then back at her, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “Just thinking about how close I came to missing this.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I got your text that you were in labor, I was on the jet coming back from Miami. I swear, Amelia, I almost jumped out of the damn plane.”

She blinked at me, startled. “You what?”

“I’m serious,” I admitted, shaking my head. “I actually looked at the emergency parachutes. I was ready to go full action hero and leap out mid-air.”

Her eyes widened, and then she started laughing. “Jared Welch, you would’ve broken your legs—or worse.”

“I didn’t care,” I said. “All I could think about was getting to you. If I missed this… if I missed being here for you and him…” My voice broke, and I had to pause, swallowing hard. “I couldn’t let that happen.”

She reached out, her hand finding mine, and squeezed gently. “But you didn’t miss it. You’re here. And you’re holding our son.”

I nodded, glancing down at him again. “Yeah. But I owe Clair for talking me off the ledge—literally. She threatened to sit on me while I was pacing the cabin like a lunatic and told me to stop being an idiot. Said if I jumped, I’d probably end up in the ocean and then I’d really miss everything.”

Amelia chuckled softly. “She’s right, you know.”

“Oh, she definitely was,” I admitted. “But at the time, all I could think was that I needed to be here. No matter what it took.”

“You’re here now,” she said quietly. “And that’s all that matters.”

I leaned into her touch, my heart swelling with something I couldn’t quite put into words. “Yeah,” I whispered. “I am.”