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Royce’s eyes mist with tears as he takes his son into his arms. He looks down at Roan, then to Sawyer. “Thank you for him. For loving me when I fought against it, for this life that we share. I love you.” He leans down and kisses her, and that’s our cue to go. We don’t bother saying goodbye, instead choosing to sneak out of the room.
“Finally,” Grant says when he sees us in the waiting room.
“Hey, blame Mom and Dad. They were in there longer than us,” I defend.
“Ready, babe?” he asks Aurora.
“For baby snuggles? Yes, please.”
“He’s so cute and tiny,” Aspen tells her.
“We’re heading out,” I tell my brother. “We’re going to grab some sleep. We’ll be back later.”
“Check in with Mom. She was talking about bringing food by.”
“Sounds good.” Taking Aspen’s hand in mine, I lead her out of the hospital and to my car. As soon as we’re on the road, my cell rings through the car speakers. “Hey, O, you’re on speaker with Aspen.”
“How’s the baby?”
“Good. Cute and tiny.” I laugh.
“You on your way home?”
“Yeah, Grant and Aurora are in with them now.”
“You need me to watch Carter so you can go?”
“Maybe in a few hours. You need to get some sleep, and we don’t want to wake him up to bring him out.”
“I can come to you,” I offer. I love my nephew and don’t mind helping, but what I really want to do is go home and curl up with Aspen in my arms and catch a few hours of sleep.
“Why are you up in the middle of the night?” I ask him.
He chuckles. “Little man was fussy. I got up to rock him a little.”
“Aw,” Aspen says.
“Call me in the morning if you want me to watch him.”
“Will do. Drive safe, oh, and, Aspen?”
“Yeah?”
“Keep his ass in line, will you?” Owen says before ending the call.
“I love your family,” Aspen comments.
“They love you too.” Reaching over, I take her hand in mine.
“I’m so tired, but it was worth it.” Glancing at the clock on the dash, it’s just after one in the morning.
“Me too, but you’re right, it was worth it.” The rest of the drive to my place is quiet, and I think she’s fallen asleep until I pull into the garage and she opens her door. Placing my hand on the small of her back, I lead her inside. “You hungry? Thirsty?” I ask her.
“Just sleep,” she says, covering a yawn.
“I’m glad we made the bed earlier,” I say, leading her down the hall to my room. It’s weird being here, in this new house. This isn’t how I thought this night would turn out, but I wouldn’t change it. Roan is here and healthy, Sawyer is doing great, and my big brother, well, he’s beside himself with love for his family. I’d say the night ended better than I could have imagined. I have a new nephew, and Aspen is here with me. I couldn’t ask for more.
In my room, she digs into the bag she packed and disappears into the bathroom without a word. A few minutes later, she’s opening the door in a pair of pajamas, and her hair is tied up on her head.
“Climb in bed. I’m going to change.” I kiss the corner of her mouth as we pass one another on my way to the bathroom. I rush through changing and brushing my teeth before turning off the light and blindly making my way to the bed. “Ouch,” I curse when I stub my toe on a box.
“You okay?” her sleepy voice asks.
“Sorry. Yeah, I need to unpack these boxes.”
“I told you so,” she says. I can hear the smirk in her voice.
Finally reaching the bed, I feel around and realize it’s the side of the bed that she chose. It will forever, from this point on, be her side of the bed. “I’m coming in,” I say, climbing over her and snuggling up to her back.
“Am I on your side?”
“No. I don’t have a side. I sleep alone. This is now your side of the bed.”
“You sure? I don’t mind moving.”
“You’re not moving. I finally got you where I want you.” I kiss her shoulder. “Night, babe.”
“Goodnight,” she whispers.
Within no time, we’re both sound asleep. How could I not be? She’s here in my arms, where she belongs.
Chapter 27
Aspen
Conrad’s thumb lazily strokes my belly. He thinks I’m asleep, and I would have been had it not been for his touch. The feel of his skin against mine is too real, and I knew it wasn’t a dream. No, this is the real thing. I’m here in his new house, in his bed, relishing his touch.
“Morning,” I say sleepily. I glance over my shoulder to find him watching me.
“I love that you’re here.”
“Me too,” I confess before tossing off the covers.
