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Father kept his arm around her, maintaining a stoic expression but visibly touched by the newest member of the family. “He’s so beautiful, Sapphire. He has Barsetti eyes.”
Sapphire turned her torso so she could hand the baby off to my father. “Here. Meet your grandson.”
“I’d love to. But I think his grandma should go first.” Father stepped aside so Mama could scoop her arms underneath him and pull him to her chest. She held him close, and when she felt him in her arms, she started to cry harder.
My mother hardly ever cried, and right now, those tears seemed to be of joy. “He’s perfect…”
The baby was quiet as he stared up at my mother, seeing his grandmother for the first time.
Father kept his arm around her waist, looking into the face of his first grandson. “Do we have a name?”
“Yes,” Conway said. “Reid. Reid Barsetti.”
“Reid…” Mama continued to stare at her grandson. “It’s nice to meet you, Reid.”
“I like it,” Father whispered.
Mama handed Reid over to Father so he could hold him next. Once Father had Reid in his arms, he softened even more. He smiled as he looked at his grandson, displaying emotion just the way he did when he spoke to me. “I love him already.”
Conway kept his arm around my shoulders, showing me more affection than usual because he was in a good mood. “Sapphire was amazing. She was in labor for so long, but she got our son out. She was a badass.”
Sapphire shook her head. “Stop it…I was so scared.”
“I was scared too,” Mama said. “Childbirth isn’t easy.”
“And now we have an amazing son,” Conway said proudly. “He’s perfect. Healthy. Beautiful.” He took a deep breath and sighed, his joy palpable.
“I’m happy for you, Conway,” I said. “It’s the happiest day of your life.”
“Yeah, it is.” He looked down at his wife. “No offense, honey.”
She smiled. “None taken.”
My father walked around the bed and handed Reid to me. “Here’s your aunt.”
I scooped him into my arms and looked into the face I would love for the rest of my life. My nephew was perfect. With a beautiful face and gorgeous eyes, he was an adorable baby. “He’s so cute.” He stared at me like he was just as fascinated with me as I was with him. “I can’t wait to spoil you and piss off your father.”
“Be careful,” Conway warned. “Because when you have kids, I’ll get my revenge.”
The thought of kids made me think of Bones, who couldn’t be here to share this moment. “Griffin had to work…”
Conway patted my back. “That’s okay. The two of you will come by the house when he’s back, and you can spend the whole day with him. I’m sure Reid would love to meet his uncle.”
I smiled at the way my brother included the man I loved, even though he wasn’t my husband. “Thanks.”
We spent the next while passing Reid around, taking turns holding him. When an hour passed, Father looked at the clock. “We would love to stay, but I know your uncle is anxious to meet the new Barsetti too. We’ll be in the waiting room. How long will you guys be staying?”
“Until tomorrow morning,” Conway answered.
“Alright,” Father said. “We’ll make the final arrangements for the baby’s arrival at home.”
“Thanks,” Conway said. “We appreciate it.” He hugged all of us and then shared a special moment with our father. “Thanks for everything, Father. Now that I have a son, it really hit me how much you’ve done for me…how much you love me.”
Father cupped the back of his head and kissed him on the forehead. “I know, son. As your love grows every single day, you’ll understand it more and more.”
Nine
Bones
I stayed in the mountain overnight, feeling the freezing temperatures as the night deepened. If my muscles weren’t so thick, I could have been in serious danger. Max continued to talk in my ear every few hours, assuring me there was no one approaching me through the satellite feed.
I had a lot of time to sit there and think. And of course, I thought about Vanessa.
I wasn’t in any serious danger, but if she knew what was going on right now, it would kill her. I felt like shit for putting myself in this situation, for risking what we had for money. My loyalty to Max had trapped me in the situation, but that didn’t change anything. It was still horrible. I was sitting in the mountains surrounded by snow, and I was waiting until the following evening to finally make my escape.
When I came clean about it, she would kill me.
The hours passed until morning arrived. I stayed hydrated and snacked on the emergency food supply I’d brought. It was nothing but protein bars, not nearly enough to fuel my size, but it was all I had.
