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Cade and I both laugh, startling Killian again.
And oh boy, laughing does not feel good now that the meds are beginning to wear off.
I have no idea what time it is when the last of our siblings filter out.
I’ve slept on and off throughout the day, and I’m pretty sure I saw everyone until Lenny pops into the room with Sebastian in tow. Oops. I guess I didn’t see Lenny.
Sebastian averts his eyes as Killian nurses again.
No one warned me how often babies needed to nurse or that nursing exhausts you. Amelia filled me in today when I asked, but someone should seriously warn a girl about these things. I think I’m going to write my own book, All The Things To Expect The Day You Deliver. Because none of this was in any of those damn books.
Lenny quietly stands next to me with tears in her eyes. “You know, there were other ways to get out of your baby shower, Scarlet.”
I gently shake my head. “Yes, but I figured this would be the best excuse.” I pull Killian off my chest and sit him up to burp him the way the lactation specialist showed me earlier. Then, I offer my son to Lenny. “Want to hold your nephew?”
She takes him from me, and Sebastian and Cade join us as Lenny sways with Killian in her arms. “I’m in love, Scarlet. I can’t believe he’s a boy. I bought so many baby girl outfits.”
I laugh. “Yeah. Me too. Maybe you guys will have a girl.”
Sebastian pulls my sister to his side and stares down at Killian. “So long as everybody’s healthy, I don’t care what we have. But it would be fun to watch Maddox and Killian make sure our daughter never dates.”
“Sebastian,” Lenny gasps.
He shrugs. “Come on. It’s funny.”
“No, it’s not.” Lenny looks up at me. “You gonna try for a girl?”
“Spoken like a woman who did not just have her body torn apart. I’m going to try to walk tonight, then I’m going to try to sleep. I make no promises after that, Len.”
She places Killian gently into Cade’s arms and kisses my cheek. “Love you, big sister.”
“Love you too, Len.”
A week later, I carefully roll to my side in our bed and reach over to snuggle into Cade.
The bed is cold, so I sit up to look over at the bassinet that sits within arm’s reach. It’s empty, and the clock reads 2:30 a.m. I’ve been asleep since around eleven o’clock, and the sting of my heavy breasts is definitely letting me know it’s time for Killian to eat.
I grab my robe from the chair it’s thrown over and pull it on before I pad across the hall and peek in on Brynlee to make sure she’s okay. She’s sleeping soundly in her princess bed with Teddy tucked safely under her arm. Cade and I discussed it, and Becket has already started the paperwork for me to adopt her. Legally being her mother won’t change the love I have for her at all, but we agreed that it’s important to both of us. I pull her blanket up and tuck her in. “Sweet dreams, baby girl.”
Killian’s room is the next one down, and when I push open the door, I’m not surprised to find my husband sitting in the soft white glider rocker with his feet up on the ottoman. We had a crew come in and repaint the formerly pink and gray room... What can I say? I let Brynlee help me pick it out. It’s now a beautiful pale blue with light green accents and blue and green elephants adorning the walls. His cherrywood crib stands across from the changing table and shelving unit. He won’t be sleeping in here for a few months, but the chair Cade’s sitting in is pretty damn comfortable.
He’s in nothing but his black boxer briefs. Golden muscles are on full display as our little man lies against his chest in a diaper. He loves the skin-on-skin time with his daddy.
It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“You gonna just stand there and stare?” Cade whispers in a raspy, sleep-deprived voice as he cracks open his eyes and kisses Killian’s head.
I shrug and cross my arms over my robe. “I was thinking about it. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I wanted you to get some sleep.”
I reach down and take Killian from Cade’s arms, then kiss my husband. “I love you.”
“It’s always been you, duchess.”
“It’s always been us, Saint.”
