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Seven Months Later
Kane
“Winnie, baby, I’m home!” I called out to my wife as I took off my muddy boots by the back door. I had been helping my dad set up some night vision cameras in the trees surrounding his cabin. He told me he was curious about what the animals got up to at night while he wasn’t looking. Retirement made people weird.
I entered the kitchen expecting to find my very pregnant wife, as we both had the day off, but it was completely empty. The only sign that she had been there was an open bag of chips and an empty bowl that looked like it contained strawberry ice cream at one point.
The house and land butted up against my father’s and was my wedding present for Winnie. After she had been attacked by Albert Wayne in the diner, I knew I couldn’t wait another second to make her my wife. I pulled my mother’s ring out of my pocket and put it on her finger while we rode in the ambulance to the hospital. I told her that I didn’t care where we got married but it was happening as soon as possible so she better get planning.
I smiled when I passed the wedding photo that Winnie had placed on the mantel over the fireplace. Jo had helped Mrs. James transform a barn on the Perkins’ ranch into the perfect wedding venue. Neither of them had been happy with how fast I wanted the wedding to take place. Jo still gave me grief about the joint bachelor/bachelorette party we had at Brooks’ bar. No way was I going to leave that up to Jo, she would have had strippers crawling all over my fiancée.
The day of the wedding, Winnie had never looked more beautiful. The bruises had faded from her body and her face glowed with happiness as she came down the aisle littered with daisies that our niece had scattered around. She wore a flowing white dress with more flowers woven into the curly hair that I loved so much.
Gray stood by me not only as my friend but also my best man, while I made my promises of forever to his sister. When our vows were said and Winnie was finally all mine, we spent the night dancing and laughing with what felt like the whole town as the sun set and the stars came out in a perfectly clear Texas sky. Even grumpy Harold was there with a smile on his face as he twirled his wife around the dance floor. After saving Winnie, he now had a permanently reserved spot at the diner where he could drink as much coffee as he wanted.
I walked through the house checking each room for my absent bride. Sometimes I would find her fast asleep in the glider I had just put in the baby’s nursery last week, her hands gently cradling our daughter that still grew inside of her. Winnie had decorated the nursery in soft pinks with paintings of the moon and stars hanging on the wall. A small purple rabbit was sitting in the corner of her crib, a gift from her older cousin.
When I came to our bathroom it was to find Winnie soaking in the big bathtub with her eyes closed. I crouched next to her and gently brushed the wet hair away from her face, causing her to open her eyes and smile sleepily at me. “You’re home,” she said softly.
“Come on, Fred, let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep in here.” I helped her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body, taking extra care to dry off my favorite spots.
“Oh,” she gasped, grabbing her stomach. My eyes shot to her face to see her frowning.
“What ‘oh?’” I asked, freezing in place.
“Oh, owwwww,” she grabbed her stomach again and a rush of water flooded the bathroom floor.
“Oh my God, did the tub spring a leak?” she squealed.
“Winnie, I think you sprung a leak, baby, your water just broke.” I guided my shocked wife over to a chair and had her sit down as I ran around our bedroom gathering the bags we had packed weeks ago. Me freaking out wouldn’t help her at all and I tried to be calm, at least on the outside. After helping her to get dressed, I rushed her to the car as quickly as I could move a woman in labor who was two weeks past her due date.
“Owwwwwwww,” she gasped, closing her eyes tightly and bending over as far as she could.
“Breathe, baby, you’re doing great,” I said calmly, reaching for her hand.
She squeezed my hand so tightly I was pretty sure two of my fingers were broken. “You breathe. Kane, your baby feels like it’s about to punch straight out of my stomach—aghhhhhhh!”
Pulling into the emergency drop-off zone, a nurse ran straight for us with a wheelchair and whisked Winnie inside as curse words I didn’t even know existed flew out of her mouth.
* * *
Winnie
“She’s perfect,” I said, running my knuckle along her soft pudgy cheek. Faye Rodriguez, named after Kane’s mother, was born after eight grueling hours of labor where I may have threatened to give my husband a vasectomy while he was asleep.
“She is, baby, you did such a good job.” He kissed my sweaty forehead as I handed off our girl to him. I was exhausted and I hurt in places that I didn’t know existed but I had never been happier in my life.
Gray, my parents and Kane’s dad had just left after taking turns fighting over who got to hold the baby. Lily had dropped by with a huge basket of baked goodies that smelled divine. When it was her turn to hold Faye, I noticed Gray’s eyes never left her. I would have to interrogate him about that when I had more energy.
I watched as Kane rocked our daughter and spoke to her softly. He was already the best father, Faye would grow up with two parents who loved her more than anything in the world. When she began to get fussy, he brought her back over to me and helped me open my hospital gown so that I could feed her. He sat next to me on the bed and watched in awe as our girl suckled quietly.
I smiled at my husband. My brother’s best friend who I had fallen in love with despite everything that was against us.
“I thought I already had everything I could ever want and yet you managed to give me more. I love you, Winnie.”
Tears filled my eyes and I kissed him as he leaned in. “I love you, too, Kane.” And with our daughter safely between us, we started the next chapter in our story.
