AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Things between Natalie and me had been going great. I was madly in love with her and this unborn little bundle of joy. I knew this was most likely going to be the only child that Natalie could have, but I hoped, down the line, we could adopt another one so this little one could have a sibling. We had time for that, though, and I would enjoy every second I could spend with my new family.
Since returning to New York, I had been keeping an ear to the ground for Dom’s organization to ensure they weren’t trying to make any move against us. I was pleased that there was no retaliation or rumor of it. It was safe for me to say that they didn’t know it was me who had killed Dom; as far as they knew, I was either dead or in jail.
“One last big push, Natalie, and your sweet little one will be here,” the nurse said with a warm smile.
Natalie gave a scream as she pushed one last time before the room was filled with the sound of a baby’s cry. At the sound, tears were instantly filling my eyes. It was the best sound I had ever heard.
“Congratulations, Mom and Dad, you have a beautiful baby girl,” the nurse said with a warm smile as she held up our daughter for us to see.
She was beautiful and gross, but mostly beautiful. I felt Natalie slump against me, all of her energy completely drained. Her shoulders jerked slightly. I knew she was crying. The nurse placed our daughter on Natalie’s chest, and we worked on cleaning her up.
“She’s beautiful, baby,” I said as we cleaned her up.
“I never thought this would happen. That we would make it,” Natalie said, as the tears freely rolled down her cheeks.
I knew this had been a long and arduous struggle for her. Every day she was terrified that her past chemo would work against her and she would lose our daughter. She didn't even decorate the nursery until we got cleared by the doctor that our daughter was viable should the worst happen and Natalie go into early labor. It wasn’t until we reached that point that she started to feel excited and happy.
We got the nursery together with all our little one would need for the next two months. It had been a lot of work, but I was happy to do it. Gab also helped out; he was turning into a great godfather.
“I just need to look her over,” the nurse said as she took our daughter and brought her over to the doctor.
I placed a kiss on the side of Natalie’s head before I spoke, “You did so good, baby.”
“She’s beautiful. She looked healthy, though, right?” Natalie asked, worried already that something could be wrong with her.
“She looks perfect. They have to check her weight and take her vitals, that’s all.”
I knew for a while that Natalie would be overprotective and worry easily. It was natural for a first-time mother, but given her history, she was going to be more worried about something going wrong. It was something I was going to have to watch over because I didn’t want it to get out of hand. I didn’t want her to develop any problems postpartum.
She wasn’t the only one who would feel overprotective, though. I already had a new security system with cameras and alarms on every window. To most it might seem extreme, but to me it was the best way to protect my family. I was still the Don of my organization and despite the fact that I had been working toward making it all legal, we weren’t there yet. A few operations needed to be made legit, and until that happened, I couldn’t get a deep breath in.
After a few moments, the nurse brought our little girl back all wrapped up in a hospital receiving blanket. Natalie instantly took her in her arms and gave her a beautiful teary-eyed smile.
“Hello, Mia, I’m your momma.”
“And I’m your daddy,” I said as I touched her tiny head.
I still couldn’t believe this. When Natalie told me she wanted to live with me and be a family, I never in my wildest dreams expected her to want me to be the father of her only child. I knew I would love her, regardless if Natalie would allow me to have the title. Mia was a miracle baby who deserved to be loved and spoiled.
Knowing that Natalie wanted me to be her daughter’s father sent a deep warmth throughout my chest. It spoke volumes to how she looked at me. Gone were the days when all she saw was a killer. The man who had killed her father. She now saw me for who I truly was, and I couldn’t have been happier. This was my family, and I was going to cherish every single second I spent with them.
“Alright, little Mia, welcome home,” I said as I opened the front door.
She had been alive for two days, and we finally took her home. These past two days had been unlike anything I had ever experienced. I had never really been around children. I had friends growing up, but that was different. As an adult, I didn’t have much experience with them, so taking care of this tiny human being was both nerve-wracking and terrifying.
I was so worried that I was going to burp her too hard or hold her the wrong way and hurt her. She was so small and precious that I just wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap without anyone touching her. Natalie was also having a hard time with it as well; this was something she had never expected to enjoy. She had been told most of her life that she would never have children, and now she was caring for a daughter. We both didn’t want to do something wrong.
The nurses at the hospital had been amazing. I would donate to them to show how much I appreciate their kindness and patience. They showed us how to change Mia’s diapers, feed and burp her, and bathe her properly. They weren’t bothered by the hundreds of questions we asked. They were remarkable and deserved to have something to show for it.
“I can’t believe she is all ours now. I don’t really feel ready,” Natalie said softly.
“I know what you mean. I keep wanting to look around for a nurse just in case. But they showed us how to take care of her and we are capable of doing this.” I moved closer to her and wrapped my arms around her as I continued, “You are an amazing mom and little Mia is very lucky to have you in her life. You got this.”
“Thank you, and if I don’t have this, then I at least have you and know you can handle it. Although she already seems to have you wrapped around her little finger,” Natalie teased.
I gave them both a loving smile as I spoke. “She and her momma have that in common.”
This was not the life I ever expected to have a year ago. I never thought being happy and moving on from Alexis and the loss would be possible. Yet I was standing in the living room I shared with the woman I loved and our daughter. I didn’t know what I did to deserve either of them, but I was forever thankful to have them in my life. We both headed up the stairs to bring Mia to her nursery and lay her down in her crib.
