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“Does she know?” Mia asked.
“No. Maddie wants to be the one to tell her. She just knows Maddie’s staying away tonight.”
“She’ll be fine, Nico. We’ll keep her busy,” Mia promised.
“Thanks. She loves being with Sam, but he’s older and I think he struggles to keep up with her. He just needs a little help.”
“We’ve got it, Nic. It’ll be good practice for me,” Ty told me. He and Jake had been approved to adopt finally and would be placed with a child sometime soon.
“Here, Nico.” Mia handed me the pink bag. “I was able to get some clothes for a baby under five pounds, which was the smallest they had. I got some bathing supplies the lady in the store suggested too, and a few other things. I also brought toothbrushes and clean t-shirts in giant sizes for you guys. There’s clothes for Maddie too and some snacks. If you need anything else just call and we’ll get it right over here.”
“Thank you so much, Mia. Maddie was devastated she didn’t have clothes for the baby. This is going to help,” I said, holding up the bag.
“Tell her I’m here, Nico, whatever she needs. And tell her not to worry about Willow. We’re gonna be just fine together.” Mia reached up onto her tip toes and kissed my cheek. “I love you, big brother,” she added.
“Love you too,Tesoro.”I gave Ty a nod of thanks, then turned and hurried back to the stairs, desperate to get back to Maddie.
MADDIE
“You did it, baby. You did it,” Hunter told me as he smoothed my wild hair back from my sweaty face, then swiped at the tears running down my cheeks. He was behind me on the bed, his legs and arms around me, bracing my weight and trying to take some of the strain from my back.
The labor had not been quick, as Doctor Andrews told me. I had been having agonizing contractions for over seven hours before I started pushing and on top of all of the emotions I was dealing with, I hadn’t handled it well. Thankfully, I’d had my guys and they had been with me every step of the way.
They were there now, as the midwife who had delivered my baby wrapped him or her – I still didn’t know – in a towel. I was sobbing as I collapsed back against Hunter. Kai and Nico were at one side, Cam at the other and they were all trying to soothe me with their touches, letting me know they were there.
“It’s a boy, Maddie,” The midwife told me.
“A boy,” I sobbed. Willow had wanted a brother. She had been so excited to play with him and to take care of him. Now she would never get that chance.
“Do you still want to hold him?” she asked.
“Yes.” I sat up and took a deep, steadying breath. My heart was broken and I was wracked with guilt for causing the death of my child, but Cam’s words had hit me hard earlier. This time, right there in that room was all I would get with my baby and I needed him to know how much I loved him. I need to emblazon his image in my mind so I could hold onto it always.
The midwife handed my son to me, wrapped in a pale blue towel, and still covered with all of the gunk that had surrounded him inside of me.
“He has red hair, sunshine, just like you,” Kai remarked, and when I glanced up at him, tears were tracking down his cheeks. I reached up to smooth down the thick hair on my sons head. It was dark because he needed bathing, but very obviously red.
“He’d have been mad with me for that when he got older,” I laughed and cried at the same time.
“Nah, I think he’d have carried it with style, just like his gorgeous mom,” Cam told me and when I glanced to him he smiled despite the tears in his eyes.
“He’s so perfect,” I whispered as I took in his chubby little face and his button nose. His lips were pouty with a perfect little archers bow at the top. I freed his hands from the towel and counted his tiny fingers. Everything about him was so perfect, and were it not for the fact his tiny body was so cold on my arms, I would have been expecting him to open his eyes and wail at me, just as his sister had the first time I held her.
“He’s beautiful,” Nico whispered as he smoothed one of his huge hands over the red hair.
“How are you feeling, Maddie? You’re very calm?” The midwife said and I looked to her, confused. Was that an accusation? Should I be more emotional, because I could assure her I was falling apart on the inside.
“This is the only time I get with my baby,” I told her, somewhat annoyed by her comment. “There will be plenty of time to fall apart later. Right now I want to memorize every single detail of my little boy.”
“I think you can leave us now. We have everything we need,” Hunter dismissed her, much to my relief. I had felt the afterbirth come minutes after the baby, so I knew the labor was over. I just wanted her out now.
She had already had the baby bath and some supplies brought in while I was having contractions, so we had all we needed to take care of my baby and I didn’t want anyone else in the room ruining the short amount of time we had.
Hunter followed her to the door, closing it a little aggressively behind her once she was gone.
“Ev always loved your red hair,” Cam sighed as he touched the baby’s tiny hand.
“He’ll take good care of him, won’t he?” I asked as a lump formed in my throat.
