AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The nurse helps me stay upright then he pulls out a gown. “Can you get into this or do you need help?”
“I can help her.” Trace glowers and grabs the gown out of his hand.
“Take it down a notch unless you want to deliver the baby yourself.”
I’ve never seen my husband turn green but he physically gulps and steps back as soon as he helps me get the gown on.
Within seconds I’m hooked up to a monitor, grimacing as another pain hits, this one so bad that I can’t even breathe, can’t speak.
The monitors beep and before long we’ve got a roomful of people all yelling and trying to convince me that I can do this.
I’m so tired that it feels like I can’t even lift my arm. My belly tightens again and I can’t lift myself up. Trace sits behind me and helps me stay upright, helps me brace for the next pain and he glares at the doctor when he gets down in front of me and smiles at me. “Are we ready to do this?”
“Get it out,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
I groan and strain and finally, finally…I hear a wail and turn to smile at my husband, the pressure finally releasing in my belly.
Only to watch my big, strong husband’s gorgeous green eyes roll back in his head as he falls backwards, toppling like a giant felled tree.
I giggle, fighting the urge to yell, “timber!”
Everyone stares at the huge man now lying half-on a chair and half on the ground like a mannequin.
The doctor sighs. “It’s always the big ones.”
Then the nurses scramble to pick up Trace and the doc takes care of me and before I know it, I’m holding a gushy bundle of baby who’s whimpering and whining as he snuffles for my chest.
“He’s hungry,” I laugh and Trace grumbles.
“Don’t begrudge the kid his food, Daddy,” I grin at him and he sighs, holding an ice pack on the lump on his head.
“I know, I know. I’ve got to share. I’ve never been really good at that.”
I snort. “Yeah. I got that.”
After an hour, when our little man has been changed and cleaned up and is snoozing happily with a full belly, Trace finally puts the ice pack down and sits on the edge of the bed. “Let me put him in the crib.”
“Okay.” He picks him up and the wonder and joy on his face is something else. And it tells me all I need to know about my husband and his love for his child.
Trace was missing a lot when he was a kid. The love of his parents and a normal childhood. But somehow, someway, this beautiful man grew up into a man that loves fiercely, deeply and whole-heartedly. Every child should have a father like him.
He smiles down at his son’s sleepy face and chuckles lightly when Cash grabs onto his finger and holds tightly to him, his eyes staring up like he can actually see the big man who so obviously adores him already.
“He is so beautiful, princess. I cannot wait to watch him grow up and see what kind of man he’s going to become.”
I smile and blow him a kiss. “With a father like you, he’s going to be an amazing kid.”
He smiles over at me and I see a single tear roll down his tanned, weathered cheek. “I love you, princess.”
“I love you too. Merry Christmas, Daddy.”
Epilogue Two: Trace
TWENTY YEARS LATER
“Baby, we’ve got to go. We’re gonna be late for the Christmas party.”
“I swear, I can’t believe I agreed to go to this thing again.”
