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The little acrobat was kicking me from the inside a lot today, but I was too happy to mind. All of us savored the warmth of a summer that was just beginning, the promise of the future lingering in every breeze.
Even the drama that had brought us to this point couldn’t touch this moment. "Heard Owen got rejected from Yale. Karma's a real thing," Leah had told me earlier, chuckling, her eyes sparkling mischievously. I let her laugh even as total indifference was all that I could muster up in response. Owen Prescott, the shadow of our past, didn't matter anymore. He had been left behind, a distant figure cluttering the rearview mirror, but the windshield showed only the bright open road ahead.
And our car was pretty full as it was, with the four of us and a car seat Dane had picked after extensive, surprisingly-nerdy research determined which was the safest. Luckily, Xander was always happy to foot the bill.
When we all gathered for a couple of cheesy speeches from our loved ones, I shared a private look with my guys, squeezing each of their hands in turn. Life was unfolding beautifully, and we were ready to embrace it. None of the petty troubles from our high school days could tarnish this moment.
Ouch.Some pretty legit abdominal pain sure could, though. I had to shuffle in my seat to re-situate myself after the sudden hurt passed, and each of my amazing baby daddies checked on me with the appropriate level of concern.
“All good,” I told them once the strange pain had subsided. I brushed it off as a reaction to all of the excitement, but when a second wave of discomfort made me pause a few minutes later, something like panic started to crop up.
It was full panic mode when wetness spilled down my legs under my flowy sundress. That tight, sharp pain that seemed to render me speechless… there was only one thing it could be. I knew it was time.
I turned to the guys, my eyes widening. "Oh, my God. I–I think it’s go time, fellas."
I gripped my enormous belly as another pain wracked through me.
Dane, Bryce, and Xander all stared at me for a beat. Xander was the first one to finally notice how I was holding my dress awkwardly, since it was sopping wet. Those blue eyes had never been so bulging before.
“Oh, fuck!” he exclaimed, uncharacteristically animated. “It’s too early! You’re not due for another few weeks!”
“I know that,” I ground out through the pain.
“Sounds like our little girl doesn’t care about convenience or plans.” Dane laughed, clearly elated with this development despite his fidgeting, his one tell that he was scared shitless.
“Yeah, sounds like somebody else I know,” Bryce teased me, throwing an arm over my shoulders. A sharp wave of pain made me cry out, and then jokes stopped. Together in panic and in presence, all three of my guys helped guide me to the car, Leah rushing ahead to clear a path through the festivities.
The drive to the hospital was a blur, and at the hospital, the chaos continued. No matter how ready we’d seemed to be,how many plans and contingency plans and contingency-for-the-contingency plans Xander had strong-armed all of us into making, nothing could have prepared us for the bizarre energy of the delivery room. My doctor and a handful of nurses guided us through the whirlwind with perfect calm. The guys, clad in hospital gowns that clashed terribly with their attempts at composure, stood by my side through every single second, just like I'd known they would.
As the contractions intensified, Xander tried to recall Lamaze breathing techniques from a YouTube video, Dane fumbled with the ice chips, and Bryce somehow managed to get tangled in the fetal heart monitor wires. In the midst of the pandemonium, the doctor calmly announced, "It's time to push."
With some more time, a final burst of determination, and a lot of screams fromallof her parents, our little girl made her grand entrance into the world. Tears streamed down my face as they placed her tiny, squirming form in my arms.
“God, she’s so small,” I sob-laughed through her wails, looking with pure love into the wrinkled red face of my daughter. Her head was covered in a thin layer of blonde hair, just like mine, and her every tiny movement was a miracle.
A hush settled over the room as the guys marveled at the miracle before them, passing her between themselves after sufficient snuggle time. Bryce's eyes widened in awe, Xander's usually stoic demeanor melted away, and Dane, ever the intense one, seemed to cradle our daughter with the gentlest touch.
“She’s perfect,” Xander whispered.
“Amazing,” Dane agreed.
A teary Bryce said, “Do you think she looks like me?”
Even now, in the biggest moment of all of our lives so far, we could all laugh. That was part of what I loved about our little family.
In the quiet moments that followed, we discussed the future. Xander revealed that now that he’d graduated high school, his trust fund had kicked in, and he insisted on providing for us all.
“We’ll get a house in Boston,” he proclaimed to the room as he carefully cradled our daughter’s head. “Something big enough for all five of us, and close to campus.”
He’d gotten into Harvard, of course. With all of the raging hormones still struggling to settle in my system, just thinking about that made me teary. "I'm so proud of you, Xander," I whispered to him. "And she'll be proud of you, too."
Bryce had committed to play football with a full scholarship at a school that was close enough to Harvard for us all to stay together. Dane had plans to stay home with the baby while he worked toward making his writing dream a reality, though he insisted that he’d contribute to the household by working on cars from time to time. My own career path remained uncertain, though I already had plans to get some of my college gen-ed requirements out of the way when our baby was a little older. I still wanted to do something with horses, and though I hadn’t figured out the perfect career to pursue yet, I had time. With the guys at my side, I also had the freedom to explore my passions while savoring these first moments of motherhood. I had no doubt that with my family and my little girl, eventually, I’d find the right path.
“What’s her name?” Dane asked me, furrowing his brow as he thought. “Did we ever make a decision?”
“I’m still gunning for Bryce Junior, personally. Don’t give me that look, babe! It totally works for a girl.”
“You don’t hear us advocating for Danielle or Alexandra,” Xander snarked back, but he was smiling.
The weight of our daughter’s warmth grounded me in the present, even as my heartbeat fluttered with nervousness. “I had an idea, actually,” I said to the room, stroking the baby’s headwith a soft finger. The guys surrounded my hospital bed, eagerly awaiting my next words. “I was thinking… Ruby? You know, kind of like Jade, but a different stone. I think it’s pretty.”
I knew when Dane started crying that I’d picked a winner.
Our story, an unconventional tale of love for a nontraditional family, would continue to unfold as we raised baby Ruby in love and friendship. All five of us would stick together through every twist and turn. As we stepped into the golden glow of the future, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all of it. This was our happily ever after, my three men, my little girl, and the woman I’d become through it all.
