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“They just shot up a bit after that kiss,” she quips.
I place my hand on her belly. “I guess you know that the baby is doing fine, too.”
She puts her hand on top of mine, pressing it just a tad. I lay my head cheek-to-cheek with her, absorbing the moment. There are a lot of things I want to tell her, but they can wait.
After she falls asleep, I doze off, too.
A long beep from the machine rouses me back to alertness.
“Baby Belle?” I pat her hand.
“The vitals clip just slipped off my finger. I’m still alive, don’t worry.”
A nurse comes in to check on her but soon leaves us be when she sees Isabelle is okay.
I stifle a yawn, unsure how long I was asleep. I glance at Isabelle. She looks way brighter than me, which reminds me of something. Her middle name, which I like very much but hasn’t been on my mind. “Baby Moon Belle?”
Her smile widens. “Moon?”
“Yes, Isabelli Luna Martins. It’s a quarter moon outside, but it’s very bright.”
“Ah, the moon. When I’m at the hospital, I usually think about the sun. Because of my graveyard shift, I guess. I was always looking forward to sunrise,” she reveals, one hand caressing my cheek. “Are you okay?”
“I’m supposed to do that to you,” I tease her, kissing her palm as I take over being the caresser.
“Something bothering you?” she asks.
“No. I’m happy.”
“Come on, Clayton. Talk to me.”
“I don’t want to make you emotional.”
“Try me.”
With that solemn gaze, I find the courage to tell her, “I’m sorry about what I said. I made a terrible mistake with what I accused you of.”
“I can’t remember what you said.”
“Truly, Isabelle, I need you to forgive me. I was cruel. I wasn’t myself then. Fletcher certainly took advantage of it, and I fell for it. That’s not how I want you to remember me.”
Her eyes glisten, soft and understanding.
I add, “Hell, I’m not myself whenever you’re not by my side.”
“I forgive you, Clay. I’ve forgiven you right after you said it.”
“I love you, Isabelli Martins. With all of me.”
“I love you too, Clayton Hartley, a stranger with a heart. This—” She caresses her belly. “—is how I’m going to remember you. Every baby is a miracle, but this baby is more than that. It’s proof that we’re meant to be.”
I kiss her deeply. To hell with making her emotional! What we’re sharing is an emotion that will heal her.
As a response, Isabelle presses her lips against mine as if saying, ‘Who dares separate us!’
Clayton the bachelor didn’t know where his heart belonged. Now I do—its place is with this woman in my arms. Of course, I still have love for others—my family, those kids in Oltepesi—but her? She has my whole heart.
I sit back on my chair, observing her cast leg.
