I look over and meet each one of our friends’ faces when I announce, “Nathaniel Gregory Reid.” When I reach Greg’s eyes, the tears gathering in the corners shock me for a second.
He walks over and gives me a small kiss on the top of my head. “Thank you, baby girl. That means the world . . . means the world to me.”
I smile at him and wipe my eyes dry.
Axel comes over and hands me Nate before climbing into the bed next to me. We all sit there and enjoy the moment until the baby starts to cry. Axel looks worried, but I lean over and whisper in his ear that it’s time to feed him. With some quick (Maddox, Beck, and Coop) and reluctant (Dee and Greg) goodbyes, our family leaves and Axel comes back over to me. He puts his arm around my shoulders and I lean into his body, settling Nate so that Axel can look down into his angelic face with me.
When I settle Nate on my breast and feel him give the first timid pull, I smile down at him and think to myself that fate finally loves me. Fate is welcoming me into her arms and shining her bright rays of love onto our family.
It doesn’t take me long to drift off to sleep, safe in Axel’s embrace with the gift of our love in my arms.
THE END
Keep reading for some deleted scenes from Axel.
NAMING THE BABY
“Are you happy?”
The question seems so bizarre coming from her lips. Does she really doubt my happiness?
“You must be out of your mind, Princess, if you for one second think I’m not.”
I look up and meet her green eyes from where my head is resting on her lap. My fingers are still caressing her swollen stomach, every few seconds getting a solid kick in return. Almost as if my boy is letting me know that he feels me.
Every time I look at her and see her body changing with our child, I almost lose my mind. It feels like my heart might burst. This is all part of the dream we shared all those years ago, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified that it will all just vanish.
“Seriously, Axel. I can’t help but wonder what life would be like if we hadn’t lost all those years. I almost feel guilty being as happy as I am, knowing how much we lost.”
Without breaking eye contact, I fold myself up and take her face between my hands. “Izzy, no doubt we were dealt a shit hand . . . to start with. But we found each other again. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can take this happiness from us. Me, you, our son, and any other children we have.”
I press my lips against hers briefly, but with just enough strength that she starts pulling me more firmly against her. We both laugh when we feel our son kick. His strong kicks against my stomach feel a hell of a lot different against my hands.
“Come here, Princess. This little man needs a name.” I go to pull her towards me but pause when I see her bite her lip. “Izzy? What’s going on up there?” I tap her temple lightly and smile, knowing that whatever is rolling around up there has been weighing heavy.
“I’ve been thinking . . .” She trails off and looks away. “I don’t just want to name him anything. I don’t know how to explain it, Ax. I want his name to have meaning. Something strong that will always remind us of how blessed we are. Does that make sense?”
God, I love this woman.
“Yeah, babe. I get it. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Hear me out, okay?” She nods her head a few times, her eyes shining brightly with excitement. “The other day, I was looking up names and came across one I think will be perfect.” I pause for a second and wait for her nod of approval before continuing. “So, I found one of those sites that have baby names and their meanings. There was one that means ‘God given,’ and babe, with everything we’ve been through and overcome, if this little guy isn’t a sign of God giving us one hell of a blessing, I don’t know what is.”
In all honesty, the second I saw the name, I knew—that is my son’s name. That is it. I always knew that Izzy was my blessing, my reward for my shit life. But this little miracle we made? That is OUR blessing. Our gift from God for overcoming and surviving everything he threw at us.
“Okay, well? What is it?” She is literally vibrating with excitement. She gets it. I shouldn’t have doubted she would.
“Nathaniel,” I reply and wait. It’s a few seconds’ worth of her blinking her watery eyes at me rapidly before she lets out a breathy echo, repeating my word.
“It’s perfect, Ax. Our gift—Nathaniel.”
“One more, babe. His middle name. I don’t think I need to explain this one but I will. For too many years, I wasn’t there to protect you. I wasn’t there to pick up the pieces when you needed me either. But Greg was. Baby, I don’t know any other way to honor that than to give Nathaniel one hell of a namesake. What do you think—Nathaniel Gregory?”
At this point, I doubt she even registers my words. Tears are falling fast and she is sobbing quietly. But after all of that, her smile is blinding.Yeah, my girl got me.
“Nathaniel Gregory Reid. I love it. Our son, our gift, and our blessing,” She whispers between choked sobs.
“Love you, Princess.”
“Love you too, Axel.”