The room was filled with loud chatter and frenzied movement, but the only thing Emily could see or hear was Gavin’s eyes and voice. Breathless, she swallowed. The need to hold him skyrocketed through her chest. “I love you,” she softly choked out, feeling a tug in her stomach. “And it’s me who’ll love you until the day I take my last, dying breath.” And she would. The man standing above her had saved her in so many ways, she was sure he’d never fully understand what he meant to her. It was impossible.
As she stared into Gavin’s eyes, a second of haunting white noise rocked the air, followed by Noah’s beautiful, screaming entrance into the world. Pressure lifted from Emily’s stomach, and she felt a warm tear from Gavin’s eyes hit her cheek. As she listened to Noah’s hearty wails and watched the man she loved shed his first tears in front of her, Emily felt whole. Her heart throbbed with completeness when Gavin tore his nervous gaze from hers. It also throbbed when she heard him let out a proud, soft chuckle.
Her man was a father. Her Yankees-loving, bottle cap-giving life saver was a father. And she, a mother. In that moment, Emily cried for her own mother, realizing that every mistake she’d made with Emily, she made because she was human. Though Emily hadn’t laid eyes on him yet, she felt her love for Noah soak her soul, the same way she knew her mother’s love for her must’ve soaked hers.
Not knowing if he was allowed to but not giving a shit, Gavin yanked the surgical mask from his face. Between laughing and trying to catch his breath, Gavin spoke against Emily’s lips as he kissed her, his heart jumping in his throat. “You’re amazing. Thank you so much. Jesus Christ, he’s beautiful, Emily. He has a full head of brown hair like yours.” Gavin looked over the sheet hung in front of Emily, his smile wide. “Hey, Doogie Howser!” With a raised brow, the doctor glanced up. “Ten fingers? Ten toes? Healthy?” Gavin probed.
“Yes to all of the above. Congratulations to you both.” Smiling inquisitively, he tilted his head. “Though I must admit, I’m not sure who Doogie Howser is.”
Gavin chuckled. “Of course you don’t. You’re too young. Thank you for delivering my son. Now, can I hold him?”
Still appearing quite confused, the doctor nodded.
As one of the beaming nurses carried a tightly swaddled Noah over, a once unruffled Gavin suddenly felt nervous. He didn’t know where this was coming from, considering he’d held Teresa and Timothy when they were infants. He licked his dry lips and tried to compose himself as the woman placed Noah into his arms. As if that nervousness never existed, Gavin instantly calmed as Emily’s reflection stared back at him when he looked into the dark blue eyes of his son. In complete awe, Gavin’s eyes traced Noah’s face, his mind imprinting every second into his memory. Gavin swallowed and gently brought his fingers to Noah’s tiny button of a nose, chuckling when his son yawned.
“You think you’re tired, little guy?” Gavin asked, kissing his soft cheek. “Tell that to your mother. You made her turn a little psychotic there for a while. She scared me, and I’m a tough one to get going.”
Emily’s heart swelled at Gavin’s easiness and instant love. She wasn’t surprised though. Smiling, she watched Gavin proudly dote over their son. With Noah cradled tightly in his arms, Gavin brought him over to Emily. Leaning over her exhausted body, he held Noah to her lips, allowing her to inch up and kiss his forehead. His satiny skin felt like heaven. No longer drowning in a nightmare, he was a waking dream for Emily. She sighed as contentment bloomed wildly in her soul.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered, tears creeping from her eyes. Aching to hold him, her fingertips tingled with the need to touch him. “My God. He’s so beautiful, Gavin.”
Gavin placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. “Just like his mother.” He stared into her watery eyes, his breath stolen by the pure happiness smoothing across her face. “Thank you. You’ve given me the greatest gift a woman can ever give a man. Ever. Nothing trumps it.” Gavin kissed her again, his voice a sweet caress. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m more in love with you now than before. You’ve rocked my entire world, Emily Cooper.”
With tears of happiness streaming down her face, Emily stared at the two men who’d stolen her breath, heart, and soul the second she laid eyes on them. Though good, bad, and ugly had plagued the path she and Gavin walked along the way, she’d never take any of it back because each step brought them closer to this beautiful moment. In those minutes, during the beautiful summer the year her life changed forever, the year her future began, Emily knew she was the one that’d been given the greatest gift ever.
Now… she could finally breathe.