Paul
Logan lays his ear on Emily’s belly and swears he can “hear” Catherine’s heartbeat. Emily laughs and threads her fingers into his hair. The doctor gave her an epidural about an hour ago, and she’s a lot more comfortable now than she was before. She was in a lot of pain. She has been laboring for about five hours and hasn’t gotten very far until now.
The nurse dashes into the room, gives her a quick exam while I look out the window, and calls for the doctor. “It’s time,” she says.
Friday goes to Emily and whispers something to her, and Emily’s eyes fill with tears. I want to ask her what she said, but I suppose it can wait. The doctor rushes into the room, and the nurse leads me and Friday—the only ones who were allowed to be in the room with them—back to the waiting room. The only reason we got away with staying as long as we did was because Logan told them he needed a translator. He doesn’t. He does fine without one. But it worked. And Friday got to stay, too.
Logan had me run Emily’s parents out of the room a couple of hours ago. They were just too excited and too worried for Emily to be any help.
Logan doesn’t need me for this part, but it’s really hard letting him grow up and be a man all on his own. I f*cking raised him. And I don’t think I’m ready to be done yet.
Friday takes my hand in hers, and we walk into the waiting room. Pete is asleep in a recliner with Reagan tucked into his side. He’s snoring, and I think she is too. Sky is awake, and she’s drawing circles on the back of Matt’s hand while he talks softly to her. His hand lies on her belly, and there’s something so beautiful about it that I can’t look away. Their girls are asleep on a blanket at the their feet. Joey and Mellie found out the baby was on the way and there was nothing Sky and Matt could do to keep them at home. Seth is standing by the window drinking a soda.
Sam is asleep on the sofa. His feet are up on the back of it, so I sit down in the empty space that’s left. I motion for Friday to sit in my lap. She perches on the arm of the couch beside me instead.
Emily’s dad leans forward. “What’s going on?” he asks.
I grin. “It’s time,” I say. I can’t stop smiling.
Mrs. Madison claps her hands together. “I can’t wait!” she cries.
Matt rolls his eyes behind her, and it makes me grin.
Friday threads her fingers in my hair, a lot like the way Emily did to Logan a minute ago. I close my eyes and enjoy the fact that she’s touching me. That she wants to touch me. It means something to me. Especially when I feel like my guts are hanging on the outside of me because I’m so f*cking nervous for Logan.
I reach out and pull Friday into my lap, and she settles her head against my chest. She nestles into a spot, snuggling with me, and then she tilts her head back and looks up at me.
“Wait!” Sam says, lifting his head.
“What?” I ask. I force myself to look up at him.
He motions from Friday to me and back. “Are you guys a thing now?”
I grin and look down at her. She worries her lower lip with her teeth. “Are we a thing?” I ask her.
“We’re a thing,” she whispers to me.
My heart trips a beat. I press my lips to her forehead and linger there, and she makes a soft noise. It’s almost like a purr, and I find that I really, really like it.
I tip her face up and press my lips to hers.
“God,” Sam complains, “it’s so f*cking weird watching you two be a thing. You make me want to throw up.”
I smack his leg. “Watch your mouth,” I say. I move my eyes toward Emily’s parents, but her dad just shakes his head and laughs. He likes us a lot more than he used to.
“Sorry,” Sam grumbles.
“Kids,” Mrs. Madison says, commiserating with me. “What can you do? Mine ran away from home, fell in love, and made a wonderful life for herself.”
“They’re happy,” I say. Friday yawns, and I feel her hot breath through my shirt. I sit up a little so I can draw her even closer.
Suddenly, Logan runs into the room. “She’s here,” he says, signing at the same time. But he’s so f*cking excited that his hands are flying wildly. “Eight pounds, two ounces, and she’s twenty inches long. And she’s perfect.” He stops to take a breath. “I just cut the cord, and it was disgusting and awesome all at the same time.”
His eyes are shiny with tears, and he dashes his hands across his cheeks. He leaves to go back to Emily, and the door shuts with a swoosh behind him.
I swallow hard because my heart is in my throat.
“You did good,” Friday says quietly. She tips my face down and kisses me. “Really good.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I say, surprised to hear how gravelly my voice is.
“You did everything,” she whispers, and I feel her tears against my shirt. I hold her to me because I have a feeling this has a lot more to do with her past than Logan’s present. “You did everything they needed.”
“Can I be what you need, too?” I ask.
I feel her nod against my chest. And my f*cking heart takes flight. She can keep her secrets if she needs to. But I’m here to take her burden if she wants that, the same way I take theirs. Because she’s family. My family.