Anna and I both decided that we’d call our parents in the morning. They’d already missed the birth, so what was a few more hours of ignorance? And besides, Anna didn’t want to think about what she was going to do yet, and our parents would want an answer. Anna just wanted peace and quiet with her new baby girl.
I read my book in the corner of the room while Anna slept and Griffin held Gibson. He stared down at her like he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He couldn’t stop smiling either. I’d never seen Griffin so completely happy. Every once and a while, Gibson would do something cute and Griffin would giggle. I’d never heard him laugh like that. It was adorable, and my book-reading quickly faded into Griffin-watching.
Adjusting her cap, Griffin stroked her thin, fine hair. Smiling, he looked up at me. “I think she’s going to be blond, like me.” He looked down at her again, adoration on his face. “I hope she has Anna’s eyes, though.” They were a dark blue-gray now, but the nurse had told us that most babies were born with eyes that color. They settled into the color they were going to have for life within the first year. I’d found that really interesting, but I was a little surprised that Griffin had retained that bit of information.
It was late when Kellan showed up with Evan and Matt, just on the verge of it being too late for them to visit at all. But I’d been coming back from the vending machine in the waiting room, and I’d watched Kellan smile his way through the nurse’s station. Of course they’d let him visit. He probably could have gotten them to find him a cot and give him a sponge bath.
All of the boys were dressed differently than I’d last seen them. Kellan had gone on stage in a plain, short-sleeved red shirt, but his shirt under his leather jacket was now white. It made me smile that they’d freshened up for this.
Intent on finding Anna, Kellan didn’t see me as he walked away with the boys. Suppressing a giggle, I strode up behind him and pinched his backside. He jumped about a foot in the air and spun around. “Hey, stranger, come here often?” I asked.
Kellan relaxed when he realized it was just me attacking him. “Not if I can help it,” he answered.
Even though he’d received directions, I pointed out Anna’s room. “She’s in there.”
I bit my lip in excitement as the boys hurried to see the newest member of their family. I’d texted them after Gibson was born, to let them know Anna and the baby were okay, but we’d all decided to not tell them the sex. Anna wanted it to be a surprise.
Matt beat everyone through the door to get a glimpse of his newest relative. Evan was a step behind him. Kellan and I trailed in last. Anna was awake now, but still resting in bed. Griffin was still holding his daughter, angling her up so Matt could see her. “She’s totally got my nose, right?”
Matt was in complete shock. “You had a girl?” He looked between Anna and Griffin. “Congratulations, she’s beautiful.”
Griffin beamed like he’d done all the work, when really he’d had the briefest part in Gibson’s creation. “Thanks.”
Anna smiled at the pride on Griffin’s face, then pointed to the sink along the far wall. “Wash up and you can hold her.”
Watching these normally jovial and carefree rock stars juggling the tiny person between them like she was made of nuclear material made me laugh. When Gibson finally made her way to Kellan, he wiped his palms on his jeans. “I’m so nervous right now,” he whispered to me. “What if I drop her?”
I rubbed his shoulder as I whispered back, “Don’t worry, you’re good with women.”
Kellan rolled his eyes at me and gingerly took Gibson from Evan’s hands. The grin that came over him as he looked down on her made my eyes mist over. Kellan holding a child . . . I’d thought he looked completely natural on stage, but that was nothing compared to this. Kellan had so much love to give; it was written all over his face.
Turning to me, he murmured, “She smells good. Why does she smell so good?” Since I often wondered why he smelled so good, I could only shrug.
He lightly swayed with her as he made silly faces, trying to get her to smile. I wiped a tear off of my cheek as I watched him. When he leaned down to rub his nose against hers, and she tried to suck on it, I had to look away before I started sobbing. I could almost feel the I-want-a-child hormones kicking in. But first things first—I had a wedding to get through next month.
My eyes found my sister’s. She had tears in her own eyes as she watched her child being loved on. She pointed at Kellan and mouthed, “He needs a baby.” Then she pointed at me and gestured with her hands over her much smaller stomach. I shook my head at her and reiterated my earlier thought—First things first.