He stares down in wonder. “That she is.”
“I loved her so much already while she was inside me that I didn’t think it was possible for me to love her any more, but I do,” I sob.
Ryder reaches out and rubs the tuft of hair on her head. He looks pretty close to crying himself. I guess the miracle of life gets to everyone.
“So, Mommy, what’s her full name?” One of the nurses asks.
I touch my daughter’s plump cheek. “Ava Benny Carter.”
Her middle name is untraditional, but I wanted Ben’s name in there somehow.
“Cute,” the nurse says. “I’m going to take her and weigh her. Clean her up a bit too, but I’ll bring her right back,” she promises.
I reluctantly let her take Ava from me. “Go with them,” I tell Ryder. “Stay with her. Please.”
He follows my order and goes to stay with Ava. She just came into this world, and I don’t want her to be alone.
They clean her up and wrap her in a blanket. They even put a cute little hat on her head.
“All right, dad, you want her?” the nurse asks.
Ryder looks shocked and he opens his mouth, probably to protest, but I speak up and say, “Hold her.”
The nurse hands Ava to Ryder and she busies herself with clearing things out of the room. Ryder slowly makes his way back to me as the room clears of everyone but us.
He rocks Ava in his arms and smiles down at her.
A grin splits my face seeing the man I love love my daughter.
“You, me, Ava, and Cole. We’re a family, aren’t we?” I ask him.
He glances away from the baby in his arms and down to me. “We’re a family,” he concurs.
I know we still have so much to talk about, to discuss and figure out, but for now, I’m content to enjoy this little piece of happiness.
“Oh, Blaire,” my mom breathes as she and my dad rush into the hospital room, luggage towed behind them.
Ryder sits beside me with Cole in his lap while Ava sleeps peacefully in the bassinet.
Ava came into the world nearly twenty-four hours ago, and I still can’t believe how much my life has changed in that span of time.
“I’m so sorry it took us so long,” my mom sighs, setting her luggage in the corner. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”
I’d received several texts explaining their travel woes—from a canceled flight, to a delayed one, to a taxi driver that didn’t know his way.
“All that matters is you’re here,” I say. “Come meet your granddaughter.”
My mom immediately scurries over to the clear bassinet and peers down at her. “What’s her name?”
“Ava.”
She glances over at me and smiles. “Ava,” she repeats. “Perfect. She has Ben’s mouth.”
“His nose too,” I tell her. “It looks like she’s going to have my dark hair. I hope she gets Ben’s eyes too.”
She touches her plump cheek. “She’s so beautiful.” She glances at Ryder. “Thank you for being here with her.”
He shrugs off her words. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
I smile over at him and Cole. “Hey, Cole,” I say, patting the space beside me on the bed, “you want to come sit with me?”
Without a word, the little boy scurries off Ryder’s lap and climbs onto the bed, snuggling against my side.
Ryder beams. “He’s been asking when you’re going to come over and read him a story again.”
I smile down at the little boy and he looks up at me. “Is that true?”
He nods. “Weed. Weed me stowy!”
I laugh. “Sure thing.” I tap his nose.
My dad ventures over then and looks down at Ava. “You did good, Kid.”
I smile. “I think so too, but I might be biased.” Ava lets out a little cry. “You can pick her up,” I tell my mom.
“Oh, thank God,” she says, immediately scooping up the squirming bundle. “It was killing me not to hold her.” Ava blinks up at her grandma. “When do you get out of here?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I glance at Ryder. He’s listened all morning to my worries about going home. A baby is hard work and I’m going to be doing it on my own. Ryder and I might be in a relationship now but it doesn’t mean we’re moving in together tomorrow and riding off into the sunset.
My mom bounces Ava in her arms. “I could stay … sleep on the couch.”
My dad chuckles. “And what am I supposed to do?”
She glares at him. “Stay at the hotel, of course.”
He shakes his head.
“Mom, that’s really sweet of you, but I’ll be fine. You’re not going to be here forever and I’d rather get a hang of doing things on my own.”
She frowns. “But, Blaire—”
“Mom,” I say sternly, “I have to do this.”
She nods, smiling down at Ava. “I understand.”