by Juli Valenti
She knew his words were true, she could feel it, deep down. He was the best husband for her, treating her like she was the most precious thing in his life. Jessie also knew that when their baby came, he’d be the same with him or her. He was a good man, and would be a great father.
With his words still ringing in her ear, he pulled her out of the bathroom and snatched his cell phone, readily calling every person he could think of to spread the news.
***
Nine Months Later
Labor had been a long, hard, terrifying ordeal. Dominick had been right beside her, gripping her hand tightly and whispering words of encouragement. Jessie wouldn’t have been able to get through it without him. Many times the doctor had come in to tell her the baby’s heart rate had dropped, or her blood pressure was high, and they’d have to reposition her, or slow the pain medication. In the end, she’d lucked out, still getting to birth her child naturally without having to resort to a cesarean.
She and Dominick had decided to not know the sex of their baby – wanting it to be a surprise. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea, but it had been what her husband wanted, and she hadn’t minded at the time.
The moments after she had pushed their child out of her had been some of the longest of her life. Jessie waited with her breath held, praying to hear it cry like it was supposed to. Seconds, which seemed like hours to her, passed and finally she heard the most adorable yelp followed by a whine, coming straight from the tiny bundle.
“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Wace, you’re now the proud parents of a healthy baby boy!” her midwife said loudly, triumph in her voice. “Do you have a name picked out?”
Jessie looked at Dominick, who nodded, and she smiled. They’d thought long and hard what to name the little addition to their family, names chosen for both a boy and a girl, so they’d been prepared.
“Emmanuel,” she told the room. “Emmanuel Jaden.”
Looking down at the beautiful infant in her arms, his brilliantly blue eyes looking up at her, Jessie felt another piece of her heart heal. When Dominick came to put his arm around them both, she realized that he’d been right all along. She wasn’t really ruined. She was hurt, her heart having been shattered, but ruined implied hopeless. She wasn’t. Jessie knew in that moment what Dominick had meant by her being a little broken. He’d healed a part of her, and now her new baby healed another. She wasn’t beyond repair. She was going to survive, live, flourish. She had to. She had a husband who loved her, and a new baby who she loved more than she had the words to explain.
Closing her eyes against the tears she felt pooling in them, she held her newborn tightly to her chest.
“I’ll love you forever, Little Mister,” she whispered to the air around her, feeling more whole than she’d been in a long time. As her words left her, her new baby wiggled in her arms, and she could have sworn a smile crossed his tiny features.
The End
About the Author
Juli Valenti grew up in Arkansas and currently resides in Florida with her husband and two boys. Working a full time job, as well as owning her own editing company, along with a full time family, her life is crazy but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Juli is currently working on several other true-life inspired novels.
You can connect with Juli via the following:
www.facebook.com/authorjulivalenti
www.twitter.com/thejulivalenti
For more information regarding SIDS, please visit:
www.sids.org
www.firstcandle.org
www.cjsids.org
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Epilogue
About The Author