Brayden had reached over the console and grabbed my hand. He told me to squeeze if I needed to.
I barely got out the words “I’m okay” before another contraction hit. I squeezed his hand so hard, I could feel his knuckles grating against one another. He said nothing about the pain. He just kept his eyes on the road and got us all to the hospital.
When we arrived, Brayden somehow managed to load me into a wheelchair and get me into the delivery ward. A cluster of helpful nurses brought me in, took me to a room, and got me into a bed. We went over my birth plan, and the doctor on shift was tracked down and brought in to meet me.
He had been a cheerful older gentleman who instantly put my mind at ease. He answered all my frantic questions and made sure everything was moving along as it should.
Then, what felt like only minutes later, Braxton was born.
Now, we were all in my private recovery room. We had been talking on and off in hushed tones so as not to disturb Braxton, who had just fallen asleep after a tedious feeding session. I was exhausted but unwilling to sleep. I wanted to spend more time with my family.
I wanted to spend more time staring at Brayden holding his newborn son.
Bella had been dozing on one of the cots that had been delivered to our room after Braxton was born, but now, she padded across the linoleum floor and looked imploringly up at me.
“You can come up here.” I smiled, patting the empty space on the hospital bed beside me.
She climbed up and snuggled into my side. I leaned into her and rested my cheek on top of her head. It had been a rough night for all of us, but it had been particularly long for Bella.
She hadn’t been allowed in the delivery room with Brayden and me during the birth. The poor thing had to wait outside in the waiting room with Gracie and Emmett for the whole thing. After Braxton was born, the doctor sent for Bella, and all three of them came and met our new son.
Braxton Hennie.
He had green eyes and a head of surprisingly thick, dark hair. There had been no complications, and he was a happy, healthy little boy with a forehead that was exactly like his father’s: already brooding.
Brayden looked up at me from where he sat and smiled softly. “How are you feeling?”
I shifted around and eased myself deeper into the soft pillows at my back, propping me up. “Good. Tired, but good.”
That was how I’d been feeling for the last two months of my pregnancy, too.
There had been a lot of preparation involved and a lot of decision making. Brayden was still running his company in Florida, and he flew back there at least once every two weeks for a few nights to make sure everything was in order. He stayed in Valdez for most of the final two months of the pregnancy and had his partner, Drew, take the reins.
While he was running his company, he was also focusing on me and making sure I had everything I needed. Bella was also a huge help.
We decided to make the spare room in my house into a nursery. Yellow for the walls won the vote, much to Bella’s dismay, who pleaded with Brayden and me to paint it pink for weeks leading up to the day that Brayden actually painted it. To appease her, we purchased several pink items for the room, like pillows and blankets and a few other decor items. The room was a rainbow now, boasting all sorts of colors and patterns that somehow actually all tied together. I had sat in the rocking chair in the corner near the crib many times, rubbing my belly, talking to Braxton before we knew what he was going to be.
Part of me knew about halfway through the pregnancy that we would have a boy. I couldn’t explain it, but I told Brayden that I could feel it in my bones. He seemed to have the same sense because that was when he asked me what I thought about the name Braxton.
The decision was easy. We both loved the name.
Now that our son was here in the world with us, things were going to change again. When we went home, we would be going with another human. We would be a family of four instead of a family of three, and we needed to figure out a few things.
Brayden was still unsure what he wanted to do with his company. I still hadn’t decided what direction I wanted to take my paintings. Did I want to keep running the gallery? Did I want to try something new? Was I even going to have time to paint now that I had a newborn?
Brayden had suggested that I open an online gallery for my paintings so that I could get a bigger client base going. The citizens of Valdez were certainly not my ideal customer, so I needed to branch out if I wanted to see any success with selling my paintings.
I realized that my eyes were closed, and I forced them open. I had been asleep or close to it.
Brayden was still at the foot of my bed, whispering sweet nothings to his new son. Bella was curled up against me, and her warmth was pleasant. My body ached in a tired sort of way that I could withstand.
“I can’t wait to go home,” I said softly.
“Me too,” Brayden said. “Soon enough. Maybe tomorrow morning if the doctors think you’re both fit to leave.”
I nodded and yawned. “I hope so. I want some real food. And our bed.”
Brayden chuckled. “Tell me about it. Those cots are garbage.” He pointed his chin to the two temporary cots that had been set up for him and Bella.
“Your snoring would suggest otherwise.” I laughed. “Sounded to me like you were sleeping just fine.”
“Until someone started crying,” he said, rocking Braxton gently.
Brayden had taken care of everything any time Braxton needed something. He had done all the diaper changes and brought him to me when it was time to feed. The nurses had helped me with breastfeeding, which was not the most enjoyable part of the process. There was a lot of pressure and stress associated with it.
Brayden had told me not to worry about it. If Braxton couldn’t latch, we would do formula, or we would pump. I thanked him for understanding, and he reminded me that he had done this all on his own when Bella was born. Everything he learned, he learned on the fly. I was lucky to have him to help me through all the changes we were facing.
“Thanks for everything,” I whispered, fighting off another yawn.
Brayden smiled. “You don’t have to thank me. We’re in this together now. A big happy family.”
I nodded and forced myself to keep my eyes open. “I like that.”
“We should probably make it more official, though,” he said. There was a glint in his eye that tipped me off to the fact that he was up to something.
I blinked and rubbed at my eyes. “Official?”
He nodded and then looked at Bella, who shifted around beside me. She pushed herself up so that she was facing me. The cunning smile on her lips reminded me too much of Brayden’s when he was about to pull one over on me.
“What are the two of you up to?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. “Come on, spit it out. Don’t you think I’ve been through enough today?” I stared imploringly at Brayden and pushed my bottom lip out into a pout.
He chuckled and nodded at Bella.
I looked back at her suspiciously. “What?” I asked.
Bella’s coy smile bloomed into a full-blown grin as she reached into the pocket of her pink sweater. When she pulled her hand out, she was clutching a little velvet box. She extended her hand and held it in front of me, the black velvet box sitting in the middle of her palm.
Realization slammed into me. Was this actually happening, or had I fallen asleep admiring Brayden and my new son together? Was I only dreaming? I shook my head.
No. This was very real. Bella pushed her hand closer to me, and the box called my name.
I scrambled to find the words to speak. I couldn’t, so Brayden did.
“Rein Petty, you have made me the happiest man alive.”
“And me the happiest girl alive,” Bella chimed in.
Brayden continued, and I began to suspect that the whole thing was rehearsed.
“We don’t know where we would be without you,” Brayden said. “You were o
ur rock when we needed someone after my mother died. You showed me what love really looked like by fearlessly caring for me, regardless of the risk. I never imagined I would be lucky enough to have this much time with you. It’s more than I deserve. And now, we have added another member to our family. A perfect boy who will be so loved and so lucky to have you as his mother.” He paused to admire Braxton. He smiled to himself and then looked back to me. “Bella and I would like to ask you a question.”
“A question?” I whispered.
I knew what he was going to ask. My heart was hammering inside my chest, and all the fatigue that had been gathering around me moments ago was gone. Blood rushed in my ears. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had been dreaming of this moment for so long… a decade, to be precise.
I glanced down as Bella popped open the little velvet box.
Inside sat the most magnificent ring I had ever seen. It nearly blinded me as it caught the fluorescent lighting above me and sent reflections of light dancing around the room. It was in the shape of a teardrop, set in a diamond-encrusted, white-gold band that glittered radiantly. I gasped.
It was too much. But then, why was I surprised? This was Brayden, after all, and he had proven over the last eight months that he would spare no expense when it came to me, Bella, or our new baby.
“Will you marry us?” Brayden and Bella asked in unison.
I pressed my hand to my chest as a sob escaped me, and I began nodding. I couldn’t speak; I could barely breathe. Everything was happening so fast.
I watched as Bella plucked the ring from the box. She held it out, and I lifted my left hand, which was shaking uncontrollably. Bella took my ring finger. It took her a couple tries to slide it on, but once it was secure at the base of my finger, she clapped her hands together gleefully.
“It’s gorgeous,” I whispered as I met Brayden’s eyes.
His smile was just as radiant as the ring on my finger.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said softly, getting to his feet. He adjusted Braxton in his arms and then came to my side. He leaned over to kiss me softly. Bella lingered by my side and wasn’t bothered by the display of affection. “Bella helped me pick it out.”
I grinned and rubbed Bella’s shoulder. “You did an excellent job. I absolutely love it.”
Bella beamed at me. “We knew it was perfect for you.”
“Here,” Brayden said, lowering his arms so I could take Braxton from him. “Hold him for a little while before you fall asleep. Then I can take him back.”
I held my son tight against my chest. As I stared down at him, the sparkle of my engagement ring caught my eye.
Everything had fallen into place. It had taken a long time to get here, and I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around how lucky I had gotten, but here I was, holding my son. The son I shared with the man I loved who had just asked me to become his wife.
I started to cry.
Brayden hurried back to my side and put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
I nodded fiercely. “I’m so happy,” I sobbed. Then I started laughing at myself. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. This is just a lot, you know?”
Brayden smiled and pressed his forehead to mine. “I know. But we’re in it together.”
Braxton cooed between us and wiggled in his blanket cocoon. Brayden liked to call it a burrito.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too.”
“You know,” Brayden said. “You never said yes or no.”
I gasped and then let out a burst of laughter. “Yes! Of course, it’s a yes! I’m sorry. I got distracted by the sparkly ring and—”
“Uh huh,” he teased. “Excuses, excuses.”
I rolled my eyes and looked down at Braxton, who was sleeping contently. Two of his fingers had escaped his swaddle and were tucked under his chin. “Your daddy is very silly,” I whispered to him. Then I kissed his perfect little nose.
“Your mommy is silly too,” Brayden said. “And so is your sister. You’ve got no clue what’s in store for you, little man.”
“Lots of PDA,” Bella said.
We both looked at her in surprise.
“What?” Brayden asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.
Bella shrugged. “PDA. Public displays of affection.”
“I know what PDA means.” Brayden laughed. “I want to know how you know what it means.”
Bella looked back and forth between us. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” Brayden and I said at once.
She studied us a moment longer. When she concluded that we were telling the truth and she wasn’t in trouble, she sighed and rested her hands in her lap. “One of my friends from school said it. She said her older sister is always showing PDA with her new boyfriend.”
Brayden snickered and shook his head. “Okay, then. Sorry for kissing Rein in front of you all the time.”
“It’s okay,” Bella said. “I don’t mind. It means you love each other.”
“That it does.” Brayden nodded. We looked at each other and he smiled. The way he held me in his gaze filled my heart with joy. “That it does.”
“We love you, too,” I said to Bella.
She smiled and inched closer to me so she could peer down at her little brother. “Do you think he’s going to like playing with me?” she asked. Her heart had been set on a baby sister throughout the whole pregnancy.
Brayden shrugged one shoulder and reached out to trace Braxton’s tiny knuckles with his finger. “He’s going to love playing with you, kiddo. You’re his big sister. You’ll always be special to him because you’ll always protect him. Right?”
Bella nodded once. “Right.”
My eyes fell closed, despite how hard I tried to fight the sleepiness. I drifted off listening to Bella and Brayden talk about Braxton. Even my dreams were of my family.
It was the first time I dreamed about something I already had.
Epilogue
Brayden
One Year Later
The kitchen smelled like bacon and coffee. As I poured pancake batter over a sizzling pan, Braxton hiccupped behind me. Smiling, I looked over my shoulder.
Rein was bouncing Braxton in her lap, and he was reaching for her with chubby, pinching fingers. There was a sunny smile on his face that stretched his plump cheeks. The powder blue onesie he wore was covered in cartoon drawings of elephants and mice. Bella had picked it out for him a couple weeks ago when we passed a baby section at the local thrift shop.
She had been an extraordinary big sister since the moment Braxton was born one year ago. She doted on him lovingly all the time, and her favorite pastime was sitting and watching cartoons while Braxton sat propped up in her lap, usually sucking his thumb or a pacifier.
Rein caught me watching them all at the kitchen table and smiled. “When is that breakfast going to be ready? I’m starving.”
I chuckled and flipped the pancakes over. “Another three minutes. Five tops.”
Rein nodded and stood so she could lean over and put Braxton in his booster seat across the table from Bella. He giggled and wiggled as he always did, and Rein bopped him playfully on the nose with her index finger. She moved around his chair and came up behind me to wrap her arms around my waist. “Thanks for cooking for us. This is a nice way to start the day.”
I closed my hands over hers as they rested on my stomach. “We needed a good meal before hopping on the plane.”
She nodded, her cheek warm against my back. “You still think you made the right call?”
She didn’t need to tell me what she was talking about. I already knew.
I had made the decision six weeks ago to sell my company back in Florida. I had offered it to Drew first, but he wasn’t interested in being married to his work. He wanted a family like I had, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to build one while he had his nose buried in files and emails. He declined, and I paid him a hefty severance to give him a head start toward
his dream.
The sale of my business had been tricky. I wanted to make sure no employees lost their jobs, which meant I had to negotiate sale terms with dozens of potential buyers. Most of them had their own vision of what direction they wanted to take the company, and that vision didn’t align with my non-negotiable binding agreement to maintain all the same staff members.
Then I sat down with two brothers looking to run a corporation founded on a healthy, nurturing work environment. They wanted to challenge the status quo in the oil industry, and after sitting with them for just fifteen minutes, I knew they were the right fit for Hennie Enterprises.
Six weeks ago, we came to an agreement and the sale was final. Hennie Enterprises belonged to the Hutchins brothers now, and I didn’t feel an ounce of regret over it.
Today was another big day. My family and I were flying back to Florida so I could sign the final paperwork for the sale of my estate in Florida. Once that was done, there would be nothing tying me to that place anymore. I would be free of all obligations, and I wouldn’t feel like I was split between two places anymore.
“I know I made the right call,” I said to Rein, who was still hugging me from behind. “I haven’t had a single moment of doubt. Have you?”
I felt her shrug behind me. “A little. But I think it’s more because I’m afraid that I’m asking you to give up something that you love.”
I took the pancakes off the griddle and plated them before spinning in her arms to face her. I cupped her cheeks in my hands and kissed the tip of her nose. “It was just a job, baby. I love you and our munchkins. I’m ready to have more time with all of you. I don’t want to keep hopping back and forth between here and Florida. I want to settle down.”
She smiled up at me, and her cheeks flushed pink. “Me too.”
Rein and I carried the plates of pancakes to the table. Bella waited patiently for us as we laid out the syrup, and I set the bacon in the middle of the table. Braxton watched with wide eyes as we started eating. I cut up a piece of my pancake for him and put it on the empty plate I had brought over. I put it in front of him on the tray on his booster seat and laughed as he ate like the sloppy kid he was.
My Last First Kiss Page 20