Arranged Marriage, Wanted Wife

by Mary Goldberger

  The next hour or so was like a blur to Jassi who was still reeling from pain meds they had given her although she recalled Waren talking to her and the nurse bringing back their baby.

  She woke up later that evening and glanced around the room her eyes taking in the small nursery cart seeing it empty.

  “Waren,” she uttered pushing herself up slowly only to stop when she saw Waren asleep on the chair their small daughter asleep in his arms.

  Jassi smiled gently easing herself back down on the bed watching them a light frown her face.

  A soft knock on the door got her attention and she uttered softly. “Come in.”

  The nurse came in smiling when she saw Jassi awake noticing the sleeping man and baby. “He hasn’t put her down since we brought her back to the room. She was hungry so we gave her bottle although your husband said you wanted to try to breastfeed.”

  Jassi bit her lip nodding her head before sighing softly and the nurse chuckled.

  “Don’t worry, you can still attempt to breastfeed,” the nurse advised her.

  Jassi nodded her head laying back against her pillow. “Although it will be difficult since she has already taken a bottle.”

  “But not impossible,” she encouraged giving Jassi a shrewd look that Jassi read accurately.

  Jassi chuckled giving her an embarrass look and the nurse shook her head at her before coming over to check her vitals for any problems.

  Jassi knew that it was standard procedure just to be on the safe side so she relaxed letting her eyes rest on her family.

  The nurse left a few minutes later after refilling her water pitcher although Jassi had told her it was okay.

  Jassi put the TV on low but she didn’t really watch it her eyes straying often too her husband and daughter wanting to hold her daughter, but not wanting to disturb their sleep.

  Almost an hour later, their little one woke up crying and Jassi eased out of bed to get her. She was trying to ease her out Waren’s arm when his eyes flashed open and he smiled at her gently.

  “She’s probably hungry,” Jassi told him with a soft smile for him which transferred to their daughter as she cuddled the small bundle to her.

  Waren stretched his back eyes intent on them before he got up helping her back to the bed.

  Jassi gave him a look but she didn’t comment while he settled her back in bed. “Let me go to the bathroom and then I’ll go to the nurse’s station.”

  He leaned down to kiss Jassi running a hand down his daughter’s head who had quieted down now that her mother was holding her.

  “Why don’t you get to know each other,” he suggested teasingly kissing Jassi again before straightening up and going to the bathroom.

  Jassi studied her daughter eyes shining with pride at the little one who stared back up her even though Jassi knew that she probably couldn’t really see her in detail.

  “Hello, little Evette,” Jassi mumbled gently holding her hand running a finger across her small knuckles.

  Waren coming from the bathroom stopped to watch them a loving smile on his face. Jassi was cooing and whispering to their daughter, and Waren smiled thinking about the books and websites they visited to choose the perfect name.

  In the end, Jassi had liked the name ‘Evette’ and when they looked up the meaning, they were surprised to learn the name meant ‘life’.

  Jassi had laugh saying, “I think that’s perfect. Although all, she represents the life that we’ve find together.”

  Waren couldn’t agree more and watching his two special ladies, he believed that they had made the right choice.

  “I’ll got get her bottle,” he said softly turning to the door only for someone to knock before coming in.

  He smiled when he saw his father who had the look of a proud grandfather followed by his brother and sister-in-law carrying their own two-month old baby girl.

  “Another granddaughter to spoil,” Bowen stated in a loud voice startling Evette who began to cry and everyone laughed.

  “Shh, Evette,” Jassi rocked her gently. “It’s only your excited grandfather who just can’t wait to meet you.”

  Everyone gathered around the bed and Waren stepped out briefly to talk to the nurse before returning to the room. He stood inside the doorway watching them seeing the beautiful shine in Jassi’s eyes although a brief flash of sadness filled them.

  Waren made his way over to her side sitting down next to her on the narrow bed where he encircled both mother and daughter allowing his palm to cradle the back of his daughter’s small head.

  “I think your father would be proud of his daughter,” Waren told her with a smile seeing the slight shine of tears in his wife’s eyes.

  “I think so too,” Jassi replied stroking her daughter’s smooth cheek. “It’s too bad that…”

  “Don’t, Jassi,” Siria interrupted her. “Your grandmother made her own choice and she is the one who is going to miss out.”

  Jassi nodded her head turning to the door when the nurse came in and Jassi frowned lightly but accepted the warm four-ounce bottle for her daughter.

  Shifting Evette to rest in the hollow of her elbow, she placed the nipple of the bottle at her lips and watched in fascination as her daughter latched on after a few seconds.

  “Someone is hungry,” Waren teased in a quiet voice getting laughter from everyone in the room.

  “Like father,” his father started until everyone finished together, “like daughter.”

  Waren glared teasingly. “I think she takes more after her mother,” he stated confidently.

  “She will be better off,” his brother teased him while Jassi and Siria giggled at their banter when Waren shot back at him that he hoped their daughter took after Siria instead of his pigheadness.

  Jassi leaned against her husband staring down at their daughter listening to the talk around them.

  “We got lucky, didn’t we, sweetheart,” she whispered lifting her daughter up to kiss her forehead watching her frown slightly and stop briefly drinking before she resumed.

  “I think,” Waren said getting her attention and Jassi glanced up seeing everyone staring at her, “honey, we all got lucky.”

  “Agree,” Siria and Brody said together with a smile at each other before glancing down at their own daughter.

  Bowen smiled tears coming to his eyes although they didn’t fall when he added his own comment. “I made the right choice after all.”

  At his words, they all turned to him with confused stares.

  “If hadn’t accepted the proposition, then Jassi and Waren would’ve never met,” Bowen revealed shocked when Waren suddenly smiled turning his eyes to Jassi.

  “No, Dad, you just helped me find her sooner,” Waren admitted. “Since the first time I saw Jassi, I had been looking for her. Even if you hadn’t accepted, I would’ve kept looking although our marriage didn’t start off the way I would’ve hoped.”

  “But it started,” Jassi pointed out. “And if it hadn’t, then anything could’ve happened.”

  Waren leaned down to kiss her lightly before pulling back to whisper against her lips. “We would’ve found each other eventually. I believe that because I think you were made just for me.”

  Jassi laughed shaking her head but she didn’t disagree leaning back against him while her daughter finished her bottle and their family talked around them making themselves comfortable making plans for Jassi, and Evette’s, release tomorrow.

  They would rest at Bowen’s home for a few days before they headed to their own home, which had been finished almost a month ago. Even pregnant, Jassi had decorated it especially the nursery so it would be ready for their daughter’s coming home.

  “Thinking about home,” Waren asked sometime later after everyone went home and Evette was asleep in her mother’s arms.

  Waren took his daughter from Jassi and giving her a fatherly kiss on her head, he put her down in her nursery bassinet.

  He went back to the bed curling up next to Jassi pu
lling her into his arms.

  “Thank you,” Waren told her seeing Jassi blink up at him tiredly. “Thank you for our precious daughter.”

  Jassi shook her head eyes closing as she whispered, “Thank you for loving me and giving me her. Our life probably won’t be perfect, but…”

  “It will be everything will hope for,” Waren finished for her watching her fall asleep. “And so much more…” was his last muttered words stroking her hair away from her face and glancing over at his sleeping daughter.

  Staring at the both of the them with awe, Waren couldn’t believe how lucky he was or how close he came to losing it because of his own stubborn pride.

  His arms tightened around Jassi and she murmured in her sleep snuggling closer into his body and Waren leaned down kissing her forehead while he gently stroked her back knowing what a rough day she had giving birth.

  Shifting his eyes to the bassinet, Waren smiled seeing that their little one was awake also her eyes slowing going around the room.

  “Can’t sleep either little one,” he whispered a second before she yawned and her little eyes closed, and Waren laughed quietly not wanting to disturb the two most important ladies in his life.

  Nodding his head, Waren allowed himself to relax in the bed, but he knew sleep wasn’t going to claim him eyes shifting from mother to daughter.

  No, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind, Waren concluded smiling every time Evette moved in her bassinet or Jassi shifted slightly against him.

  For this one moment in time, he wanted to just watch them so he can remember how truly lucky they were to have this day.

  “Thank you,” he whispered in the quiet of the room, and at his words Evette opened her eyes again briefly before they drifted close, but Waren grinned in delight at the simple action.

  You’re welcome, daddy.