He lowered the gown over her again. “I see a body so beautiful, so capable, that it carried our baby from conception until now. I see the woman I love. I see the pain of your past, sweet girl, but mostly I see our future.” He paused. “These scars?” He shrugged. “They’re nothing.” He flicked his hand to the side. “The point is, look—we accidentally made a baby together, and the sky didn’t fall. I’ve seen your scars, and the sky didn’t fall. Best of all, we fell in love with each other, and now, Erin, the sky can never fall on us again.”
“Nate,” she gulped out.
“Enough of that.” He clapped his hands together once, smoothing them palm to palm. “What do you say I get suited up so we can meet our baby?”
“Yes.” She nodded happily. “Yes.”
It took an hour and a half of pushing before their healthy baby boy emerged, red and squinty-eyed and squalling, into the world. All of them cried, including Cagney, the nurse and Dr. Kipfer, as Nate cut the cord.
Cagney left shortly thereafter to inform the crowd.
The little guy weighed in at just over six pounds, healthy, with all ten fingers and all ten toes, just like they’d prayed for. After he’d been cleaned up and swaddled in a soft, white receiving blanket, Dr. Kipfer handed him over to Nate with a wide smile. “Why don’t you introduce him to his mother?”
Erin watched as Nate stared down at the wrinkly little bald-headed human he held. “What do you think?”
“I think he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Next to his mother, that is.”
“Bring him here.”
He carried him over and placed him gently on her chest. Her heart squeezed.
“Say hello to your son.”
“Oh, my God.” Erin studied him in wonder. “He’s perfect, Nate.”
Nate lowered the side bars and perched next to her, cradling her shoulders as they admired their child. He had her nose and chin, Nate’s gorgeous eyes. And as a pleasant and quite amusing surprise, he had Colette’s ash blond hair, though not much of it.
“I have a great idea,” Nate said.
She peered up at him. “What’s that?”
“Let’s name him Kevin Jennings DeLuca Walker.”
Wide-eyed, Erin studied Nate’s face, scarcely believing the immensity of her love for this man. It took her several moments before she could speak. “You’re the most selfless person I know, Nate Walker. But I have a better idea.”
“Lay it on me.”
“He looks like a Nathaniel Kevin Deluca Walker to me. If that’s okay with you.” She peered into her son’s squinchy little elfin face. “Frankly, I think it sounds just perfect.”
Nate’s voice came out husky, “Little Nate Junior, huh?”
“Is it okay?”
“Are you kidding?”
They laughed, and then Nate took hold of her chin. “I will love you, Erin DeLuca, and all of our children until the day I die. That’s a promise.”
“And I will never make you feel like second place again,” she whispered. “Because, you’re not. You’re the man I was meant to spend my life with. It just took me a while to catch on. Deal?”
He kissed her nose. “Deal.”
“Now that we’ve settled all that, how about we introduce the little man here to his friends and family before he knows what hit him?” She rolled her eyes. “If we don’t open the floodgates soon they may riot, and we’ll never hear the end of it.”
A few minutes later, the room filled. Her parents, his mom and sisters—all of whom seemed to be getting on like old friends. Marcus and PJ Jennings, overcome with emotion for having been included. Brody, Faith, Jason—even Mr. Norwood. Cagney, of course, and Lexy, who’d just gotten off duty.
Family.
With Nate by her side and her healthy baby being passed from one person who loved him to another, Erin finally felt whole again.
She closed her eyes, at peace.
Just…being in the moment.
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