Page 126 of Affinity

He looked up at her, then at Taylor. He was wearing a grin and she had tears in her gemstone eyes.

Chloe nodded and sat in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m pregnant and I took the test this time—it’s a girl!”

Then she kissed him. Taylor kissed him. Chandan planted baby kisses on his cheek.

“Did you know already, Chand? You’re gonna be a big brother!”

She informed him Ireland Aislinn Kerrigan Nolan was due to arrive the first week of March, they could call her Irie for short, and she was going to have his blue eyes.

Because she’d been wishing.

And you know, if you wish hard enough, sometimes they come true.

Charles Dillon Byrne

Dillon stared out the window at the city streets below. Snow wrapped the city in a blanket, fresh and clean and white. It glowed blue beneath the lamplight. Cold. Why did he always feel so cold?

He was frozen. He never felt warm anymore.

A sound came from the bassinet. It wasn’t a cry. Just a tiny squeak. He glanced at the bed behind him. She was sleeping. Good. She needed to sleep.

He walked over to the little crib and picked up the tiny bundle inside. He rocked the baby in his arms and sat in the chair by the window.

Tiny fists peeked out of the warm bundle he held. He looked at the baby’s beautiful face and he couldn’t breathe.

He was just so cold.

And he couldn’t fucking breathe.

He tried.

He tried.

He tried again.

Finally, he inhaled a stuttering breath and cradled the baby against his chest.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

And then he sobbed.

The End

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