Page 83 of Drunk on You

“I’m going to be okay,” he says, always so damn strong. “But I’ve decided to pass Kingston down to you. I want you to run our family business, sweetheart, with your husband by your side.”

“But I’m pregnant,” I cry, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“Which makes the childcare we’re building even more essential,” Julian points out. “Between you and me and our families, this baby will want for nothing.” He leans in and kisses me. “We got this, Red.”

epilogue

JULIAN

Roughly Eight Months Later

“I hate you! And if you ever come near me again, I’m going to rip your di?—”

Ana’s words are cut off by her screaming as she pushes for what feels like the millionth time. She’s been in labor for over forty hours. The doctor mentioned having to do a possible C-section, but our little boy just needed to come on his own time.

“You got this, Red,” I tell her as she pushes through another contraction.

“I see the hair,” the doctor notes. “One, maybe two more pushes, and he’ll be out.”

Another contraction, another push, and then he’s out.

We both watch as the nurses clean him up, clearing out the fluid, and then he cries for the first time, and it’s like my heart splits into two—my wife owning one half and my son owning the other.

The nurse brings him over to Ana and lays him down on her chest, and I take pictures as they both cry and bond. It’s been a rough few months with Samuel’s cancer taking a turn for the worse and Ana trying to remain strong for him and the company while preparing to become a mom.

But as she looks up at me with our son in her arms, I know that every hard moment led to this moment right here.

I give our little boy a kiss on his forehead, and the nurse takes a picture of the three of us and then takes him back to get him cleaned up and checked out while other nurses do the same for Ana.

About a half hour later, Ana is wheeled to recovery, and our little boy is brought in. She’d like to breastfeed for as long as she can, so the lactation specialist shows her how to latch him on, and I swear to everything, there is nothing more beautiful than watching my wife feed our son for the first time.

Without her seeing, I snap a picture of them. She might not feel beautiful right now, but one day, she’ll want to see this.

After she’s fed him and he’s swaddled up and asleep, she asks me to bring her dad and Selene in first. When I step into the waiting room, both our families stand.

“Mom and baby are both doing great,” I tell everyone. “She delivered naturally and is in recovery. He’s seven pounds exactly and twenty inches.” I look at Samuel, who looks like he has aged ten years in the past eight months. “She’d like to see you first.”

Since everyone knows about his health issues, nobody is surprised. Selene says she’ll come soon but lets him go see Ana alone. I walk him back, and when we enter, Ana’s face lights up.

He quickly washes his hands and then walks over to her bedside.

“Dad,” she says through her tears, “I’d like for you to meet your grandson.” She lifts our little boy and hands him to her dad while I take pictures. “Kingston Samuel Parker.”

Samuel chokes out a sob at hearing his name. “Oh, Ana. He’s perfect.” He glances at his daughter. “Your mom would be so proud of you.”

At his words, Ana breaks down in tears.

Samuel hands me Kingston and pulls his daughter into his arms.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. “Thank you for coming home and giving me another chance and for giving me a precious grandson. I couldn’t have asked for anything more in this life.”

“No, don’t say that,” Ana snaps. “That sounds too much like goodbye. And us Kingstons are fighters. Besides, I still need you to walk me down the aisle.”

Because she didn’t want to get married while pregnant, we’ve planned the wedding for later this summer, and she’s determined to have her dad walk her down the aisle. With her dad having lung cancer, he had to have surgery, and then there were some complications with blood clots, but now, he’s doing better, and he’s in the middle of getting chemo. If anyone is determined to make it through this, it’s him.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Samuel tells her, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

After holding Kingston again, he excuses himself to go let everyone else know they can visit.

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