Page 93 of Storm

My first impulse is to tell her I’m feeling great, but I hesitate, then admit, “It’s overwhelming. There’s a lot to think about and plan.” Turning toward her, I inform her seriously, “We need to go to the baby store again.”

“For what? I’m pretty sure we’ve got everything he’ll need.”

“Willy. I promised to show him little Gabe.”

She blinks at me, confused. “Who the hell is Willy?”

“He’s the nipple pads and peepee teepee guy. He’s the reason we’ll never be pissed on.” Both Kevin and Tatum laugh. When I glance at them over my shoulder, I see the tail end of Richard’s eye roll. “What?”

Miriam’s fist winds in the front of my shirt and she tugs me back to her, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. All the intrusive thoughts decide to flee from her affection. They dissipate like one of those quick little rainstorms that pops in but a small gust of wind moves it out of the way.

She exhales slowly after pulling away and tilts her head back to gaze at me. “Don’t let the storm in your head take you away. I have no clue who Willy is, but when we’re ready, we’ll take Gabriel to see him.”

I’m not sure why it’s so important to me, but I nod in appreciation since my throat is clogged up.

Her fingers drag through my short hair in comfort. I place my palm gently on her stomach and note the difference in how it feels since she’s not pregnant anymore. Wanting to get closer, I shuffle down her bed and lay my head there gently, checking on her first to make sure it’s alright.

The rest of the evening, I’m left alone as I snuggle her incredible body, through another two feedings and a nap. Tatum checks on me once to see if I’d be more comfortable laying somewhere else, but I wave him off.

This is where I want to be always. I can hearmi pétalo’ssoft heartbeat, beating steadily.

Thump thump thump…

A cadence I imagine myself marching to. Steady, strong, and alive.Sheis life and as long as I can hear this, I’m not going to worry about anything else.

“Te amo,mi pétalo,” I whisper, reaching up blindly to cup her cheek.

Miriam holds my hand in place with a soft squeeze. She hooks her ankle over my body, keeping me in place between her legs. Another quick squeeze, I grin into her body when I hear, “Te amo, mi soldado.”

“Y mi bebé,” I add when I hear his soft shuddering exhale, now laying against Kevin’s chest.

My family is perfect.

I can’t wait to tell Willy.

CHAPTER 43

KEVIN

It’s late, well after midnight, but I’ve been working as quietly as possible on my laptop since everyone went to sleep.

The second I carried a sleeping Miriam into my home, I knew the guys were going to be here permanently, even Richard. While relationships haven’t been figured out, it was clear to see on all of their faces that they were in it for the long haul.

Thank God my house has so many bedrooms.

It’s the first night since we’ve been home with Gabriel that everyone is in their own room except for me. We quickly learned that when the baby fusses, weallwake up and it wasn’t feasible to continue with five people on limited, broken sleep.

Miriam suggested taking turns if we all insisted on being with her, which brings me here tonight, working next to her as she’s snuggled into my side.

As soon as she fell asleep, I slid the bassinet to my side since I knew I’d be awake late to catch up on emails. Over the last two hours, I’ve heard him shuffle as he stretches his arms and legs out, but thankfully his sleep has been essentially soundless.

As if they rehearsed it, they both let out a long, shuddering sigh at the same time. While Miriam seems to fall deeper into her sleep, the noise startles Gabriel and the beginnings of acry work out of his tiny body. Setting my laptop to the side, I disentangle Miriam from my side, which wakes her.

“Stay there, I’ll get him.” The glow from my screen lights my way and I pick up Gabriel as she struggles to sit up. Not because she’s still overly sore, but from her body being so tired.

On autopilot, she leans against the headboard and unfastens her nursing bra, then pulls a pillow over her lap. Instead of reaching for him, her hands fall heavily to the side as she drifts back to sleep.

“Wake up for just a moment,” I say a bit louder. “Hold him long enough for me to get settled, then you can go back to sleep.”

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