Page 105 of Stone Rules

I look down into the baby-blue eyes of our day-old son. I’ve counted every finger and every toe a hundred times. They are all still there. And they are perfect. He is perfect.

Charlie comes up behind me to catch me staring again. She wraps her arms around me. “All babies have blue eyes, Ethan. It doesn’t mean anything.”

I nod my head. I know that. And I know that whatever the test says and whatever happens, he will be as much my son as Cat was my daughter. But I was hoping for some kind of sign. Blonde hair maybe; or his second and third toes being slightly webbed together as mine are.

But Eli is completely bald. He’s the cutest bald baby I’ve ever seen. I love it when his little face scrunches up right before he cries. I love it when he grabs my finger and holds onto it for dear life. I love it when I watch him feed from Charlie’s breast. I love it when I look at him and think of how it felt to hold Cat in my arms.

I’m only human, though, and I know if he’s not my biological son, it will devastate me. I won’t love him any less. I won’t be any less of a father to him. It shouldn’t make any bit of difference in the world. Except that I know it will.

I stare at him, unable to pull my eyes away from this little miracle swaddled in the hospital blanket they wrapped him in. I have the car seat all ready to go. I’ve long since loaded all of the flowers, cards and teddy bears into the trunk of my car. And Charlie is getting his going-home outfit out of her bag.

I almost dread leaving the hospital. It means we have to go home and face reality. The reality of us not informing Thompson. The heartbreaking task of being forced to do it now. The consequences of what will come after.

But when I look down into Eli’s face, I know it was all worth it. Watching him come into the world; sharing that moment with Charlie; having her become my wife. Nothing and no one can ever take those moments away from us.

“Let’s get him changed,” Charlie says. She picks him up out of the hospital bassinette and lays him on the bed. I help her as we carefully, and somewhat awkwardly, remove his blanket and try not to break him as we dress him in his very first outfit.

I’m working on getting his little legs into it, while she works on his arms. She gasps, putting a hand over her mouth to muffle her cries.

My heart slams into the front of my chest. I quickly look him over to see if he’s hurt and to make sure he’s still breathing. “What is it?”

Through her tears, she says, “I didn’t notice it before. Oh my God, Ethan. Why didn’t we notice it?”

“Notice what?” I ask.

She holds up his tiny left arm, pointing to the underpart of his bicep. I squint to see what she’s showing me. As it comes into focus, my heart stops and then starts again. The rug I thought was coming out from under me is now securely in place under my feet. The future that was uncertain is now entirely ours to navigate.

Tears stream down my face, matching those on Charlie’s when I see his birthmark. The tiny brown marking that to me still looks more like a fingernail moon than a banana. But I realize now might not be the time to argue the point.

Charlie touches my left arm, running her fingers over the very same place the birthmark is on my skin. “He’s yours, Ethan. He’s yours,” she cries.

I reach over and pick up my half-dressed son. I hold him securely in my arms. I place kisses on his soft bald head. I thank God for giving us this sign. “He was always mine,” I tell Charlie, leaning down to kiss her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now. Right this second.” She touches Eli’s cheek.

“Get used to it, Tate. I plan on making the two of you happy every day for the rest of our lives.”

The nurse comes in asking if we’re ready to go.

“Just about,” I say, wiping what’s left of Charlie’s tears.

While Charlie finishes dressing Eli, I send a text to Skylar, letting her know we’re on our way. She and Baylor and Piper have been decorating the penthouse for our arrival. And Skylar has been there all day, cooking enough meals to last us two weeks. I smile knowing my son will never know a family without love. He will never know parents who wouldn't die for him. He will live a life surrounded by cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles.

Before I put my phone away, it pings with an email. When I see who it’s from, the only thing I can do is smile. It’s not the reaction I would’ve had ten minutes ago. Ten minutes ago, if I’d seen this email containing the results of the paternity test, I would have fallen to my knees, praying the results would go our way. But now, even before I open the email and see the results, I know what they will say. I also know that both Charlie and Zach have gotten the same email.

Charlie finishes securing Eli into the car seat. “Check your email,” I tell her.

She gives me a strange look. “Now?”

“Yes, now.”

She pulls out her phone and opens up the email. Fresh tears stream down her face as she reads it. She throws her arms around me and hugs me. “It’s over. It’s really over,” she cries. “He’s out of our lives.” She looks up at me with red eyes. “I’m so sorry I put you through all this, Ethan.”

“I forgive you,” I say, knowing there is nothing to forgive. “But I’m the one who’s sorry. I never should have pushed you away back then.”

She puts her hand on my chest, right over my tattoo. “I forgive you, too.”

I smile down at her. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

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