Page 76 of Redemption's Inferno

“Hello, sweetheart.” Emilie stared in awe at the sweet face of her new baby and put her hands on the tiny body resting against her chest. He had a head full of light hair and the pinkest lips she’d ever seen on a baby. She looked up at Jamie, who was staring at the little bundle with complete adoration in his eyes, and smiled.

“We, uh, holy shit, we did this,” he said in a raspy whisper.

“We did,” she nodded.

“Thank you,” Jamie said, his voice rough with emotion. “Thank you for my son.”

“Our son,” she said with a smile.

“All of ours,” Viggo said lightly.

“He’s beautiful like his mum,” Chains whispered.

“Are you all his father?” a young nurse asked in confusion.

Dr. Diaz opened her mouth to chastise her but Emilie put up a hand to stop her. “Viggo and I used to be married,” she explained softly. “We have a daughter together. He fell in love with Jamie after our divorce and the one thing Jamie wanted was a biological child; I offered to have one with him so their children, and mine, would be related.” She looked over at Chains. “And then I fell in love with Darryl. When we have children, they’ll be related to my other children, of course, but because all of them will share the same mother, that makes all of us…a family. It might seem a bit strange to some people, but there’s so much love and respect between us, we hope others see it as an inspiration instead of an anomaly.”

The nurse blinked for a moment but a smile slowly spread across her face. “That’s actually quite lovely,” she said after a moment. “I’m kind of glad I asked… I’ve never known any other family like this.”

“Neither have we,” Emilie answered. “But we’re going to do our best not to muck it up.”

Chapter 27

Emilie dozed as they cleaned the baby and stitched her up. Although she told Chains to go back to bed, he refused, sitting at her side, his fingers laced with hers. As per hospital protocol, unless there was a life-threatening situation, the baby had to remain within sight of both parents until the security monitor was attached to his ankle and they were set to move Emilie to a private room.

“I guess Dante called the hospital,” Viggo said with a grin. “He’s arranged for a private room so you and Chains can be together.”

Emilie smiled fondly, nodding her head. “When I had Simone, I was all alone so he had me upgraded to some kind of suite. I literally had a private chef and maid service for three days. I felt like a princess.”

“I don’t have the money he has,” Chains said softly. “But I’ll do my best to make you feel like a princess every day.”

She looked over at him. “I don’t need that kind of money—I just need you.” She looked at Jamie and Viggo. “All of you. My lover, my family, my children…and our friends. That’s all that really matters.”

“I love you,” Chains said. “Sorry I’m half-asleep.”

“You should rest.”

“As should you.”

“I actually feel great,” she giggled. “There’s some hormone or endorphins or some such thing that’s released when you give birth—with no complications, I assume—that makes you feel wonderful.” She paused. “And hungry.”

“The room you’re being moved to has 24-hour kitchen services,” Dr. Diaz winked. “Dante and Becca spoke to me about it months ago and I gave them my suggestion. In the meantime, have you chosen a name?”

Jamie and Emilie exchanged guilty looks. “He wants James,” she said slowly. “I think James is too formal for a child and we already have a Jamie… We couldn’t come to a decision.”

“You can name him after your dad if you want,” Jamie said, though the disappointment was evident on his face.

She shook her head. “My dad is being a horse’s ass right now, so no way.”

“You could name him Viggo,” Viggo chortled, puffing out his chest. “Good strong Scandinavian name!”

Emilie rolled her eyes. “I named Simone after your grandmother, so shut it.”

“I’m not going to suggest Darryl,” Chains said dryly.

“I know you don’t want to call him Jimmy or Jim, and you think James is too formal for a little kid…but what’s wrong with having two Jamies in the house?” Jamie’s dark eyes bore into Emilie’s. “And when he’s older, if he wants to be James, he can be James or Jamie or Jimbo for all I care.”

Emilie looked at Viggo. “What do you think?”

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