Page 68 of Reed

My head snaps to Gia’s. “I’m not leaving you here.” I glance around the room, and frankly, it looks terrifying. It’s clinical and buzzing with medical activity. There’s no way I’m leaving her here alone; what if she needs me? What if there’s a decision to be made and I’m not here?

“Please.” Her bottom lip wobbles, and tears stream from her eyes. “He needs his daddy, Reed. He needs someone, and I don’t want him to be alone.”

My chest squeezes at her words. Our baby needs someone. He needs his daddy; otherwise, he’s going to be alone. There’s no fucking way I’ll allow that.

Reluctantly, I gift her with a nod, then lower my head and kiss her forehead while swiping away her tears with my thumbs. “I’ll send one of the girls in.”

“Thank you.”

The words linger on my tongue to tell her I love her.

Just fucking do it.

“Sir, are you ready?”

I’m snapped out of my daze and away from Gia, and as I turn on my heels to follow the stream of medical staff and our incubated son, I feel a heavy tug in my heart. Something I never want to feel again for as long as I live.

A longing so powerful it feels like someone is tearing me in two.

CHAPTERFORTY

GIA

WatchingReed have skin-to-skin contact with bubba is my new favorite thing in the world, and better yet, when Bryce is a part of that, my heart swells with an overwhelming force of love for the men in my life.

Bryce is sitting between Reed’s open legs on my hospital bed. Both of them shirtless while Reed’s strong arms are wrapped around Bryce, and he holds our baby while Bryce has him resting on his small chest.

Tyson has been incredible at holding down the fort at home, taking Bryce to and from school. Remaining at home as his primary caregiver has allowed Reed and me to be at the hospital with our newborn son.

Reed turns his head to look at me. “I’ve been thinking about names.”

“Hmm,” I muse. Every name I suggest, Reed screws his face up over.

Reed straightens a little and swallows hard.

Oh, sweet Jesus, I’m not going to like this suggestion. I can feel it, but I need to hear him out because he hasn’t so much as made a single one, and bubba is a week old now, and I can’t keep referring to him as bubba.

He clears his throat, and Bryce cocks his head back to scan Reed’s face. “I was thinking we could honor your dad and name him Jaxon.”

My chest expands with the affection behind his words. Whatever was about to come out of his mouth, I never in a million years expected that.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but wasn’t sure if you’d both be okay with me suggesting it.” He shrugs, then swallows again.

“You want to name him after my dad?”

Reed locks eyes with Bryce. “Only if you want to, buddy. If you and your mom are comfortable with it.” He glances toward me, and I push away the tears sliding down my cheeks and try my best to stifle the sob threatening to bubble out of me.

“Can we call him Jax for short?” Bryce asks.

Reed’s lips curve into a smile. “If your mom is okay with that.” As he glances at me again, I nod. Our gazes fix on one another. His is an outpouring of love and gratitude, and mine is one of strength and resilience, a look of appreciation and love. My heart becomes heavy as I consider the gift that Jaxon left me with. A beautiful son, and now with Reed by my side, I’ve been given the gift of a new start, one I wouldn’t change for the world. One I once dreamed of, but now I realize what was missing all along.

It wasn’t Jaxon.

It was Reed.

This beautiful, broken soul, who, despite his flaws, has done everything in his power to put me and Bryce first. He’s become the backbone of our family. Someone I can rely on, a perfect father figure for our boys. A man I love more than the one I longed for.

My everything.

---