Page 74 of The MC's Surprise
Joining them, I took the tiny bracelet, just big enough to fit on an infant. It was lightweight, and if I knew Mojave like I thought I did, probably expensive as all get out. He didn’t fuck around with security. And while that was because of his history, I still appreciated it.
“Thanks, man. It means a lot.”
He nodded once, then took a step back. “I’m gonna go. Congratulations.”
He was gone before either of us could say a word to him. When Sierra turned to me, confusion etched into her face, I shook my head. “Not a story you want to hear right now, sweetheart. I’ll explain later. You look tired. Time for a nap?”
I could tell she didn’t want to be rude, but the room was getting crowded and she looked beat. Unlike her, I felt no shame whatsoever kicking them all out.
“Alright, time to go. We’ll see you guys later.”
It reassured her a lot when they all agreed easily. Even her parents, who stayed by her side whenever I was distracted with the masses, kissed her on the head and said their goodbyes. I knew her mom would be back bright and early, and she’d be bringing my mom with her next time, but for now, we finally got some privacy to rest.
I handed Sierra the baby when she put her arms out, moving back to my spot at her side.
“What was the box that Wraith slipped to you?” she asked out of the blue.
I hesitated for a minute, surprised, but eventually chuckled and shook my head, pulling the box out of my back pocket. “I’m not getting anything past you, am I?”
“Nope. You’re terrible at being sneaky.” She cocked her head at the gift. “What is it?”
“I read online that I’m supposed to get you a push present for having our kid. I picked this out earlier, but I was waiting to pick it up until I knew for sure when she’d come. I didn’t want to get the stone wrong.”
I opened the box for her since her hands were full showing her the delicate gold necklace with the charm of our daughter’s birth stone in the middle. It wasn’t a huge thing, I knew howmuch she didn’t like me spending tons of money on her, but I wanted her to know how much it meant to me that she went through all this for me and for our kid.
“You gave me the world by having her. I just wanted to get you something small to show you how much I appreciate it.”
She hiccuped, eyes welling with tears for maybe the tenth time today. “I swear, you’re all trying to make me cry at this point.”
I chuckled, taking the necklace out and carefully fastening it around her neck. “No, beautiful. But if you’re going to cry, I’m going to be there to wipe your tears. Always. I promise.”
42
Six weeks later…
43
Sierra
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
It was getting hard not to laugh at him. Justin had already asked me that question half a dozen times, and he still hovered beside me. It didn’t matter that the doctor had cleared me to return to normal activity and Mel checked on me pretty much daily and agreed with the assessment that I was ready. Justin was a worry wart, and I couldn’t complain about the coddling too much. He was just so sweet about it.
“I promise I’m fine. Here, hold your daughter. You need cuddles to chill out,” I said, handing off Melanie to him. We’d spent the first few weeks just being together as much as possible as a family, and as much as I loved every minute of it, I wanted out of this gorgeous house. Besides, it was time for the rally. I’d been planning it with Skylar for weeks and I’d already had to miss the firefighter event since I’d gone into labor early. I wasn’t missing this.
Justin melted the second she was in his arms, just like he did every time I handed her off to him. It was adorable justhow much he loved her. How much he loved the both of us. He’d taken paternity leave, despite owning his own business, and refused to drive out when Charlotte summoned him. I’d overheard that conversation and he said unless the building was crumbling, he wasn’t leaving and she could handle it. I couldn’t help feeling a little smug about that. If there was a ranking system, me and Melanie came out on top that day.
I looked in the mirror, studying my appearance. It’d been so long since I could fit into clothes like this, I wasn’t sure what to think. While yes, the breastfeeding had helped with losing some of the weight I’d gained during the pregnancy, it wasn’t a fix-all. And I wasn’t cleared for any type of exercise until earlier this week. I was a little chubbier, a little more soft, but when Vegas stepped up behind me, he didn’t show even an ounce of judgement.
“You look gorgeous, sweetheart. Ten out of ten. Isn’t that right, Melanie? Isn’t your mama gorgeous? Yes she is,” he cooed at her, winking at me in the mirror.
I felt my cheeks flush, but his opinion was definitely biased. I snapped a picture and sent it to the group chat with the other old ladies.
Sierra:Do I look okay?
Skylar:You look great!
Maggie:I think so too. I love the dress.
