Page 114 of Once Upon a Holidate
Alisha started for the elevator, then turned back to face him. “Did you stay with her while she was in labor?”
“I was with her until the baby came.” He thought about hanging on to his daughter’s hands and telling her she could do it. “I’d taken the classes with her, so I had a fair understanding of what was going on.” He chuckled. “The trick is not to look.”
Alisha laughed. “No, Garrick. The trick is passing something the size of a bowling ball.”
She stepped onto the elevator and waved.
He went outside and was surprised to see the sun was up. A quick glance at his watch told him it was just after nine. They’d left the wedding around five thirty last night, so they’d been in the hospital just over fifteen hours. He had a strange sense of being out of space and time.
The drive home was quick. As soon as he pulled into his driveway, Wynn burst out of her house and raced toward him.
“How is she? How are you? The pictures were beautiful. I can’t believe he’s here. How was it? Were you scared? Oh, Garrick, what a wonderful experience to share with your daughter.”
She threw herself against him. He caught her and held her tight, needing to know she was close to him.
“I missed you,” he said, surprising himself with the words. “I missed you a lot.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I was thinking about you all night. How did you do?”
“I hung in there. Joylyn did the work.”
They walked into the house. Wynn started coffee while he leaned against the counter and tried to process his emotions.
“I thought she would be a wreck,” he said. “She’s been soupset all the time, but she wasn’t. She was calm and just seemed to know what to do. It was incredible. I was right there when he was born.”
He thought about the stillness in the moments after the baby had entered the world and the collective sigh of relief when he’d started to cry.
“He’s healthy?” Wynn asked, turning to face him.
“Ten fingers and toes, along with everything else. He’s already started breastfeeding. Chandler got there about twenty minutes after he was born. Joylyn was so happy to see him.”
“Her family is complete,” Wynn said with a smile. “What an amazing couple of days.”
“How was the rest of the wedding?”
“Lovely. The dinner was fantastic. Holly and Rex had the best time, and everyone appreciated the updates. The crowd cleared out about midnight. I got a little sleep, but I was mostly waiting to hear that he’d been born.”
“Thanks for that.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I care about Joylyn. She’s going to be a great mother.”
He knew Wynn meant what she said—that Joylyn was important to her. Because she was someone who cared about other people.
The coffee finished brewing. Wynn poured them each a cup, then urged him to sit at the table.
“Are you hungry? Or do you want to just get some sleep? I know you were up all night.”
“I’m not hungry,” he said, although he thought he would be later. Right now he wanted to understand everything that had happened. There was a feeling inside him—one he couldn’t name—but it was big and getting bigger.
“She wants to stay here for Christmas,” he told Wynn.“Chandler told me. The three of them are going to be with me through Christmas Day.”
Wynn reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I know you’ll like that.”
“I will. Can we do something together? Have a big dinner or something? Or am I asking too much?” He frowned. “Do you already have plans?”
She smiled. “I’d like us to spend Christmas together. I was going to make a turkey anyway and share the meal with a few friends. It’s Christmas—the more people at the table, the happier I am. Especially if you’ll be there.”
He stared at Wynn. She was so beautiful, he thought. But more than that. She was strong and kind and sexy and giving. She was a good mom. A great one. He thought about what she’d said about wanting more kids. He thought about how Joylyn had stared at him, telling him she needed him to be there while she had her son. He thought about the responsibility and joy and how being his daughter’s father was the best gig ever.
