Page 32 of Waiting for Her

Addison

My eyes open, squinting at the harsh hospital lighting of the room and wondering what happened, praying that my child is okay and that my life didn’t just completely change for the worse over the course of the last few hours. My body is heavy as I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the pain as I try to sit up, but before I can move, voices penetrate my ears and my head flicks to the side only to see Max sitting in a rocking chair, our baby resting in his arms.

I thought I mentally prepared myself for the image of Max holding my little nugget, but nothing compares to this. Nothing can match the way his arms cradle that little body. His eyes gentle as the nurse whispers something in his ear, his head silently nodding. My heart almost explodes at the sight. I don’t move a muscle, taking in as much as I can from this moment, watching as the nurse stays for a few more minutes as Max learns to bottle feed and when she leaves the room, I take a moment to take in the sight in front of me.

Someone once told me that you can tell a lot about a person from the way they hold a baby that isn’t their own, and at the time, I thought they were full of shit. But right now, seeing Max hold that nugget in his arms with so much love and devotion causes something to shift in my chest. This man is everything I wished for and more. This man is the definition of love and no one can tell me otherwise because watching him bottle feed our baby, his eyes never leaving her face, causes tears to fill my eyes.

“Fatherhood looks good on you,” I whisper, surprised at the hoarseness in my voice.

Max’s head whips up, his eyes meeting mine and I swear the stars align right then and all I see is the future I always wanted lying in front of me.

“Addison?” he whispers, his gaze taking me in from head to toe, almost making sure I’m okay before getting up and making his way toward me. “I need to call the nurse.”

I shake my head, holding out my hand and resting it on his arm, stopping him.

“I want to meet our baby first,” I whisper, taking a breath as Max slowly sits on the edge of the bed and tilts his arms to show me the smallest baby I have ever seen covered in a pink blanket and matching hat. “It’s a girl?” The words linger in my throat as Max smiles, nodding as he leans in and kisses my forehead.

“You have no fucking idea how happy I am to hear your voice and see those beautiful eyes of yours.”

I chuckle softly, rolling my eyes at his inability to stop swearing.

“Shit”—reality hitting him—“I guess I better work on that language, huh?” he whispers in a baby voice as he looks at our daughter.

“She’s perfect.” My fingers graze the side of her face, basking in the softness of her skin.

“I love you so much.” That fear I saw hours earlier still lingers in his gaze. “You have no idea how much.”

I shake my head, about to confess how much I do understand the feelings coursing through his body right now. These last few months have shown me more than any words could ever express. He’s my everything. Him and our daughter. But before I can utter a word, a nurse barges through the door, sees I’m awake, and proceeds to spend the next half an hour poking and prodding every limb of my body, taking every vital she can think of before leaving us blissfully alone once more.

“You know, we still need a name,” Max says, his arms still cradling that little bundle and before I can ask, he’s leaning over, placing her in my arms.

The utter contentment that surrounds me as her skin touches mine is something I will never be able to explain.

I stare at her little face, her eyes opening and closing as the minutes pass and I finally let the tears fall, knowing how close we came to disaster.

“What about Luna?” I whisper, the name taking over the room, and I know it’s perfect.

“I love it.” Max smiles, lying down next to me and kissing my bare shoulder.

* * *

“You’re incredible,” Drew says, standing beside my bed as we watch Luna being passed around the room.

Kate is standing beside my brother, smiling and I wonder for the millionth time why neither of them wants kids, but from the way Drew looks at Luna, I know he’s going to be the best uncle she’s ever known.

Lucas, on the other hand, is standing as far away from my daughter as possible, causing a soft chuckle to leave my chest. We all know Lucas isn’t one to spend any length of time around children, but seeing the panicked look on his face when Max asked if he wanted to hold Luna was enough to send the room into hysterics.

“You okay over there, Mark?” Max asks, his fingers linking with mine as he stands on my other side.

Mark nods, not saying a word as his eyes stay pinned to his niece, love flowing freely from his gaze. I knew my child would be loved, I knew that even before me and Max happened. But seeing everyone surrounding us, I know my daughter is blessed.

“When are we trying for one?” Hannah asks Cash, his eyes widening and the sense of panic I just saw in Lucas’s eyes washes over him.

Hannah begins to laugh, knowing full well that the boy isn’t ready to be a father.

“Calm down, sweaty, I was only joking.” Cash lets out a breath, everyone laughing, but when I look closer, I see realization hit and I know that he and Hannah aren’t as far off as she might think.

“You doing okay, baby?” Max whispers before kissing the side of my head.

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