Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
He whimpered.
“There’s a beautiful woman who gave birth to you. She wants to meet you. Should we go to her? I think we should. Perhaps that’s why you’re looking around so much. You’re wondering where she is, that warm body you’ve been camped out in all this time, eh? Wait until you see her. She’s a bombshell.”
I kissed his forehead. “God, I love you, little mate.”
Then I heard a voice behind me.
“Is he taking visitors?”
I turned to find Phil and Kate standing there.
“Hey.” I beamed with pride.
“Oh my God.” Kate covered her mouth as she leaned in to look at her grandson for the first time. “He looks like you.” She laughed.
“Poor little bastard, right? But at least he has Britney’s eyes.”
“You’re right. He does,” she said, her voice going wobbly with tears.
Phil looked down at the bracelet around my son’s wrist. “Knickerbocker, huh?”
“We didn’t have time to explain anything, so they gave him Abby’s last name based on her ID when we checked in. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t have the energy to go into it and didn’t want to cause confusion.” I offered the baby to Kate. “Would you like to hold him?”
Her eyes widened. “Is the sky blue?”
I chuckled and carefully placed him in her arms.
Phil leaned over her shoulder. “Hey, little buddy. It’s your grandpa.”
“Your grandad is a ballbuster. I hope you’re ready.” I rubbed the back of my hand against my son’s cheek. “Did you see Abby yet?”
“We went straight to her room when we arrived. She looks good, considering the hell she’s been through.”
“We could’ve lost her. And him. We got incredibly lucky.” My eyes began to sting again. “I couldn’t have survived losing another woman I love.”
“Wow.” Kate smiled up at me. “You love her. That makes me so happy.”
“There’s still a lot to figure out, Kate. But I’m certain now that I want to raise my son. I hope that’s okay.”
“We knew that, Sig.” Phil laughed.
“You did?”
They looked at each other and smiled.
“Yes, of course we did,” Phil said. “We would’ve been thrilled either way, but in our hearts, we knew. We’re planning to be here most of the year to help you. We’ll all get to enjoy him and experience this together.”
My heart swelled, and I couldn’t wait any longer. “I need to take him to Abby. She hasn’t met him yet.”
“Go.” Kate handed me back my son. “Have your private introduction with Abby. We’ll be here, if you need us. We’re booking a room at the hotel down the road for the next couple of days. We’ll go grab coffee and meet up with you in a bit.”
I called over to the nurse. “I’m taking him to see Abby. Is that alright?”
“As long as you have that bracelet on, you’re good to go anywhere on the premises with him.” She stopped me before I left. “He’s going to need to eat. Do you know if Abby plans to breastfeed?”
“I don’t think so, no.”
She held out a bottle of what I assumed was formula. “Give this to him sometime in the next ten minutes or so. Let us know if there’s a problem with feeding.”
I took it. “Thank you.”
As I headed down the hallway in search of room 210, I felt like I was in the middle of a dream, one that had started as a nightmare before turning into something amazing.
“Ready to meet her, little guy?”
CHAPTER 50
* * *
Sig
Track 50: “A New Day Has Come” by Celine Dion
The door to Abby’s room was slightly open.
“Knock, knock,” I said softly before entering.
Abby struggled to sit up. “You took long enough…” Her hands trembled as she held them out to receive the baby. “I can’t believe how nervous I am.”
I placed him carefully in her arms.
She looked down at him, speaking softly. “Well, hello there, handsome. Do you remember me?”
My son’s eyes opened and seemed to focus in a way I hadn’t seen yet. Wow.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered. “I wish I could take credit for it. But I’m just the incubator.” She smiled. “I hope you enjoyed your stay, little man. I did my best, even if everything went haywire at the end.” Her voice quivered. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything happened to you.”
He continued to look nowhere but at her. I was certain he recognized her. She pressed her face against his and closed her eyes. A tear fell down her cheek. This woman had nearly given her life for him. I hadn’t fully grasped that.
“I love him so much,” she confessed. “Am I allowed to?”
My heart filled with love for her. “Out of everyone allowed to love him, you’re at the top of that list.” I ran my hand along her hair. “He’s only here because of you. You’re my hero, Abby.”
She rocked him gently. “We’ve all been through a lot together in a short amount of time, haven’t we?”