“Callum?” Jinx whispers and the tears, already filling my eyes, threaten to start rolling down my cheeks when I look at my best friend. “Will you do it?”
My throat clogs, words impossible as I take in what he’s offering me. This is his boy, probably the only kid he’ll ever have, and he’s offering me such an important part in the process. With this, he’s telling me that he feels as if I’m as important in this situation as he and Simone are.
“You’re sure?” My breath is ragged, the threatening tears blurring my vision until he swims in front of me.
“Yeah, man. I’d be fucking honored.”
Tears roll down Camryn’s face, absorbing into the top of her mask as she hands me the medical scissors, and I have to use the sleeve of the paper gown I’m wearing to wipe away the dampness on my face enough to see what I’m doing.
When I’m done handing them back to Camryn, Jinx is lost in the sight of his perfect little boy, tears rolling down his face too.
A nurse takes the baby, and Jinx follows as I turn all of my attention back to Simone while Camryn finishes up the part of the birth process no one really talks about.
“He’s amazing,” I praise, bending over and pressing my lips to hers. “You’re amazing.”
“Now we’re a family of four,” she whispers, her brow scrunching and drawing tight in pain.
“Yeah,” I agree, but the magnitude of the words in addition to the gift Jinx just gave me, I feel the reality of it deep in my soul.
What started out as a clusterfuck of epic proportions has ended with everyone involved getting exactly what we needed. I didn’t have to provide the sperm to be a dad, and yet here I am, one happy fucking father.
I’ve got a son, the best friend a man could ask for, and an amazingly perfect woman. It honestly couldn’t get any better than this.
Well, there’s one more thing that could go my way today, and it would make me the happiest man to ever walk the earth.
“Meet River Fletcher Alexander,” Jinx whispers as he walks to us, placing the perfect little bundle in Simone’s arms.
I’m a man’s man, but the tears refuse to stop falling. I joked about giving the baby my last name as his middle name, but both Simone and Jinx loved the idea.
Jinx and I spend an eternity just looking down at the two of them. This is the absolute picture of perfection, and I’d fight anyone who thinks differently.
“He has perfect little hands,” Jinx whispers, and it makes my pulse rise. “You should look.”
Simone smiles down at her baby. “I don’t want him to get cold.”
“But seriously. His feet are huge, too. He’s going to be bigger than I am.”
Unable to hold out any longer, Simone slowly unwraps the blanket, first kissing the bottom of River’s sweet, little feet before turning her attention to his tiny hands.
“What in the—” She whispers when she unfolds his clenched fist to look at his fingers.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life,” I begin, feeling the strength and support of my friend as Jinx places his hand on my shoulder. “But being your husband, calling you mine would mean the world to me.”
She doesn’t pull her eyes up from the engagement ring in River’s palm, and the baby jiggles under her shuddering breath.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Jinx’s fingers tighten on my shoulder.
“Of course.”
Life has been perfection, so I didn’t doubt for a second what her answer would be, but that still doesn’t stop the huge sense of relief that washes over me as I bend down, take the ring from my son’s hand, and place it on her finger.
“I love you,” I whisper against her temple.
“I love you, too.”
Chapter 40
Simone
Being a parent is hard.
What I pictured versus what I got doesn’t line up. Of course, we spend hours upon hours watching River sleep, getting stupidly excited every time his little eyes open up. We’ve used so much of our phone space; we’ve all had to buy more space on the cloud.
What we didn’t take into account is the inevitable way River needs to pee again the second you open his diaper, or the sheer exhaustion that comes with breastfeeding a ravenous little boy. Seriously, the kid acts like he’s starving constantly.
So when I roll over in bed, groaning because my breasts are too damn sore to touch, I get a little freaked. I don’t think