When my eyes finally reach his face, I realize that he looks familiar, but I can’t place him.
“Do... Do I know you?” I ask, shivering as the pain of a contraction roils through me.
He allows me to grip his hand, and he doesn’t even flinch at how hard I squeeze, almost as if I can transfer the pain to him.
He leans in and gives me a rueful smile. “Name’s Branson. I’m Knox’s big brother, and I haven’t always been well liked around these parts, which is probably why we’re not acquainted.”
As the pain of the last contraction subsides, I glance up at him. He looks at me with earnest care, and I give him a small smile.
“I’m Lucy. And I don’t know, Branson. You seem pretty okay to me.”
He chuckles, shifting me in his arms as he scans the yard, signaling to an unseen person. “You’d be the only person to say so, but I’m workin’ on it.”
Before I can respond, a sharp pain shoots in my belly, and I double over, wincing at the pain.
“Lucy, you okay?” I can hear the panic in his voice.
Clutching his arm, I grasp as hard as I can. “Branson…” I breathe. “As much as I love clinging to you, can you please find Kale for me? If I’m about to have his baby on your parents’ lawn, I should at least warn him, right?”
Branson gives me a beautiful, reassuring smile as his hand strokes my back. “Don’t worry, Lucy. We’ll take care of you. ”
I give him a weak smile as a sharp pain assaults my belly, and I double over in pain once again. All of a sudden, I feel a flurry of activity around me, and I look up just in time to see Knox pushing Branson away. Kale’s by my side, and I look up at him, gesturing towards Knox.
“Make sure to thank Branson,” I insist. Kale frowns down at me, but I don’t back down. “Kale, he was there when my water broke—on his suit, I might add. He held my hand through the pain. I don’t care who he is or who doesn’t like him. I’m just thankful he was around.”
Nodding, Kale gives me a tight smile as Knox returns. He gives Kale a slap on the shoulder then looks down on me.
“I guess this is the little guy’s way of getting back at me for stealing his thunder,” Knox jokes, and I give him a sheepish grin.
My next contraction starts just as the paramedics arrive, and they quickly load me onto a stretcher. Kale follows behind, and it’s a matter of time before we’re wheeled into a whirlwind of activity.
Kales grips my hand in the ambulance, and I look up at him. “Kale? I’m as much as I love Sprout, I’m really glad I’m not giving birth in the grass.”
Grinning, he shakes his head at me. “I’m glad, too.”
I DIDN’T actually have to worry about having a baby in the Wellingtons’ backyard because even after my water broke, Sprout decided to delay his entrance into the world. Fortunately, it was enough time for me to have an epidural, something Kale scowled at me for, but I didn’t care. Until he is the one dealing with labor pains, he doesn’t get a say.
“Okay, Lucy, it’s about that time,” the doctor informs me. “You’re fully dilated and we need to get you ready to push.”
Nodding, I let out a long, slow deep breath, more than ready to meet my son. A nurse in salmon-colored scrubs directs Kale to grab one of my legs. He squeezes my hand one last time and moves to the end of the bed, and I lurch forward in protest. I don’t care how many times his head’s been between my legs. The last thing I want is to traumatize him by seeing a baby’s head coming out of that sacred spot.
“Baby, it’s fine. I don’t mind,” he reassures me, but I shake my head. He cocks an eyebrow up at me, giving me a nod with a smile on his face, almost as if he can read my mind. “I promise I won’t look if that’s what you’re worried about. But you’ve got to push, and I want to help. Let me do this.”
Letting out a deep breath, I concede, knowing that I won’t change his mind no matter how much I want to protest. In the end, when it comes time to push, I barely register that anyone else is in the room. His coaching and encouragement through each push helps keep my focus on him, and even though he promised not to look, I see the way his eyes light up the moment I feel the baby escape from my body. Exhaustion flows through me as I lean back against the bed. Kale looks up at me with watery eyes, giving me the widest smile I’ve ever seen on his face. His expression is full of elation, awe, and pure love.
The sound of the baby crying snaps my attention, and I watch as he’s wrapped in a blanket then handed to Kale. He walks towards me and gently sits on the side of my bed.
“Hey, Sprout, meet your momma,” he whispers, lowering the baby into my arms. An overwhelming sob racks through my body at the sight of him—our precious, perfect baby boy. Kale brushes my sweaty hair aside and leans down to give me a kiss on the forehead. “You did amazing, baby. That was amazing. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was the biggest rush of my life. Bombs have nothin’ on babies.”
Laughter escapes me, and I grin up at him then down at my son. “Hear that, Sprout? You’re more exciting than explosives. Don’t go getting any ideas now.”
“Okay, Momma. As much as I love Sprout, that’s not going on the birth certificate. Are you ready?” he asks, peering down at me.
After weeks of disagreeing on names, we finally decided that we’d split it. I get the first name and he gets the middle, and we both have one veto each. As much as Kale’s baby naming scares me, I’m excited to give our son a name.
“On the count of three?” I ask, and he nods. “One… two… three.”
“Austin,” he says at the same time as I tell him, “Jacob.”
“Jacob Austin Montgomery?” I try the name out and realize that it’s perfect. “I love it.”
Kale leans onto the mattress and gives me a smirk. “You know what this means, right?”
Frowning at him, I shake my head. “I don’t, and I’m not sure I want to.”
He brings a finger up to stroke Jacob’s face. “He’s got one awesome set of initials.” I look at him in confusion. “JAM! Seriously. I had no idea you were even picking a J name, but it worked out perfectly.”
I groan then give him a teasing smile. “Can I use a veto?” I ask jokingly, and he shakes his head.
“No way. From here on out, it’s you, me, and Jacob. Just like it’s meant to be.”
Epilogue Part 1
Kale
One year later
“BABY, HURRY up!” I call to the back bedroom, where Lucy’s getting ready. “Everyone’s going to be here in less than five minutes.”
It’s Jacob’s first birthday, and Lucy’s gone all out for it, even though the kid will never remember it, but according to her, she needs the memories and, well, the photos. The doorbell rings and I head to the door, quick to answer it since Jacob’s still down for his nap. I figure, just like he’s always done, he’s on his own time and he’ll make an appearance when he’s good and ready.
Opening the door, I see Branson standing on the other side, a huge-ass box in his arms. I take it from him and gesture for him to come inside. Lucy walks into the living room with a now awake Jacob in her arms, and she greets Branson, who leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Seeing his buddy Branson, Jacob leans into him, and I watch as Lucy transfers him into Branson’s arms.
“Just you today, Bran?” Lucy asks, and he pauses from tickling my son’s belly to look down at her.
“Yeah, just me. I couldn’t have missed this little guy’s first birthday,” he says, grinning as Jacob reaches up and grabs ahold of his ear. That’s my boy’s new favorite thing. Grabbing, pulling, tugging on anything he can get his hands on, and from the looks of it, Branson doesn’t seem to mind.