“What’s the matter?” Lillian asked, her smile fading.
Gavin shoved a hand through his hair, clearing a lump from his throat. “The baby’s in fetal distress. They just took Emily into the operating room.”
Lillian touched her mouth, the worry in her eyes mirroring Chad’s. She pulled Gavin into her arms. “They’re going to be fine. Don’t you think otherwise.”
Gavin nodded, trying hard to concentrate on his mother’s words. He still couldn’t believe what was happening. Down the hall, he could hear Olivia, Fallon, Trevor, and Colton. Their happiness was apparent too, until they saw Gavin and his parents. After a quick explanation, they all gathered in the room and waited for the nurse. Though small talk was attempted, tension hovered, its presence heavy as the minutes ticked by.
After what seemed like forever, Gavin surged from his chair when a nurse walked in. She handed him a heap of medical clothing, and he wasted no time hurrying into the bathroom to change. Once dressed, he said goodbye to his friends and family and followed the nurse into the elevator. He tried to hang on to hope, but as the elevator doors opened, Gavin couldn’t help but feel as if he was walking into a nightmare of his own. He couldn’t even begin to compute the death of a child, nor did he want to.
He felt his heart speed up, but he shoved the wicked thought to the back of his mind as he entered the operating room. Amongst the chaos, his frantic gaze landed on Emily, his breath evaporating through the chilled air when he saw her. Gavin’s heart slowed, plummeting into his stomach as the nurse guided him over to Emily. Her delicate arms were flailed out to either side, her wrists secured with Velcro. She looked so helpless as she stared up at him, her watery eyes seeping with fear and uncertainty. It sank Gavin.
“I’m here with you, baby. Right here,” he whispered through his surgical mask. His lips tingled to feel hers as he leaned over, his face inches from hers. “I’m not taking my eyes off of yours until I hear Noah cry.”
The slight chill working over Emily’s skin warmed as she stared into Gavin’s eyes. She nodded, wanting nothing more than to touch him. She needed both her men safe in her arms. When the doctor announced he was about to begin, Emily squeezed her eyes closed. A tear slid down her cheek. Gavin intertwined his fingers in hers, and as promised, his gaze never left her eyes. As close as his face was to hers, Emily could feel the heat rolling from his body, felt his love pouring through her.
“I thank God for you every day, Emily Cooper,” Gavin whispered. “You know that?”
Emily shook her head, her heart pounding from Gavin’s words and the twinge of pressure curling through her stomach.
“I do,” Gavin continued, his voice soft. “I also thank God the delivery boy quit the day you walked into my life. I thank God every time you burn a casserole and smoke the shit out of my house.”
Emily gave a weak smile, holding his hand tighter. She couldn’t see Gavin’s mouth, but the shimmer in his eyes told Emily he was also smiling.
“I thank God for every minute you’ve ever given me. Even the bad minutes.” He paused, bringing his face closer. “You told me once you thought you’d broken us. You didn’t break us, doll. You fixed us. Those bad minutes shaped us into what we are. They molded us into what we’re going to be together. We were written for one another, and I wouldn’t change one line in our romance novel. The good, the bad, the in between. It’s ours. We own it.”
The room was filled with loud chatter and frenzied movement, but the only thing Emily could see or hear was Gavin’s eyes and voice. Breathless, she swallowed. The need to hold him skyrocketed through her chest. “I love you,” she softly choked out, feeling a tug in her stomach. “And it’s me who’ll love you until the day I take my last, dying breath.” And she would. The man standing above her had saved her in so many ways, she was sure he’d never fully understand what he meant to her. It was impossible.
As she stared into Gavin’s eyes, a second of haunting white noise rocked the air, followed by Noah’s beautiful, screaming entrance into the world. Pressure lifted from Emily’s stomach, and she felt a warm tear from Gavin’s eyes hit her cheek. As she listened to Noah’s hearty wails and watched the man she loved shed his first tears in front of her, Emily felt whole. Her heart throbbed with completeness when Gavin tore his nervous gaze from hers. It also throbbed when she heard him let out a proud, soft chuckle.
Her man was a father. Her Yankees-loving, bottle cap-giving life saver was a father. And she, a mother. In that moment, Emily cried for her own mother, realizing that every mistake she’d made with Emily, she made because she was human. Though Emily hadn’t laid eyes on him yet, she felt her love for Noah soak her soul, the same way she knew her mother’s love for her must’ve soaked hers.
Not knowing if he was allowed to but not giving a shit, Gavin yanked the surgical mask from his face. Between laughing and trying to catch his breath, Gavin spoke against Emily’s lips as he kissed her, his heart jumping in his throat. “You’re amazing. Thank you so much. Jesus Christ, he’s beautiful, Emily. He has a full head of brown hair like yours.” Gavin looked over the sheet hung in front of Emily, his smile wide. “Hey, Doogie Howser!” With a raised brow, the doctor glanced up. “Ten fingers? Ten toes? Healthy?” Gavin probed.
“Yes to all of the above. Congratulations to you both.” Smiling inquisitively, he tilted his head. “Though I must admit, I’m not sure who Doogie Howser is.”
Gavin chuckled. “Of course you don’t. You’re too young. Thank you for delivering my son. Now, can I hold him?”
Still appearing quite confused, the doctor nodded.
As one of the beaming nurses carried a tightly swaddled Noah over, a once unruffled Gavin suddenly felt nervous. He didn’t know where this was coming from, considering he’d held Teresa and Timothy when they were infants. He licked his dry lips and tried to compose himself as the woman placed Noah into his arms. As if that nervousness never existed, Gavin instantly calmed as Emily’s reflection stared back at him when he looked into the dark blue eyes of his son. In complete awe, Gavin’s eyes traced Noah’s face, his mind imprinting every second into his memory. Gavin swallowed and gently brought his fingers to Noah’s tiny button of a nose, chuckling when his son yawned.
“You think you’re tired, little guy?” Gavin asked, kissing his soft cheek. “Tell that to your mother. You made her turn a little psychotic there for a while. She scared me, and I’m a tough one to get going.”
Emily’s heart swelled at Gavin’s easiness and instant love. She wasn’t surprised though. Smiling, she watched Gavin proudly dote over their son. With Noah cradled tightly in his arms, Gavin brought him over to Emily. Leaning over her exhausted body, he held Noah to her lips, allowing her to inch up and kiss his forehead. His satiny skin felt like heaven. No longer drowning in a nightmare, he was a waking dream for Emily. She sighed as contentment bloomed wildly in her soul.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered, tears creeping from her eyes. Aching to hold him, her fingertips tingled with the need to touch him. “My God. He’s so beautiful, Gavin.”
Gavin placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. “Just like his mother.” He stared into her watery eyes, his breath stolen by the pure happiness smoothing across her face. “Thank you. You’ve given me the greatest gift a woman can ever give a man. Ever. Nothing trumps it.” Gavin kissed her again, his voice a sweet caress. “I didn’t think it was possible, but I’m more in love with you now than before. You’ve rocked my entire world, Emily Cooper.”
With tears of happiness streaming down her face, Emily stared at the two men who’d stolen her breath, heart, and soul the second she laid eyes on them. Though good, bad, and ugly had plagued the path she and Gavin walked along the way, she’d never take any of it back because each step brought them closer to this beautiful moment. In those minutes, during the beautiful summer the year her life changed forever, the year her future began, Emily knew she was the one that’d been given the greatest gift ever.