Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Wait!” Courtlynn stops him. “What’s her name? The two of you have been holding out on us.”
Copeland smiles. “Her name is Lainey Mae James.” You can hear the pride and the love in his voice.
“Aww,” comes from all the ladies at once, and we all laugh.
The next hour or so, the waiting room seems to perk up as each new team of two takes their turn, quickly, per Copeland’s orders, so his wife can get some rest. The room starts to clear as everyone heads home to get some sleep themselves.
Finally, it’s our turn. I don’t know why, but I wanted to go in last. Bowen and Dixon come walking out. Their visit was the shortest so far, but they both are wearing wide, tired grins.
“She’s a cutie,” Dixon says.
“She’s so damn tiny,” Bowen adds.
“We were afraid to hold her.” Dixon laughs. “She’s too new.”
“We’ll catch you later,” Bowen says, covering a yawn.
We watch them leave, and Macklin turns to me. “You ready for this?”
“I am. I wish that our parents were here to see this, but Cope, Ellie, and baby Lainey are surrounded by love. It’s just hitting me, I guess,” I say, smiling through the tears that are burning the backs of my eyes. “I think it’s a little of being home, because I was sure I wouldn’t be here when Ellison delivered, and now that I am, I hate myself for staying away as long as I did.”
“Hey.” Macklin pulls me into his arms, wrapping me in a tight embrace. “Your sisters love you, Bay. They wanted you to be happy.”
“I know, and now that I’m home, I realize how unhappy I was, and I’m mad at myself for that, too.”
Macklin eases back and places his hands on my cheeks, guiding my eyes to his. “You’re human, Baylor. We all make choices we think we want and change our minds. All that Ellison cares about is that you’re here. You get to meet her daughter the day she was born. The rest of that is just noise, baby. You’re here, home where you belong, and that’s what matters.”
I sniff and fight back more tears. “Were you on some kind of cowboy inspiration team or something on the circuit? You’re really good at this ‘giving advice’ thing,” I say, pulling back and wiping at my eyes.
He grins at me. “No, I’m on team Baylor, the only team that matters.”
“I’m trying not to need you, remember? You’re making it really hard for me.”
“Good.” He leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. “Come. We have a niece to meet.” He laces his fingers through mine and leads me down the hall to Ellison’s room.
After a round of hugs, I manage to steal my niece. I can’t stop staring at her. Baby Lainey is asleep in my arms, and she’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. “She has your nose, Ellie, and Cope, she has your chin,” I tell them.
“Well, let’s hope she grows out of that and looks just like her momma,” Copeland says, kissing the top of Ellison’s head. He’s lying next to her on the bed, and they’re snuggled close.
“Are you going to keep hogging her, or are you going to give Macklin a chance to hold her?”
“Do I have to?” I ask, lifting my head, and my eyes meet Macklin’s across the room. His heated gaze has my breath hitching. I don’t need his words to know what he’s thinking. We had unprotected sex, nine days ago, and sure, it was only one time, but that’s all it takes, and this, this tiny human in my arms, could be our reality.
Just thinking about it makes my heart beat faster. I shouldn’t want that. I mean, it would be a nightmare, right? Getting pregnant so soon after a disastrous relationship, by my childhood crush, who also crushed on me, and now we’re not really dating, but seeing where things go?
That’s the definition of the “it’s complicated” social media status.
“Do you want to hold her?” I ask Macklin, his gaze still locked on mine.
“Whenever you’re ready,” he answers, but the way he’s looking at me, it’s as if he’s saying more. Not just whenever I’m ready for him to hold her, but… whenever I’m ready for a baby?
That sounds insane, right? That can’t be what he means, but his stare and the deep timbre of his voice sure as hell sound like it.
“I guess I have to share,” I say, trying to break out of the intensity of what I’m feeling.
Macklin slowly stands and moves to sit next to me on the small couch. Carefully, I transfer Lainey into his arms and watch as he smiles down at her. My heart is having a party inside my chest at the view.
“She weighs hardly anything,” he comments.
“Seven pounds, eight ounces, twenty inches long,” Copeland rattles off like the proud dad that he is.