Page 105 of Burdens

I was a dad. To a beautiful girl. Both she and my wife were okay, healthy.

Safe.

I hadn’t realized I’d been standing frozen in place, tears freely falling down my cheeks, until Amalia’s voice broke through whatever fog had kept me under.

“Baby, come here,” she said softly.

When my gaze met hers, she was gesturing for me to join her on the bed.

“Oh, I don’t want to hurt you or her,” I replied, looking between her and our daughter that she was holding in her arms, wrapped in a blanket with a hat covering her head.

Amalia raised a brow. “I just gave birth, so anything I say goes,” she said, reaching for my hand and pulling me closer.

I laughed. “That’s not a rule, and I already do anything you tell me to, pretty girl,” I noted, gently joining them on the bed and draping one arm around Amalia’s shoulders.

“She’s perfect,” I breathed as I stared at her in awe, an overwhelming love washing over me. She was so small, so delicate and just so beautiful. And she was mine. Just like the woman lying next to me.

I turned my attention to my wife, finding her gaze already on me with that beautifully soft smile of hers. Her green eyes shone with tears as I brought my face closer to hers.

“You’reperfect,” I murmured against her lips before giving her a tender kiss.

When I pulled away, Amalia asked, “Have you thought of any names?”

We’d been debating between two names but wanted to wait until she was born before settling on one. The moment I’d laideyes on our daughter, I instantly knew which one was meant for her, but I wanted to see what Amalia thought first.

“What do you think?” I brushed a finger over our precious daughter’s face, memorizing her features, while I waited for her response.

“Ameena,” she began, reaching with her free hand to brush my hair back as I looked at her. Her smile warmed as she said her next words. “Ameena Camila Brown.”

My brain could barely register that we’d settled on the same name when I’d heard her say my mother’s name.

My heart swelled with even more emotion and a tear escaped my eye. Amalia tenderly wiped it away.

“I love it and I love you,” I rasped before leaning in to kiss her once more.

“I love you too,” she replied softly when we pulled away to direct our attention to Ameena.

A quiet hum cloaked the room as we just held each other.

All my life, I’d felt as though I’d been navigating through the dark, too broken to ever dream about a life where happiness was possible because it always seemed so out of reach.

But despite all of the burdens I’d carried in my life, it led me right here.

Exactly where I’d always been meant to be.

EXTENDED EPILOGUE

AMALIA

FIVE WEEKS LATER

“Wouldit be rude if we ditched them?” I asked as I stepped out of our house and into the backyard, where my husband was leaning against one of the pillars a few feet away from everyone else.

Noah glanced at me, a soft smile playing on his lips, and lifted his right arm. I nestled into his side, wrapping my arms around his waist as he draped his arm over my shoulder.

He then tugged me closer and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “I mean they are here to celebrate our daughter,” he replied with a chuckle.

Our daughter.