Page 29

Carter

Three Months Later

I felt tears prick my eyes; a man wasn’t a man at all if he didn’t allow the woman who was his world to see him at his most vulnerable.

I placed my lips on Harlee’s damp, slicked, sweat-covered forehead and whispered, “Thank you.”

She smiled up at me and then grimaced as another contraction started.

I held her hand, whispering, encouraging, doing anything and everything I could to help her get through this.

Hours and hours this had gone on.

Everyone told me that the first one was always the hardest.

And I vowed right then and there that I wasn’t going to be putting her through this ever again.

That was when another contraction hit, and the doctor said, “Okay, Harlee, I want you to bear down and push as hard as you can.”

She nodded, and then she pushed.

Crying out with her strength.

I heard words like I see the head.

It’s out.

Another contraction.

Rest.

One more.

One more.

Then, with one final push, my woman fell back into my embrace, exhausted.

Our baby’s cries filled the room.

I pressed a kiss on her lips and whispered, “I love you.”

She smiled, tiredly, and whispered, “I love you too.”

Then the doctor held our baby up and said, “Congratulations, you have a handsome and healthy son.”

He was cleaned up, checked out, and then brought to Harlee.

Once she had him in her arms, she took him in. I ran my finger over the bridge of his tiny nose, taking everything in about him.

He was perfect. The perfect mix of me and my entire world.

She looked at him, then looked up at me and whispered, “Granger Alexander Griggs.”

I didn’t know how it was even possible to fall even more in love with her than I already was, but there I stood. Taking in our son in wonder, and then I felt it.

Something warm trickled through my body, and I knew that it was Granger’s approval.

I nodded, then swallowed, and said, “It’s fucking perfect.”

Our family came in shortly thereafter to meet him.

Our parents held him first, followed by Garrick, Ethan, Melanie, Alec, and Talia.

The next day, Dominik showed up along with Bronson, Lila, and Everly.

A few people in our town showed up with well wishes and to meet the newest member of Whispering Falls.

Tatum had shown up and when we told her his name, she had come to me, and I wrapped her in my arms as she cried softly. All the while saying it was perfect.

We were home that following day, with our fridge and pantry bursting to the brim.

Our family crowded in the living room, cooing over Granger.

And Melanie pressed a kiss on his head and whispered, “We’re the third generation of Griggs. We’re going to be awesome.”

Mom and Darla had told me and Harlee to get some sleep, that they had him.

I got a full nine hours of sleep, but my woman got a full eighteen hours of sleep.

It was the next morning, and we were alone with Granger.

I was shirtless on our couch with her in one of my t-shirts with Granger resting against my chest.

“So, something I wanted to ask you,” she said.

I looked over at her and nodded, “Okay.”

“We haven’t talked about godparents for Granger,” she said as she bit her bottom lip.

I nodded, “Yeah, we need to do that. Do you have someone in mind?”

She nodded, “Yeah, Tatum?”

I thought about it.

For two point five seconds, and then nodded my head, “Yeah. Fucking love that baby.”

We named Garrick not only as his uncle but also as his godfather.

When we informed the two of them, I had never before seen Garrick shed a single tear, but that moment, I had.

Tatum had simply smiled and nodded, as a tear ran down her cheek, too.

Harlee

After our baby boy had come into this world, I immediately went and got another tattoo.

I had Granger’s footprints tattooed on the back of my left shoulder.

And any more kids we would be blessed with, I was going to do the same.

I might be my husband’s Incandescent, but he was simply my everything.

I didn’t have to change Granger. Carter did that.

I didn’t have to get up in the middle of the night with him. Carter did it.

His only response when I had asked him why he said, “First, you hogged him for nine months. And second, I didn’t do a fucking thing to bring him into this world. You did that.”

And that was that.