Page 29 of Moonlight & Matrimony (Oak Ridge #2)

“She’s in recovery. They had to do a c-section. It’s been a really long day, but she made it through the surgery okay, and she was awake long enough to meet our baby girl. They knocked her out for the last bit and she’ll be out for a little while. We’re supposed to meet her in the room.”

“Thank god she’s okay. How are you holding up?” Ivy asks, brows drawn together in concern, head tilted slightly as she smooths a hand over the bundle in Cade’s arms.

“It was terrifying,” he sighs with a look of utter exhaustion.

Cade explains that Paige’s heart rate was dropping dangerously low during her contractions, and they eventually decided it would be best for both Paige and the baby if they delivered via c-section.

The entire waiting room is filled with our crew, passing around my niece as Cade recounts the distressing details.

I don’t know much about giving birth, but my sister is a goddamn badass.

I look on, heart swelling with affection as Ivy holds the little bundle in her arms, her tiny fist wrapped around my wife’s finger. I lean over Ivy’s shoulder, reaching out to stroke her chubby cheek. “She looks like Paige,” I note.

“Yeah. She’s beautiful,” Cade agrees.

Ivy brings her up to her face, inhaling the new baby scent.

A flash of something I can’t quite name passes over her features.

“Do you want to hold her, Uncle Luca?” she says, and a spark of affection blooms in my chest. I already love this baby fiercely, and beyond comprehension.

I nod, and Ivy carefully places her in my arms. She shifts in the blanket, letting out an adorable yawn, and I can’t contain the smile that overtakes my face. When did I become such a sap?

Paige and I weren’t always close growing up. Around the time our parents split, we drifted apart, and I’m not too prideful to admit that I harbored a lot of misplaced resentment towards my sister for the decisions she made back then.

Do I fault her for them now? No. I’ve seen what our parents’ strained relationship has wrought, and I’ve had time to reflect on our childhood, realizing that, at a time when my sister may have needed me the most, I blamed her for things that were beyond her control.

We both survived in the only ways we knew how, and I wasted years of my life resenting my sister on behalf of a failed marriage that never deserved a second thought.

Standing here now, holding my niece, I’m grateful for the events that led me here, and the path towards reconciliation with my sister.

She’s grown into an incredibly generous and kind-hearted woman.

I’m proud to call her family. The forgiveness and understanding she’s freely given will not be taken for granted.

“Does she have a name?” I ask, realizing they never formally made an announcement.

Cade smiles affectionately at his daughter. “She does, but I’ll wait for Paige so we can tell y’all together when she’s feeling up to it.”

“We should let you get settled in the room,” Ivy says. Cade nods, and I reluctantly transfer the little bundle back into the arms of her very proud father.

“Congratulations, Cade. She’s amazing. Tell my sister I’m proud of her.”

Cade pulls me in for a side hug. “Thanks, brother.”

Reluctantly, we all head out, letting Paige recover from what has surely been a difficult day, both physically and emotionally.

“I remember when Rylin was born,” Ivy says as we turn towards Main Street. Her voice is soft, laced with a mixture of affection and longing. “Austin missed her birth. I would’ve been all alone if it weren’t for Evelyn and Russell.”

“I fucking hate him,” I seethe. Ivy reaches across the console to place a hand on my thigh. I take that opportunity to lace our fingers.

“He never wanted to be a dad,” she continues. “When the two little lines showed up on the pregnancy test, I was terrified. I waited until the second trimester before I finally told him.”

“What happened?” I know I’m going to regret asking, so I cling to her hand like a lifeline, hiding just how much her words are affecting me. I want her to know she can open up to me, no matter how painful her story is.

“He told me to ‘get rid of it’. I refused, and that was the first time I realized I should be afraid of him.” My blood is boiling, but I keep my breathing steady, not giving any indication of just how angry I am as she continues to speak.

“He gripped my hip so tightly when he slammed my back into the wall that he left fingerprints on my skin.”

I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry you went through that, Ivy.”

The rest of the drive home is silent, a somber mood settling over us. When we pull up to the house, the lights are out save for the living room and porch lights. The night sky is illuminated by the subtle glow of the moon.

“It’s a beautiful night. Do you want to sit out back with me for a while?”

“Okay,” she says, and I take her hand, leading her through the side gate to the back porch.

Ivy

“Welcome home, Mama!” I rush to the door to help Paige with the diaper bag, Cade following closely behind her with the car seat, nursing pillow, and hospital bag. It’s their first day home and I couldn’t stay away. The nurturer in me wanted to be here for my friend.

“Auntie Paige!” Rylin squeals from somewhere behind me. I turn on my heel, anticipating a very animated Rylin to come barrelling into the foyer.

“Slow down, speed racer. Auntie Paige is healing, and we need to be very gentle.”

“Can I see my new baby friend now?” she asks.

I should’ve known the baby would be her priority. “Let’s step back and let Uncle Cade and Auntie Paige get settled in for a minute, okay? I’m sure they’ll be ready to introduce you to her very soon.”

We back away, giving them ample space to move past us into the den. Cade sets the car seat on the coffee table and Rylin takes off before I can stop her. “Ry —”

“Oh, leave her be, Ivy girl. She’ll be fine,” Nana says.

She’s been in the kitchen cooking up a storm for the past several days, preparing meals to stock the freezer.

It smells like spaghetti sauce in the cabin, and my stomach growls in response.

This must be what it’s like to have a support system around after you have a baby.

All I had was easy mac, and a prayer. I spent my nights crying over spilled breast milk, wishing Rylin would stop crying long enough to fall asleep.

She’s the best girl, but she was a very unsettled infant.

“When’s the last time you ate?” Luca’s gruff voice startles me out of my memories. His presence sends a shiver up my spine.

“I’m fine, Luca.” He’s been oddly attentive since the night I told him about Rylin’s birth, spending all of his free time playing with her, pushing her on the swing, and making sure we’re taken care of in every way. Almost .

We haven’t been intimate since he devoured me on the couch, and I’m not really sure how I feel about that.

Don’t get me wrong. After his very thorough services, I’m fucking ravenous for more.

Every time he enters the room, my hormones make me feral.

There have been heated glances, and lingering touches here and there, but it’s hard for me to reconcile this longing for something I swore I would never pursue, with the fear of it devolving into the nightmare I lived with for so many years.

I can’t afford to take that risk, so I continue to remind myself of the promise I made the night I left. Don’t fall in love, Ivy girl.

I take a few tentative steps into the den, looking on as Rylin settles into the corner of the sectional.

Cade places the nursing pillow across her lap, and my little girl almost disappears under it.

I snort out a laugh at the sight; Rylin has always been small for her age.

Paige approaches with a sleeping baby, gently placing her across the pillow.

Rylin leans in close to her face, rubbing their little noses together like we often do, and tears spring to my eyes.

“I love you,” she whispers, and that does it. My vision blurs behind the torrent of emotion spilling down my cheeks. I glance over at Paige, who, evidently, isn’t faring any better. I approach, wrapping my best friend in a tight hug before sinking down into the cushions.

“They’re going to be the best of friends,” she says.

“You ladies alright over there,” Cade asks, a look of utter amusement on his face.

“Shut up, it’s the hormones,” Paige says.

Luca plops down on the couch. “What’s your excuse, Ivy?”

“What she said.” It’s not a lie — I'm due to start my period any day.

“So, are you going to tell us her name or is she just gonna go by baby forever?” Luca asks, shifting slightly closer to me so that our thighs brush.

Cade stands next to Paige, pulling her into his arms. “Do you want to tell them?”

Paige looks up at him affectionately, then turns to the rest of us. “I wanted to name my daughter after a strong woman. Someone I’ve always looked up to and admired. Only one person came to mind.” She inhales a shaky breath as she glances over at Nana. “Her name is Sofia Eliana Brooks.”

Nana gasps, tears streaming down her cheeks unbidden as she rushes over to Paige. She places one hand on either side of her face and kisses her on the forehead. “I’m honored, Poodle.”

“I love you, Nana. I couldn’t imagine naming her after anyone else.” She wraps her arms around her grandmother, and I glance over at Luca, his eyes slightly glassy as he watches the scene play out. I squeeze his thigh, holding back my own tears.

“How did you choose the middle name?” I ask.

It’s Cade who answers this time. “We really wanted something special. Eliana has a few meanings, but the most important one to me is ‘Daughter of the Sun’.”

A chorus of “awws” fills the room.

“It’s beautiful,” I say, turning my attention back to Rylin, who’s chatting animatedly to the sleeping baby, telling her all about her new three-legged kitty named Chance.

“She’ll be a great big sister someday,” Paige says offhandedly.

“I don’t even have a man, let alone a baby.”

She swiftly jerks her head towards her brother. “What about your husband?”

“Stop it, you little menace,” I tease.

Everyone here knows about our situation, so I’m not concerned about anything salacious coming to light. Actually, that’s not entirely true — I’m worried my face will give away the fact that this marriage of convenience has become... rather inconvenient.