Page 42

CHAPTER 42

EZRA

Standing in the corner of the room, I’ve spent the last few hours watching as they all shift baby Gabriel around to each other. Mi bebé is so loved I can barely stand it.

I feel mi pétalo’s eyes fall on me quite a few times, and normally I’d be fully focused there, but ever since Gabriel was born, I can’t tug my eyes away. I want to be good for him, but I’m fucking scared. Scared to drop him and scared I’ll fuck up.

There was a small worry at first that he’d be my biological son, but after standing over his bassinet where he laid while Miriam slept, I can see in his face he’s not mine. Not through DNA, but he also is mine because I feel the ache deep in my chest. Safety and protection. That’s my only job now.

“ Mi soldado .” My soldier. Miriam’s whispered call hits me deep.

My chest puffs out with pride as I inhale deeply, pleasure radiating through my soul.

Her sleepy voice drives me to her bed, all while I keep eyes on our boy, but she stops me before I get to her.

“Would you bring him to me?”

That brings me up short. I bounce my gaze between her warm smile and Gabriel’s scrunched face as he wiggles within his cocoon of blankets. “Uh… Should I call a nurse or something?”

She pushes up to sit, then settles her hands in her lap. “No, Ez. Just put your hand under his head and the other under his body. You won’t drop him.”

Gabriel beings to cry and all the worry I was battling disappears from my head. Following Miriam’s instructions, I gather him up and hug him to my chest. With a huge grin, I look over at her. “He’s doing that thing he does to you when he’s hungry.”

“It’s been a couple of hours since I’ve fed him. Come sit by me, Ez.”

She pats the bed and scoots to the side. Carefully, I walk with Gabriel and ease myself next to her before shifting him to her arms. Laying on my side, I brace my head on my fist and watch as she brings him to her nipple, encouraging him to latch on.

“Does it hurt when he does that?”

She sighs and lays her head against the pillow, rolling her face toward me. “Not really. It’s tender, but I think that’s because it’s so new. I imagine as he gets older and better at it, things might start getting uncomfortable. I’m not sure I care, though.”

The soft sounds of him suckling her are the only sound we hear as she snuggles into my shoulder.

As he eats, I study his features more closely. I’m not sure if mi pétalo knows that we’ve all supplied the hospital with our DNA. Kevin suggested it quietly to the nurse because it was something we’d talked about before, but he thought bringing it up to her now would cause stress.

I fight with telling her until she asks, clearly knowing I’m wrestling with something. “What is it?”

“We did the test. It’s up to you when they test him to compare, but the guys and I did it.”

Her mouth parts open in surprise. I kiss her, mainly as a way to distract from her thoughts. For the first time, I’m not tempted to get lost in her flavor and enjoy only the connection. A part of me wants to tell her I suspect Richard is Gabriel’s father, but a tiny part of my brain is screaming to keep that to myself.

Now isn’t the time. Thankfully, there’s a knock at the door to help me from opening my mouth. Maybe I’ll mention what I think to Richard, but that’s not a right now thing. I do want it for him, though.

“I’ll check to see who it is.” Jumping off the bed, I crack the door and find Miriam’s entire family standing huddled together outside the door with Richard behind them.

The man, I assume to be her father, looks me up and down. “Who are you?”

“Ezra. Who are you? ”

He puffs out his chest. “Miri’s papá . We’re here to see her.” He swallows hard, then adds, “And the baby.”

“I’ll be right back.” I shut the door on him, but not before I hear him argue. Richard can deal with him. Mi pétalo has her tits hanging out. No father needs to see that.

She’s looking curiously at me when I head back to her side. Looking over the woman I love and our son, who’s now my main focus, I mumble, “Your dad’s here.”

“Really?”

I nod and hold my hands out. “I’ll take him.”

She raises a brow. “I thought you were nervous about it?”

For the first time, I give her an incredulous look. “I am . But I also would rather have him in my arms when forty-seven people walk in here.”

“Forty-seven people,” she repeats, snorting out a laugh.

Even though she thinks I’m being silly, she still places Gabriel in my arms. I head to the corner of the room and cover his ears before calling out, “You can come in!” I watch Gabriel’s face after raising my voice, and thankfully, it didn’t seem to bother him.

Shifting his body around, I pat his back after his feeding as Miriam’s dad and brothers file into the room. Every single one of her brothers head right in my direction and I turn my body to keep them from crowding my boy.

I ignore all of their questions, shielding him from their view as they try to get closer, but my eyes are on her father.

Ronaldo doesn’t look in my direction. Not once. I’m sure he’s interested in meeting his grandson, but both Richard and I follow him with our eyes as he heads directly toward his only daughter.

“ Mi ni?a ,” he murmurs as soon as he’s to her side. My daughter he calls her and I watch her face as it crumples the moment he wraps his arms around her. She falls into his chest and he murmurs words in her ear, sitting at her side and holding her.

I glance at my son and can’t help but understand how her dad must be feeling right now. His priority wasn’t his grandson. He went straight for his daughter because she’s the one who’s most important to him and I feel my heart kick up in pace, realizing that I might just understand him a little more.

We aren’t perfect as parents, but our children will always be our main love and priority. I don’t think I ever would have understood that before Gabriel was born. Her dad is sitting at her side when she calls me to her. Pushing through her brothers, I carry Gabriel to her and try to set him back in her arms, but she shakes her head.

“ Papá , this is Gabriel Delgado.”

When her voice cracks, her dad’s eyes fall on our son for the first time, and he gasps. Like a seasoned pro, he takes our baby from me and holds him to his chest.

“You did good, mi ni?a .”

Wiping at his tears with his shoulder, his grin is emotional as he meets his grandson. As much as her father pisses me off, leaving mi pétalo to raise his children and laying so much burden on her shoulders, he clearly has a deep love for her.

Her brothers crowd the bed and I tense, wanting to pull them away. Richard’s hand falls on my shoulder to keep me in my place. “They’ll be fine, Ez.”

“They’re so close,” I mumble, but force myself to not pull them all away. His answering chuckle calms me as I take a few quick breaths. “Where are Tate and Kevin?”

“They ran home to shower and change,” Miriam calls out. Her dad gently places Gabriel back on her lap when he starts fussing. The man next to me hurries to the table with all of Gabriel’s diapers and wipes, then throws a small blanket over his shoulder.

Heading to Miriam, he holds out his hands. “I’ll get him changed. If any of you’d like to hold him, just sit in the chairs and I’ll bring him over to you.”

There’s a rush to find empty seats, but all of her brothers are excitedly watching and chatting about all the things they can show our little guy when he gets older.

After an hour of visiting, Gabriel is back asleep, exhausted from meeting five uncles and his grandpa. Ronaldo presses a kiss to Miriam’s head, saying goodbye and that once they’re home, he’ll come visit again. By this time, both Kevin and Tatum have returned to the hospital with a fresh change of clothes for me.

Miriam is wearing a soft, tired smile as she watches all four of us move around the room, whispering to keep from waking the baby. The rest of the day passes without incident, the nurses popping in regularly to check both Gabriel’s and Miriam’s vitals, nodding with approval each time.

Her blood pressure almost immediately came back down, but they’re watching carefully. When night falls, Tatum is walking slowly through the room as he tries to burp Gabriel after another feeding, so I take the opportunity to curl up next to Miriam.

“How are you feeling about everything, mi soldado? ”

My first impulse is to tell her I’m feeling great, but I hesitate, then admit, “It’s overwhelming. There’s a lot to think about and plan.” Turning toward her, I inform her seriously, “We need to go to the baby store again.”

“For what? I’m pretty sure we’ve got everything he’ll need.”

“Willy. I promised to show him little Gabe.”

She blinks at me, confused. “Who the hell is Willy?”

“He’s the nipple pads and peepee teepee guy. He’s the reason we’ll never be pissed on.” Both Kevin and Tatum laugh. When I glance at them over my shoulder, I see the tail end of Richard’s eye roll. “What?”

Miriam’s fist winds in the front of my shirt and she tugs me back to her, planting a sweet kiss on my lips. All the intrusive thoughts decide to flee from her affection. They dissipate like one of those quick little rainstorms that pops in but a small gust of wind moves it out of the way.

She exhales slowly after pulling away and tilts her head back to gaze at me. “Don’t let the storm in your head take you away. I have no clue who Willy is, but when we’re ready, we’ll take Gabriel to see him.”

I’m not sure why it’s so important to me, but I nod in appreciation since my throat is clogged up.

Her fingers drag through my short hair in comfort. I place my palm gently on her stomach and note the difference in how it feels since she’s not pregnant anymore. Wanting to get closer, I shuffle down her bed and lay my head there gently, checking on her first to make sure it’s alright.

The rest of the evening, I’m left alone as I snuggle her incredible body, through another two feedings and a nap. Tatum checks on me once to see if I’d be more comfortable laying somewhere else, but I wave him off.

This is where I want to be always. I can hear mi pétalo’s soft heartbeat, beating steadily.

Thump thump thump…

A cadence I imagine myself marching to. Steady, strong, and alive. She is life and as long as I can hear this, I’m not going to worry about anything else.

“ Te amo, mi pétalo ,” I whisper, reaching up blindly to cup her cheek.

Miriam holds my hand in place with a soft squeeze. She hooks her ankle over my body, keeping me in place between her legs. Another quick squeeze, I grin into her body when I hear, “ Te amo, mi soldado .”

“ Y mi bebé ,” I add when I hear his soft shuddering exhale, now laying against Kevin’s chest.

My family is perfect.

I can’t wait to tell Willy.