Page 167 of The Compass Series

DAMIAN

“ W hy were you not afraid that she wouldn’t come back?” Maple asked me during our now weekly cat-piss-tea-drinking sessions. “When I met you, you had a wall built, and the old you would’ve left and never looked back. What changed?”

I smiled and shrugged. “The Stella effect. Plus, I saw it, you know. Her fear from the idea of losing you or me. I knew that fear because it lived so long within me. My hurt noticed hers, and I was more than willing to be patient.”

“Thank you, Damian,” she said, taking my hand in hers. “For not running away. Thank you for staying.”

“I’m not the only one who stayed. She needed you, too. We both did.” I glanced at my watch. “I should go check in on her and make sure she’s okay. But thanks for the conversation, Maple.” I stood and gave her a hug.

As she squeezed me, my heart almost exploded within my chest as she said, “Please, Damian. Call me Grams.”

The next few months leading up to the delivery of the baby were the most beautiful yet nerve-racking months of both Stella’s and my life. This time, we made deeper vows for one another, ones that we didn’t make over nine months ago when we stood at the coastline.

We promised each other to stay until the final chapter of our lives. We promised to stay during the storms, and stay during the bright days, too. We promised each other forever—even when we were scared.

And trust me, fear did come.

“I got the bag!” I shouted, rushing out of the house and slamming the door behind me. I got to the car, tossed the bag into the back seat, then hopped into the driver’s seat and drove out of the driveway.

“I can’t believe it’s time,” I said out loud. Then I reached over to hold Stella’s hand.

Oh, fuck me.

I forgot Stella.

Seconds later, I came dashing back into the house. “I forgot a wife!” I exclaimed, hurrying over to her. “I guess I’ll need you to deliver the baby.”

She laughed, holding her hands against her back. She’d been having back pain and hadn’t been sleeping well, but she said that was just getting her ready for the lack of sleep that came with a newborn.

The delivery went smoothly. I was there for the whole thing, holding Stella’s hand as she cried out. Then when the baby girl was born, I swore the room lit up with more light. She was placed on Stella’s chest, and Stella cried into her blessing.

I cried, too, because fuck…it was overwhelming in the best way.

“Do you want to hold her?” Stella asked, looking toward me.

“Please,” I agreed.

She placed her in my arms, and just like that, I fell in love.

As Sophie’s eyes stared up at mine, brown like her mother’s, I knew that instant love was a thing. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever witnessed, and it felt like a privilege to be near her.

I placed my lips against the little girl’s forehead and realized at that moment that I would forever be wrapped around her finger, at her beck and call.

“Welcome home, Sophie Blackstone,” I whispered, repeating the kisses against her forehead.

Home.

Not a place, but a person. People. Stella and Sophie.

Home.

As I looked into the eyes of my daughter, I couldn’t explain the overwhelming sense of joy that filled me.

“Stella?” I whispered, holding our daughter against my chest.

“Yes?”

“Marry me again this fall?”

She smiled and lay her head against the pillow as we stared at one another in complete bliss. “Yes.”