Page 37 of The Last Thing (Baker Girls #4)

FIVE MONTHS LATER

Wilson

“Breathe deep, now let it out.” Frannie’s calming voice reverberates around the room.

“That doesn’t fucking help,” Hallie growls.

Frannie bursts out laughing. “Sorry. It’s all I’ve got.”

“You suck at this.”

Frannie points at me. “That’s why you have him. Besides, I think I’m just as helpful as you were during my first flight. Actually, you made me more scared I was going to crash and die.”

“That was Kennedy,” Hallie grunts. “You’re my big sister. Say something comforting.”

“I may be the big sister, but you’re doing the hard thing first. I’m proud of you. You’re a badass. I know you can handle this. Take deep breaths. Remember why you’re doing this. It’ll all be worth it in the end.” Frannie kisses Hallie’s forehead. “And don’t die.”

“No one’s dying,” I growl.

“Oops, woke the bear. I’m going to give you two a minute. I love you.”

“You’re the worst, but I love you too,” Hallie calls after her.

I stalk over to the bed as the door closes behind Frannie.

“Okay, Deck . What’s wrong?”

Every time I get a little grumpy, she calls me Deck to remind me that grumpy isn’t who I am.

“I don’t like you two joking about you dying. It’s not funny. It’ll never be funny to me.”

“Aw, you kinda like me, huh?” Hallie teases, but I’m not in a teasing mood.

Hearing those words from Frannie’s mouth sent me over the edge, which wasn’t hard since I’ve been worried from the very first contraction.

Looking back, I’m not proud of how emotionally unattached I was when it came to Sophia’s mom.

We weren’t the right match, but when she ended up having an emergency C-section, in my heart, I was more worried about Sophia.

With Hallie? I’d burn the entire world down to keep her safe.

The thought of her being in the same position as my ex?

Or something worse happening? I don’t know how I’d survive it.

“It’s not a game, Hallie.”

She blinks a couple of times, all playfulness falling away, then she grabs my hand and pulls me onto the edge of the bed. “Talk to me.”

“I don’t like jokes about you dying. Everyone talks about childbirth like it’s simple, but it’s not.

So much can go wrong. Women die. And the thought of losing you…

” I shake my head. “You were scared to fall in love because you were afraid of that type of loss. I’m not immune to those fears.

Losing you would destroy me, and even though I’m supposed to have all my shit together and be calm, I’m not.

Everything seems good now, but I’m scared. Okay? I’m scared.”

She brushes her thumb over my cheek. “That weirdly makes me feel better.”

“It does?”

“I’m scared something bad will happen. I’m scared of losing her or having complications…

all that stuff. I know childbirth isn’t always easy.

I’ve heard stories from families I nannied for over the years.

There are a lot of scary things. And even when everything is okay, it still hurts like a motherfucker,” she grunts, wincing and clutching the edge of the bed.

“Another contraction?” I ask.

She nods, and I wrap my arm around her back, bracing her.

“Fuck,” she groans. “This baby is going to be worth it,” she whispers to herself. “The pain is worth it for the love.”

That’s my girl. The one who learned to open her heart and believe love is worth the risks and potential pain. Or literal pain in this case.

She gasps out a breath as the contraction subsides. “I need to get up and walk around.”

I help her out of bed and trail behind her as she paces the room.

Frannie, my mom, and Sophia are out in the waiting room, and Hallie’s parents are driving up from the city.

Besides Kennedy and Devon, everyone else is in the area.

They’re just waiting to come to the hospital until the baby is born—and until we’re ready for that chaos.

For fights over who gets to be the godfather and all the other nonsense.

I remember being low-key intimidated by and not wanting to bother Brian and Hardy the night I met Hallie. Now they’re like two annoying brothers.

Hallie braces her hands on her knees, and I gently rub her back as she groans through her contraction.

When it’s subsided, she stands up and walks over to the window, which only has a view of the parking lot.

“I need a distraction. Something to take my mind off being cooped in this hospital room.”

“Come sit on the couch with me.”

She waddles over, looking extra adorable as she cradles her bump.

I help her onto the couch, and she rests her head on my shoulder.

“There’s going to be another contraction soon. I want to be done with this part. I just want to push her out. I want to meet our little girl.”

I kiss the side of her head. “So do I, but speaking of push . I have a little present for you.”

She sits up and looks at me. “You got me a push present?”

“It’s not exactly a push present. More something special that I wanted to do for you anyway and the timing seems right.”

Her fingers twist into my shirt. “Hold that thought.”

She groans loudly, then forces herself to take deep breaths as the contraction drags on. They’re definitely getting longer now with less space between them.

Everything’s okay , I remind myself.

I hope it stays that way.

Hope .

Our little girl has a heck of a guardian angel watching over her.

It’ll be okay.

“All right. Give me the present. Who knows how much time I have before the next one.”

I chuckle at that, then kiss her nose. “This is why I was planning to wait, but here you go.” I hand her the flat, black velvet jewelry box and watch her open it.

“Wilson,” she breathes. “This is beautiful.”

In the box is a gold chain with a simple, flat gold heart, engraved with the words true love .

“I thought you deserved a better quality necklace.”

“I love it. But where’s your half?”

“Well, I’m not much of a jewelry guy, and a keychain wasn’t good enough. So…” I pull my arm out of my sleeve and show her my upper forearm.

Keeping it a surprise from her has been a challenge, but thankfully she was focused enough on the baby coming that she didn’t notice me insisting on wearing long sleeves for the last few days.

She traces the words that match her necklace.

“You told me that night that the half heart meant I’d always remember the night I met my true love—not that I could ever forget—but I want those words right there where I can see them anytime.

So I can take myself back to that night and remember when I started falling for you.

So I never take a second of this life we have for granted. I love you.”

She meets my lips in a soft kiss. “I love you too—oh, fuck.”

She grabs my arm and holds tight as another contraction hits. One contraction closer to meeting our little girl.

Hallie is a warrior. She’s had a long labor, but she never lost her resolve. And now, every push fuels her.

“Just a few more pushes. Are you ready?” the doctor asks.

“Yes,” Hallie says, fiercely determined.

She wrenches my hand, and I kiss her head. “You’ve got this. She’s almost here.”

Hallie nods and pushes again. Watching her is exhausting and humbling. Women are magical beings that we’re lucky to share our lives with.

“Okay, she’s crowning. Big push.”

Hallie grunts through the push, and then, in a whirlwind, everything changes. Hallie gasps and leans back as a sharp cry pierces the room.

I stand there, looking between Hallie and our baby, completely overcome with emotion.

A nurse plops our little girl on Hallie’s chest, and I stand at the side of the bed and rest my hand on our sweet girl’s back.

“You did it, baby.”

Hallie looks up at me with teary eyes. “She’s here.”

I pull out my phone and take a few pictures. They’re so intimate, I don’t think I could ever share them.

“Does Dad want to cut the cord?”

I swallow down my emotions and step forward. “Yes.”

With instruction from the doctor, I cut the cord. A second later, I’m back at the side of the bed with my girls.

“Does she have a name?” a nurse asks.

“Hope,” Hallie says with a smile. “Hope Baker-Decker.”

My brows go up. We hadn’t talked about last names.

“Going with the hyphenate?”

“Yeah. She should have both of our last names. No offense, but whenever we get married, I’m keeping my last name. I love being a Baker girl. I want her to be one too.”

“I would never take offense to that. I don’t care what your last name is, only that you’re mine. That we’re a family.”

“We always will be,” she whispers, stroking her finger over Hope’s tiny hand.

I kiss Hope’s head. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s Daddy. I love you.”

I can’t find any other words than those. I’m too overwhelmed with emotion. But really, those are the only important ones anyway.

“She’s so cute,” Sophia whispers, a mix of exuberant and teary-eyed as she looks at Hope.

“Ready to hold her?” Hallie asks.

“Yes, please.”

“Let’s come over to the couch.” I guide Sophia there and sit down next to her, placing a pillow on her lap.

Hallie sways over, looking perfectly content and comfortable, like she didn’t just give birth an hour ago.

“I’m going to rest her head on your arm so it’s supported, okay?”

Sophia nods.

Hope wriggles and lets out a soft cry as Hallie sets her in Sophia’s waiting arms.

“She’s so tiny. Oh my gosh. Hi, little Hope.

I’m your big sister, Sophia. I’m going to be your best friend and take care of you and teach you to dance.

” Soph leans down and kisses Hope on the forehead, and I melt.

Wrapping my arm around Hallie, I pull her onto my lap.

Finally, I’ve got all my girls right here with me.

Hope lets out an angry wail and Sophia’s eyes go wide.

Hallie stands up, but I pull Hope into my arms before she can. What can I say? I’m already a goner for her.

Hallie laughs and carefully sits down next to Sophia.

“Hey, Hallie.” Sophia’s voice is quieter than usual, and I already know what she’s about to ask.

I nestle Hope against my chest and shift so I can watch this moment play out.