Page 25 of The Road to Forever (Beaumont: Next Generation #7)

“The boys are tiny,” Noah says after clearing his throat. “They weigh just over three pounds. The girl is a bit bigger at four and a half. They’re NICI, which as you know is standard.”

“And my daughter?” Mom’s voice breaks before she can finish her sentence. “How’s my baby?

“Peyton’s in recovery. She’s seen and held her babies.” Noah pulls his phone out, taps on the screen and then shows it to my mom.

Mom covers her mouth. “She looks like my girls.”

“She does,” Noah says. “I know you can’t see her hair, but it’s dark. The boys are a bit bald, but hopefully that changes soon.” Noah laughs.

Mom turns the phone to Josie. “Look at what our babies did,” she says in a hushed tone. Both grandma’s start to cry. Liam takes the phone, he and my dad huddle together. But it’s my sister who grabs my attention before I can look at my nephews and niece.

“Is my sister okay?”

Noah grins. “She’s perfect.”

Elle awkwardly hugs Noah.

“This calls for a celebration,” Liam says as he opens a box of cigars. Each of us step up to him and take one. The labels are blue and pink with “Babies Westbury” written on each one. While we can’t light up in the hospital, something tells me the men will head outside shortly and enjoy a puff.

“Names, yet?” Josie asks.

“No, not yet. Once we get a chance to spend time with the babies, we’ll name them. We have a list of finalists,” Noah tells us.

“All I know is my niece has my name as her middle name,” my sister says proudly.

“She does; at least she has a middle name,” Noah says.

Everyone laughs.

Noah leaves, telling us he’ll update us as we can. As I suspected, Liam proposed the guys step out for a bit. I follow, taking a reprieve from all the baby talk. Outside, Liam holds the lighter for each of us to use. We take a few puffs, blow smoke in the air, and relax.

It’s the next morning before we’re allowed to officially see the babies, aside from looking through the window of the nursery, but that only happened once when Noah allowed it. After, the babies were kept behind a curtain so no one could see them.

Instead of going to my grandpa’s house, I stayed in the waiting room all night, in hopes I could see my sister. I know it was stupid, considering I could really use a bed, but something deep down told me to stay.

My sore back and the kink in my neck pays off when my dad wakes me early and tells me to follow him and Liam.

We go to the nursery, where a nurse tells us to take our shirts off and to scrub, like we’ve never scrubbed before.

I’m utterly confused until we go into the nursery and slip behind the curtain.

There are three, somewhat comfortable looking chairs, and my niece and nephews.

“We’re going to do some skin-on-skin bonding,” my dad says as he sits down. He holds his arms out and helps guide Baby A to his chest. He reclines and closes his eyes. Liam follows with Baby B.

“I believe you’re the uncle?” the nurse says to me.

“I am.” I step forward and look at my niece.

Saying she’s perfect is such a cliché, but it’s the truth.

I’ve seen pictures of the twins when they were babies, and my mom was right when she said earlier that Peyton’s daughter looks like her and Elle.

My niece is so small, with tiny wisps of dark hair peeking out from her pink beanie.

I want to give her a high-five for her stylish attire, but that’ll have to be for later.

“Well then, this little princess would like to bond with you.”

She doesn’t have to ask me twice. I sit, like an expected kid at Christmas, and wait.

As soon as my niece is pressed to my chest, I let out the biggest, most satisfying sigh.

It’s almost as if I needed this moment to clear everything away, to make my future somehow brighter and more in living color than the dark, drab gray it’s been.

Her breathing is soft. Steady. And her heartbeat thumps against my chest. I can easily say I have never known this much love and warmth. Within seconds, she’s already stolen my heart and I’m okay if she keeps it until the end of time.

Her tiny fist unclenches, and those razor-sharp baby nails dig into my skin.

I slide my finger under talons and let her hang onto my finger.

I close my eyes and dream of what it’s going to be like to watch her and her brothers grow up.

Then I try to imagine what it’s going to be like when I have my own someday.

I hold her tighter, relishing the cadence of our hearts beating together.

“Thank you,” I say to the two men sitting next to me. They hum in response, completely lost in their own euphoria.

I hear chatter around me but can’t decipher if it’s in my dream or if there are people talking around me. When the voices continue, I groggily open my eyes and see my sister for the first time and smile. Peyton eyes me suspiciously.

I shrug. “She’s my first niece. She’ll need me to keep the boys away.”

“Won’t her brothers do that?”

“Sure, when they’re older.” Someone is going to have to pry this baby from my hands. “She looks like you and Elle, it’s in my nature to protect her.”

Peyton’s lower lip quivers. “I appreciate you.”

Reluctantly, I stand and take a few steps toward her. I lean down, making sure to hold onto my niece as if my life depends on it. “I’m so damn proud of you,” I tell her and kiss her forehead.

The nurse comes in and smiles softly. “Okay, gentlemen, I think mama wants some time with her boys.”

She said boys and since I have the only girl, I don’t move. Peyton makes the mistake of asking Liam and our dad what they’re going to be called, and these two old fogies get into a tit for tat on who is going to be the cooler grandpa.

News flash, old men, it’s all about the cool uncle.

“Shut the f—” my dad stops himself before dropping the f-bomb in the nursery. “Let’s go round up our wives while we discuss the level of coolness you think you have.” My dad puts his hand on Liam’s shoulder and give him a slight push. “Quinn.”

“But—” I protest and then sigh. “Here’s your daughter,” I mumble as I hand her over to Peyton. “This isn’t fair.” I reach for my shirt before muttering, “Someone has to go back on tour,” in a high-pitched voice meant to sound like my mean manager.

“I’ll miss you,” Peyton says as I kiss her cheek.

“Thank God for FaceTime.”

“Okay, we’ll be out in a bit, to tell everyone their names.”

“One better be Quinn,” I say, laughing. I’m sure one isn’t, but it doesn’t hurt to put a bid in on naming rights.

Out in the hallway and take a photo of myself, still in the hospital, looking tired but happy. I send it to Justine with the caption:

Uncle to three perfect humans.

Her response comes seconds later.

Justine Floyd

They’re lucky to have you. You look surprisingly good for someone who’s been up all night.

I smile.

Runs in the family.

Justine Floyd

When do you head back?

Shortly.

Justine Floyd

Can’t wait to see you.

Those five words stir something unexpected in my chest—a fluttering, a warmth. I type several responses, delete them all, and finally settle on:

Me too.

Finally, Peyton, Noah, and the incubator holding the triplets appears in the waiting room, which I’ve learned has been reserved just for our family.

“We have names,” Peyton says as she beams at Noah. “No comments from the gallery if you don’t like them. We do and they’re fitting.”

“Baby A, our oldest is Maverick Liam Westbury.”

They let Maverick’s name settle onto his gramps. Liam wipes at his eyes and nods.

“Baby B,” Peyton continues as she looks at our dad. “Is Jace Harrison Westbury.”

“Oh, thank heavens,” mom blurts out. “I thought you were going to call him Harry Westbury and I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. The poor boy would’ve been teased relentlessly.”

Peyton looks at Noah and blanches.

“And my niece?” I ask.

“You know her middle name’s Elle unless Peyton did me a solid and named her first born daughter after her lovely sister,” Elle says as she bumps my shoulder with hers.

I scoff. “Maybe Quinnella,” I say.

“Please no,” mom says and then covers her mouth.

“Our little girl is Juniper Elle Westbury.”

“Yes,” Elle says as she fists pumps. “I told you!” She jabs her finger at me. “Wait, Juniper? Not Elle? I mean I knew Elle was in there, but I really thought?—”

“Juniper,” Peyton says. “We’ll call her Junie or Junie Elle. I didn’t want to call her Ellie, and she needs her own identity.”

“I love it,” Elle says.

I feel a rush of emotion at the names, at the way they honor our family while creating something new. Those emotions become almost unbearable as I take one last look at my nephews and niece. I lean down and take another picture of them.

“I gotta go back to work,” I tell them. “Be good to your mama and daddy. I’ll see you three in a couple of weeks.

” I slip my hand inside and give them tiny fist bumps and then step aside so my family can do the same thing.

I’d give anything for this tour to be over, so I can veg out on the couch with these three.

Until that can happen, I’ll pester my sister for photos, every day if I have too.

While I wait around for Elle to do some personal work for Noah and Peyton, I contemplate texting Nola but then decide she left this life. She can read about it on social media because as far as I’m concerned, my family is none of her business.