She went to Grace’s door and tapped softly.
“Come in,” Grace called.
Leah pushed open the door and was met by cheery sunshine coming through the windows and colorful bouquets festooned with balloons. “I hear there’s a new boy in town.”
“Hi! Come in,” Grace said from her spot on the bed. She was still dressed in a hospital gown but wore a silky blue robe over it as she sat with a blanket-wrapped bundle on her lap. “Come say hello to Grant.”
“How are you feeling?” Leah said as she gave her a gentle hug and put the roses on the tray table.
“Relieved,” Grace replied as she lifted the small arrangement to her nose and sniffed. “I love these. Adam sent me roses this color the day he proposed to me.”
“He did?”
Grace buried her nose in them, blushed a deep pink and sniffled a little. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m hormonal today. Feeling nostalgic.”
Leah attempted to smile, trying to recall how many years Grace had been with the three men she loved. She could just imagine how romantic Adam was with his wife. Whenever Leah saw them together, it was obvious how much the gentle giant adored her.
“That’s okay. You’re entitled. Grant is a beautiful baby.”
“And he’s so cuddly. Here you go.” Grace lifted the baby up and handed him to Leah.
She didn’t want to betray her lack of experience so she cradled him in her arms up close to her shoulder and cooed to him. His little face was rosy and he had a full head of dark brown hair. He looked up at her with serious eyes for long moments and Leah was captivated. “It’s like looking at a miniature version of Ethan.”
“I know,” Grace said softly, emotion in her voice. “Ethan’s mother brought one of his newborn pictures and the resemblance is unmistakable. He’s so proud.”
Leah smiled broadly, imagining Ethan as the proud papa. “I’ll just bet.”
Grace shifted on the bed and said, “I need to use the restroom. Would you mind holding him for just a couple of minutes? I won’t take long.”
“Um, of course not. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” God, please let us be fine!
Grace slowly rose from the bed and walked across the room. Leah counted the seconds while she was gone, praying that the baby would stay calm in her absence. As if he could read her mind, Grant’s little face turned bright red, his little angel mouth puckered up in a trembling frown, preparing to wail, and then he let loose with a howl that nearly made the windows rattle.
“Dear lord,” Leah whispered, shushing the baby as she gently bobbed him up and down, trying to soothe him.
He let out another howl and she could hear Grace in the bathroom. “Sweet mother of pearl, that boy is loud. I’ll be right there.”
“Mama’s comin’, angel.”
Speaking to him seemed to help for the moment, at least until Grant started rooting around for nourishment and Leah chuckled. “Gonna have to wait for Mama for that, sweetie.”
Grant responded with an even louder howl and Grace giggled as she came back in the room. “Okay, okay. Oh boy,” she added as she carefully sat back down on the bed and arranged herself comfortably with several pillows under her left elbow. “I’ll take him. He needs to nurse. Why don’t you have a seat,” she added, pointing at the chair to the left side of the bed.
Leah came around to sit, studiously averting her gaze as Grace reached inside the robe and pulled loose the snaps on her nursing bra and hospital gown.
“Will it bother you if I nurse him while we talk?” she asked as she bared her left breast and pulled the baby, whose mouth was open like a little bird’s, to her like he was a little football. He squawked and latched on, making tiny snorting noises like he was starving. He held a little arm out in the air in a seemingly imperious gesture, as if to say, “Hold up, I’m eating.” His hand and his slim fingers were incredibly tiny as he then clutched at his mother’s breast.
Grace giggled. “Pretty amazing, huh?”
Leah blinked and realized she was staring and nodded with a smile on her face as she sat down.
“I’m relieved that he’s gotten the hang of it so quickly. After he was born, Emma put him on my chest and he started rooting around right from the first. I’m not nearly as nervous this time as I was with Rose Marie.”
“You?” Leah couldn’t imagine Grace nervous about much of anything. Motherhood seemed like second nature to her.
“Oh yeah. I was so afraid of doing it wrong. ‘It’ meaning just about everything having to do with motherhood. This time, I’m a lot more relaxed.” She arranged the blanket around the baby and caressed the dark brown fluff on his head. “Tell me how you are these days.”