Axel comes back to my side and leans over me. Taking my face in his hands and pushing his nose up to mine, he rubs his nose against my own, and the smile that takes over his face makes my heart speed up.
“We’re having a boy,” he says. “You’re giving me a son.” He places a soft kiss to my lips and briefly closes his eyes. When he opens them, they are so full of love and happiness. “Making my dreams come true, Princess. Making my life worth living. Love you so much, baby.”
I grab his head, and push my face up to his, and give him a kiss that I hope expresses my feelings.
“I love you, Axel.”
The rest of the appointment passes in a blur. Axel continues to hold my hand and shake with his excitement. He is itching to get out of this room so he can scream to the world that he is about to have a son.
When we finish, the technician hands us some prints and he scoops them up before I can even take them, thanking her while looking down through the images. He is like a kid with a new toy. Completely enamored.
I go up to pay and Axel steps outside, immediately jumping on the phone. Chances are, the whole state will know when he is done that we are having a boy.
I finish paying and turn around to find Greg standing behind me.
“Happy, baby girl?”
“More than you could even imagine.”
He smiles and throws his arm around me and gives me a quick hug.
Axel turns, sees him, and pauses in his conversation. “Hands off, Cage!”
Greg laughs and drops his arm.
“Let’s go! The gang is meeting us at Heavy’s to celebrate my boy!” he yells across the parking lot.
The only thing I can think of is that I put that peacefulness in his tone and together we are finally where we are meant to be.
EPILOGUE
5 Months Later
Axel
I have been running around all day trying to make sure everything is in place for tonight. It’s Izzy’s birthday, and between anxiously waiting for our son to decide to come and dealing with the memories that still plague her around this day, it was turning out to be a nightmare.
So far, the only highlight of today was seeing the blinding smile on her face when she woke up. Other than that . . . anything that could have gone wrong has.
The caterer is late, the cake hasn’t shown up, and the birthday girl will be here in an hour.
I am officially losing my shit.
This day has to be perfect. Dee took Izzy early this morning to spend the day at the salon next to the office. I avoid that place. I don’t care how many times Izzy tells me that weird little man is harmless—I’m not buying it. The other day, he pinched my ass, which Izzy thought was hilarious. I couldn’t even be mad about it when she was standing there laughing. Her large belly was bouncing with each breath. It was almost worth asking him to do it again if it got that kind of reaction from my girl.
The last few months have flown by. We have spent every second getting the nursery ready and finally filling my house with more furniture than one person should ever own in one lifetime. It keeps a smile on her face and it makes her happy. I would bend over backwards if it means that smile stays on her face.
These last few days have been harder on her. Not only has she been dealing with an overdue baby, but the Georgia heat is making her miserable. We all do what we can to make things easier, but I can tell it is getting harder on her.
Yesterday was a bad day. She spent the day in bed crying and wouldn’t let me leave her side. She would say things about our angel baby missing out on his little brother. It killed me to hear her talk like that, but I would be lying if I said the thought hadn’t crossed my mind too. We have worked hard to overcome our loss, even going to therapy a few times to talk about things that were still painful. We are closer than ever, but that doesn’t mean that things don’t still sit heavy on our hearts.
“Yo! Reid, got the cake. That bitch at the bakery tried to tell me that you didn’t tell her you needed it this afternoon. Got it, but damn that shit wasn’t pretty.” Coop comes through the door with the stupid fucking cake I have been screaming at the bakery over for the last two days. Idiots.
“Dee just called. She said Sway was finally done rubbing all over Izzy’s belly and has just started her hair. Should be another two hours now. Good news is, we can figure out where those fucking caterers are,” Greg says, coming into the kitchen from the deck.
I’m about to pull my fucking hair out.
It isn’t even a big party. All the guys are coming, and last time I checked, even Maddox is bringing a date. Emmy has been here since Izzy left, helping me set up the streamers and balloons. Dee’s current boy toy, and newest ‘piss off Beck’ ploy—is here helping also. I don’t know him very well, but Izzy says that he is nice enough. I wish those two would stop their fucking games and just admit that they want to be together. I’ve talked to Beck a few times about it, but he would just change the subject and say that it wasn’t his idea. I think I understand where Dee is coming from, but I am sick of playing monkey in the middle.