Approximately 5 years later
“I can’t believe you did this to me again,” I whisper up at the white ceiling.
“Cherry, baby, I can’t help it. You make the most beautiful babies, but I promise this is the last time. I can’t do this labor shit anymore,” he says, kneeling next to the table. Turning my head so we are eye-to-eye, I give him a death glare that gets me a half-smile. He’s always nervous when it’s time for me to give birth, but this will be the last time.
All my babies have been C-sections. My little body can’t seem to push Carter-size boys out of it on its own. We’ve had two boys already, and now we’re about to have two more. I told him one more baby, one more. What does Carter do? He shows me by knocking me up with twins – boys. I only agreed on the third pregnancy because I wanted my little girl, but now here I am about to bring two more boys into this world. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this testosterone that will be running around our house now.
“We already agreed this was the last, Carter.”
Leaning in, he kisses me on my cheek. “I know, baby.”
“This is so unfair! I mean, Jeanette has had two girls. Two! And I bet the one she’s got in there now is a girl too. I just know it.” I pout and resume glaring at Carter as if he really can control the sex of our babies. The doctor told us with each pregnancy being a boy, the odds actually go down for ever getting a girl. When I heard that statistic I knew I was done trying. I’ll just be stuck in a house with men for the rest of my life. Little C is only four and he already growls like his father.
“All right, Layla, we’re going to start now. In just a few moments your babies will be here,” I hear the doctor say but I keep my eyes on Carter. Even though we’ve done this twice before I know he’s on edge. He always is when it comes to the kids and me.
“We still going with Michael and Samuel for the boys’ names?” I ask, trying to get his mind working on something else while the doctor works.
“It’s perfect, baby, just perfect. You gave me these babies. You can name them anything you want and I would love it.”
A cry breaks out into the room and makes a tear slip down my cheek
“Baby boy number one is here,” the doctor announces.
Carter smiles bigger and kisses the tear that slipped out.
“It’s for the best, baby. Could you imagine a little girl running around our house already having me and two big brothers? Might as well send her to a convent.”
I can’t help but snort at that. No, I’m not sure how a little girl would have worked out with us but I think she would have had everyone wrapped around her finger.
“Not going to lie though, baby, it would have been cute to have a little girl that looked just like you… as long as she didn’t have the red hair. I probably would have never let her out of the house.”
“Five pounds and two ounces,” I hear a nurse call out. Another cry pierces the room and I know the second baby is here.
“Well, this isn’t common but it looks like baby number two is a girl and not a boy after all.”
Carter jumps up from his kneeling position and his whole face goes slack.
“Carter,” is all I can choke out, and his eyes come back to mine before he brings his hand to his face to rub his eyes. “She’s got red fucking hair, Cherry.”
My whole face breaks out into a smile. “We’ll call her, Mary,” I say.
Dropping his hand from his eyes, he stares at me and I can see his eyes are shining. No tears escape but I see all his emotions on his face. “After my mom,” he whispers. “It’s perfect.”
Approximately 18 years later
“I don’t care if it’s Jeanette and Saint’s only son, I swear to God, I’ll snap that little prick’s neck,” Carter growls, pacing beside the foot of the bed.
Mary is graduating this year and finally picked the college she’ll be attending in the fall. It wasn’t a week later that Jeanette and Saint’s son announced he would be attending the same school. This isn’t shocking news to me. I’ve seen the way he looks at Mary. It’s more than a young man’s lust, it’s adoration.
Setting my book down on the end table next to the bed, I just watch him. It’s best to let him stomp around a little before to help settle him down. Almost twenty-five years I’ve been with this man and I know the two things that work him up most are me and his daughter. He was so scared of being a father to a little girl but he is perfect at it. Because of Carter I know Mary understands what a good man is. She has a shining example of one for a father. Carter might be rough around the edges, but he would do anything for me and that is what I know she sees every day. Carter would crawl through glass if I asked him to do it.