The doctor shook both of their hands and they thanked him profusely.
Once they were alone, Brooks stared down at the new little life Leah had brought into the world. It didn't seem possible that one minute she hadn't been there, and now here she was. Beautiful. Tiny. Helpless. Completely dependent on them for life-giving care and sustenance.
He glanced at Leah, wondering if her throat had started squeezing shut in panic, but she still stared at her daughter with total and utter awe.
He slid down beside them on the bed, wrapping an arm about Leah's shoulders, and she settled against him. After a few moments, her body relaxed, though her hold on the baby remained steady. She really should rest. But that would require him either calling a nurse in to put the baby back in her bassinet, or doing it himself. Of the two options, calling the nurse definitely seemed the best course of action. Cowardly, maybe. Okay, totally. And completely unnecessary as he, a fully grown adult, sat there perfectly capable of transferring seven pounds of cuteness into a bassinet not even three feet away. Theoretically capable.
He stared down at the baby, trying to figure out where exactly he should place his hands that would support every squishy, cuddly inch. Though, hell, her little head fit in the palm of his hand. If he just slipped it beneath her …
He carefully slid his hand and forearm beneath the baby but Leah jolted awake.
"It's okay," he said. "I'm just taking the baby so you can rest."
"Thank you," she whispered, giving the baby a kiss on the forehead before relinquishing her.
Leah had fallen back asleep before Brooks had fully sat back up. Not that he could blame her. She'd just produced an entire human being. The woman had earned some sleep. Though that left him with the little one. He stood slowly, careful not to jostle her, and for a moment just stood with her solid warmth bundled in his arms. His heart swelled with overwhelming emotion, stunning in its intensity. How could he possibly feel so strongly for a little creature who hadn't even been in the world a few hours ago? Who technically had no ties to him, other than through her mother? It hadn't occurred to him he'd feel so strongly for her. Well, that he'd feel for her at all, really. He'd been concerned for her welfare in a vague sort of way, but now that she was here …
She made a gurgling sound and blew a bubble and he grinned down at her. "All right, little lady. I think you could probably use some rest, too."
He laid her with as much care as possible in her bassinet, sliding his hands out from under her body with infinite care so he didn't accidentally bruise anything. How was he supposed to help take care of something that felt as though she'd break if he sneezed too hard in her direction? Not that he knew the first thing about taking care of babies.
Maybe he should have paid more attention in those classes Leah had been dragging him to. Or read more of the books she had scattered all over the apartment. There was no way he'd be able to pull this off without making some horrible mistake. He was the last person who should be caring for a baby.
She deserved better. They both did.
And then Marcus walked back in, arms full of flowers and a proud, beaming smile on his face. And for the first time, Brooks considered that maybe Marcus really was the best man for the job. Maybe he hadn't been pulling his same old rivalry shit, but was just trying to do the best he could for Leah and his baby. His baby. Not Brooks's. Brooks really had no place in that room at all.
He watched Marcus lean over the bassinet, face full of the same wonder that Brooks had felt as he'd gazed down at the baby. He looked at Leah, sleeping like an angel in the bed beside her little girl.
And then he turned and walked out.
…
Leah kept glancing at the door, waiting for Brooks to come back in. She'd woken just as he'd turned to leave and the expression he'd had when he left … it made her want to jump out of her bed and track him down.
She shifted her weight and sucked in a breath at the twinge from all the tender bits. Okay, maybe jumping out of bed was a tad extreme. The baby made a cute little squeaking sound and Leah smiled.
Marcus came closer, gazing down at the baby. "She's so tiny."
Leah held her out. "Would you like to hold her?"
"Oh, um … "
"It's okay." Leah held her out and Marcus took her carefully. "Just support her head," she said, giving him some direction.
Seeing him holding the baby unsettled her. Of all the strange emotions she'd been riding lately, this might be the strangest. Watching Marcus hold her child. Their child. She needed to wrap her head around that.
The turmoil in her heart roiled over Brooks suddenly walking out. She knew he was probably in the next room, maybe trying to be the bigger man and let Marcus have some time with the baby. But she couldn't help feeling there was something more to it than that. All she knew was that he'd left, and he hadn't looked like he was going to come back. Physically, yes, she knew he wasn't far. But emotionally … she couldn't get that look on his face out of her mind. Something had changed in him the moment he'd stepped back so Marcus could cut the baby's cord, something that made her heart ache with promised pain.
At the same time, watching Marcus cradling their newborn daughter touched her in a way she hadn't thought possible. He stared at her in awe, in much the same way Leah imagined she looked when she gazed at her baby. He cuddled her close and gave her a kiss on her forehead, pausing to inhale the new baby scent.
"Settled on any names yet?" he asked.
Leah gave him a small smile and shook her head. "Not yet."
She didn't mention that she hadn't decided because she and Brooks hadn't been able to agree on anything. And because she hadn't been sure what last name to give her.
"Did you have any ideas?" It was only fair to ask. He was the baby's father after all.
"Oh no," he said. "Anything you pick will be fine."
They sat in somewhat uncomfortable silence for several minutes. Most of Marcus's attention stayed on the baby. He drew a finger down her little face, examined each toe and finger, smiled when she grasped his thumb with a surprisingly strong grip.
"She's strong," he said.
Leah beamed with pride. "Yes, she is."
"And beautiful like her mother."
Leah's cheeks warmed. It was a sweet thing to say, but she couldn't help wanting Brooks to be the one saying it.
The baby began to fuss a little, and Marcus leaned over to hand her back.
"I think she might be hungry," Leah said.
"Oh," said Marcus. "Would you like me to leave?"
"No, it's fine," Leah said.
She pulled one of the swaddling blankets over her shoulder to block his view of her and the baby, even though he'd seen it before. And really, after all the poking, prodding, and fondling she'd had over the last several months, culminating in the free-for-all at the birth when it seemed like half the hospital had been digging around in her nether regions, she didn't care who saw her boob or anything else anymore. But she felt a little more comfortable covering up since she was still new at the whole breastfeeding thing and found it easier to let it all hang out there until the baby latched on.
"So," she said, once she got the baby situated. "I guess we've kind of run out of time to figure out how this whole situation is going to work."
Marcus gave a little laugh, and played with the hat in his hands. "Yeah. This is … it's … "
Leah laughed also. "A bit complicated."
"That's definitely the word for it."
"I know you and Brooks don't exactly see eye to eye on most things … "
"Don't worry about me and Brooks. We'll figure all that out, too. Just have a little history to get over, that's all."
Leah tried to stifle a yawn. It had been a long week. She hated having things between the two men in her life so unsettled but … she really just wanted to curl up and sleep.
Marcus, bless him, picked up on that.
He stood and looked down at them for a moment longer. "I think I'll go and let you get some rest," he said. "But I won't go far. And … thank you. For my daughter."
His voice cracked a little on the last word and Leah started to get a little choked up herself. He leaned down and gave them both a kiss on the forehead and then left quietly, closing the door behind him.
Leah gazed down her daughter for several moments. "Well, little peanut," she said. "Now what are we going to do?"
Chapter Twenty-One
The baby made a sound that Leah could only describe as a half-strangled chipmunk squawking at the top of her squeaky little lungs.
It had been nearly a week and that sound still startled and confused Leah for a second, though she responded to it before she was even fully awake every time.
Brooks rolled over and put the pillow over his head with a groan and Leah laughed.