“Thank you.” Her arm goes out to Mason, who crosses the room and takes her hand. Sitting next to her, he drops a kiss on her hair.
“Does she have a name?” my dad asks as he slips his arm around my mum and gazes at his granddaughter.
“She does. We’ve called her Annie Mia Walker,” Libby says, her gaze meeting mine. “We wanted to honor Mia’s memory if we had a girl.”
“It’s perfect,” I say quietly, tears stinging my eyes. Blinking quickly, I force the tears away. “Mia would be so proud of you, Lib.” She smiles as Mason pulls her against his chest, wrapping his arm around her.
“She’s amazing,” my mum gushes, and I look across to see her staring at Annie, a wide smile on her face.
“Where’s Jacob?” Libby asks, her eyes still on Mum and Annie.
“Aria’s watching him.” My mom turns to look at me and smiles when I mention Aria.
“I can’t wait for everyone to meet her.” She turns to Mason. “Did you message Savannah and Brody?” He nods. “Aria too?”
“I haven’t told Aria.”
“I can tell her. Unless you want to?” I say.
Libby waves her hand. “No, you tell her. That’s fine. Will you bring her later so she can meet Annie?”
“Of course. How long do you have to stay in hospital for?”
“A couple of days, I think. I can’t wait to get her home.”
I smile. “I’ll just go outside and call Aria.” I make my way toward the bed. “I’m so proud of you,” I tell her as I lean down and kiss her cheek. I shake Mason’s hand before heading for the door. Placing my hand on the door handle, I turn and look back at everyone. As happy as I am for Libby and Mason, I can’t help but feel a little melancholy as I watch them all. I remember how I felt just after Zara had given birth to Jacob, and how excited I was for the future. It hadn’t turned out to be the future I’d imagined though. Far from it. My mind wanders to Aria, and watching how happy Lib and Mason are, I know now more than ever I want that happiness with Aria. I just have no idea how I’m going to make that happen.
Aria
After hearing the front door close downstairs, I flop backwards onto the bed. Nerves swirl in my stomach as I think about Lib. Emma looked scared, and I hope everything is okay. It never crossed my mind that something might go wrong.
Reaching for my phone, I illuminate the screen, seeing it’s just after 6 a.m. It’s still early, and Jacob won’t be awake for a couple of hours yet. I lie staring at the ceiling for ten minutes before I sit up and swing my legs to the side of the bed. There’s no way I can fall back to sleep, not without knowing Libby and her baby are okay. I pad across the room, go into the bathroom, and turn on the shower.
Twenty minutes later and I’m washed, dressed, and standing with my ear pressed to Jacob’s door. When I’m met with silence, I head downstairs, turning the coffee machine on when I enter the kitchen. I make sure my phone’s on loud so I don’t miss a call, and place it on the counter before making quick work of throwing together some pancakes. I’m just clearing up after eating when my phone rings. I snatch it up, my heart thundering in my chest when I see Jack’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hello,” I answer, almost breathless.
“Aria, it’s me,” Jack says, and I hold my breath as I wait for him to continue. “Libby’s had the baby, they’re both fine.”
“Oh, thank God!” I let out a rush of air, relief flooding my body. “Boy or girl?”
“A girl. Annie Mia Walker.”
“That’s beautiful. Mia after her friend?” The line goes quiet, and I wonder if the call has dropped. Pulling the phone from my ear, I see we’re still connected. “Jack, are you still there?”
“Shit, sorry. Erm, yeah. After her friend.” He sounds weird, and I wonder what’s changed.
“You okay?”
“I’m good. I should tell you about Mia sometime.”
“I’d like that.” The line goes quiet again and I don’t say anything, knowing he’s thinking about Mia. “Lib wants you to come up to the hospital this afternoon and meet Annie.”
“I’d love that. Are you staying there until then?”
“No, we’ll be coming back soon. Let Lib rest for a bit.”
“I’ll see you soon, then. Give Lib my love and take a picture of Annie. I’m too excited to wait until this afternoon.”