Two years later...
‘You didn’t have to come. I know how busy you are!’ Bea fussed, reaching a hand out to Luca and Amy, smiling from ear to ear. Ares had never seen anyone so beautiful as his wife in that moment. Her face was still pink from her exertions, her hair pulled up into a loose ponytail, and all he could think was that he wanted to photograph her like this, so he could always remember her vital, incredible strength.
‘As if I’d miss it,’ Amy squawked.
‘As if she’d let me,’ Luca joked, but he showed he wasn’t serious by bending down and kissing Bea’s cheek before extending a hand to Ares. They shook like old friends—appropriate, given that they’d become very good friends in the intervening years, even working together on a wind turbine plant in South Africa.
‘This is for you.’ Amy held out an enormous box of Bea’s favourite chocolate truffles. ‘I know, they’re probably the last thing you can think of right now, but later tonight you might want some spoiling.’
Tears sprang to Bea’s eyes—a hazard of her current emotional state. ‘Thanks, Ames. They’re perfect.’
‘I wanted to get the bear,’ Luca said with mock disappointment.
Amy rolled her expressive eyes. ‘“The bear” is a six-foot-tall bright blue teddy bear that would take up half of this room. Trust me, take the chocolate.’
‘Oh...erm... I think we’ve got all the bears we need,’ Bea said with a crinkled nose.
‘Where is he? Where’s my godson?’ Clare swept into the room, all fabulous glossy brown hair and glittering blue eyes.
‘Our godson,’ Amy corrected, hugging Clare tight. Dev entered a step behind Clare.
‘He’s over here,’ Ares said, turning to the little bundle who was sleeping, swaddled up, in a small crib to the side of Bea’s bed. His heart jerked at the sight of their infant, and a love so powerful he felt as though it might swallow him burst through him.
‘Lemme see, lemme see!’ Clare clapped her hands together, her heels clipping across the linoleum floor. ‘Oh, my goodness, he’s utterly perfect, Bea. You did good, Mamá.’
Bea relaxed back against the pillows, her eyes heavy, her smile permanent.
‘He is very handsome,’ Dev remarked, shaking Ares’s hand. ‘Must get that from his mother.’
Ares laughed. ‘I hope he gets just about everything from her. If he does, then our son will be perfection itself.’
Clare and Amy shared an amused look, but Bea only had eyes for her husband.
‘I ran into the twins downstairs,’ Clare said, moving closer to Bea.
‘Which twins?’
‘Your sisters,’ Clare prompted.
‘Oh.’ Bea’s eyes skittered to Ares’s. ‘Mum must have told them I’d gone into labour.’
‘Do you want me to ask them to come back tomorrow?’ Amy asked gently.
Bea thought about that, then shook her head slowly. ‘Honestly, no. They’re here, and that’s something I never would have thought—maybe today’s a day of new beginnings,’ she said with the kind of optimism that could only come from the euphoria of having given birth.
‘They were just ordering coffee when we passed them, so I’d say you’ve got some time before they visit.’
‘I’ll tell them not to stay long,’ Ares said, coming to place a hand on Bea’s shoulder. ‘You must be exhausted, and you’ve already had Matt here.’
‘It has been a rather busy morning,’ Bea said, but she didn’t mind. Seeing Danica with her little cousin had been so heart-warming. She loved their son with all her heart, but Danica would always hold a very special place in her affections. She continued to spend as much time with her niece as possible, and knew she always would.
‘On that note, we should let you have some rest,’ Amy offered.
‘Oh, no, please don’t go,’ Bea complained. ‘I haven’t seen you both in weeks!’
Amy nodded. ‘We’ll come back tomorrow.’
‘And stay for lunch?’
Clare wrinkled her nose. ‘Only if we can bring it. Hospital food is—’
‘Totally gross,’ Bea agreed. ‘Deal. Dim sum?’
‘Done.’
A moment later they were gone, and in the precious moments that followed, Bea allowed herself to feel completely, utterly at peace. Her heart was full and her future bright.
‘I love you,’ she said to her husband as her eyes drifted shut.
‘And I love you.’ Ares kissed her head then returned to the sleeping baby’s side, his eyes trained on the infant their love had created. For so long, he’d lived in fear of being depended on by anyone, and now he could think of no greater honour than this—being needed and valued by two people as precious as his wife and child. He considered himself a very lucky man indeed.