“Push!”The doctor screams at me from the end of the table. You’d think with this being my third pregnancy it’d be easier. I heard rumors that it would be. It’s not. I might be dying. “Come on, baby. I can see her head.” Trent smiles at me. While I adore my husband more than anything on the earth aside from my children, I want to rip his lips off right now.
“You’re so close, Em!” My sister, Carolyn says. In lieu of my mother, my big sis has been here for the birth of both of my other daughters. “Just one more.” She peers down toward the end of the table. “I think.”
I muster all of my strength and bear down. That does it. In no time, a wail of bloody murder screams fill the room and I can finally breathe. Trent rushes to my side and presses a kiss to my sweaty forehead. Our eyes meet and I can’t stop the tears from streaming.
I never thought I’d want kids. Hell, I never thought I’d want marriage, but Trent changed my mind, and honestly, so did Tash. I wasn’t his girlfriend for long. After six months of dating, I found out I was pregnant and we decided not to wait to get married. Traditional standards be damned! We had a quick City Hall wedding with all of my sisters in attendance. Soon after, baby Olivia arrived followed two years later by sweet Abigail.
The nurse brings me my new baby girl, swaddled and clean. I recognize her eyes immediately. They’re mine. They’re my father’s.
At the same time, a twelve-year old Tash walks in. Where does the time go? With princesses out and iPhones in, I almost can’t believe this is the same little girl I fell in love with five years ago. She takes a picture with her phone, even though I don’t have my lipstick on—yes, still dark purple. Old habits die hard—and leans close to examine her new baby sister.
“What’s her name?” Tash gently strokes the baby’s soft cheek.
Trent and I look at each other. With two little ones and a tween-ager, we discussed names but never decided on one. “What do you think her name should be?” I ask Tash. Her strawberry blonde hair has turned into a striking shade of auburn. “I like Lilly.”
My eyes meet my husbands. He shrugs those massive shoulders of his and steps closer toward us, toward his girls. “Why not?”
The door flies open the second my family has the all-clear. My three sisters and their kids storm the room. I can’t believe they’re all here. Although, it’s kind of a tradition for all of us. Olivia and Abigail rush over to see the baby. Trent lifts both of them up for a better view.
I look around at all of the love surrounding my bedside. It’s hard to imagine our life before Brighton Ridge, before we met the men who became our partners, before the death of our parents. Fate is a funny thing. Right now, there’s not an inch of me that doubts that all of us were supposed to move to this tiny mountain town and fulfill mom’s dream of opening a bakery.
Trent leans down and plants a kiss on my lips. I melt into him. Every kiss feels like the first. “I love you, Emmi.” His eyes water and my heart swells.
I pull him closer so that I can whisper in his ear. “I told you I’d never leave you.” I mean it. I never will. Brighton Ridge is my home, and my family is my everything.