I look down at Tora and the sight I see has my world getting so much bigger.
Tora lies in bed with Nate standing right beside her, both of them staring down at their newborn son who sleeps peacefully in Tora’s arms. He looks just like Nate, in that gross new baby kind of way, but knowing just how much happiness this little man is about to bring to their lives makes me want to climb up into my wife’s lap and bawl on her shoulder like a little bitch.
Shit, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll never be able to live it down.
There’s nothing I want more in this world than to scoop this little man up and run away with him, but before I can attempt that, there’s just one thing I need to do.
I meet Nate’s eyes across the bed and before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m passing Charli off to Kaylah and making my way around to him, passing every one of our friends on the way. I mean, I know I’m late and all, but am I seriously the last one here? I’m really screwed.
That’s the last time I take a meeting on my new boat design when there’s a baby on its way. Ryder Watercrafts has been getting bigger and bigger and we’re quickly becoming a household name. Sometimes, there are things in life that you need to sacrifice for your business, but this wasn’t one of them. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.
My hands fly up and around Nate and I clap him on the back. This guy has been through so much over the years and I’m proud to have stood by him every moment of it. Tora and Nate have certainly had their ups and downs, and after Nate’s shop was franchised all over the country and Tora dominated every courtroom she’s ever stood in, they finally decided it was time for their little family to grow. “I’m so fucking proud of you, big brother.”
“Thanks, Jess,” he says, each of us holding on a little longer than necessary. “I don’t even know what to fucking say. I’m so happy. I’m a father.”
“I know, man, but don’t worry, reality will hit you at about 3 am when this little guy wakes up, screaming for a bit of those juicy titties.”
Nate shakes his head and laughs, way too proud and full of joy to call me out on my bad choice of words. With Nate out from Tora’s side, I quickly move in, instantly bending down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You fucking did it, Tori,” I tell her, the need to bawl coming right back and making me feel like a fucking child again.
Tora beams up at me. “Hey, Jess,” she whispers. “You’re finally an Uncle.”
“Best fucking Uncle in the world,” I tell her as the sound of my daughter’s laughs across the room have my heart swelling even more. “Does he have a name?”
Tora nods and looks to Nate. “We were waiting to announce it until you got here,” Tora explains with everyone in the room, listening in with eager ears. Nate puts a hand to my shoulder and squeezes as Tora goes on. “This little guy,” she says, looking down at him with a loving smile, “is Ayden Jesse Ryder.”
Tora’s eyes flick up to mine with a beaming smile and I look down at her before glancing at my brother. “You gave him my name?”
He nods, giving me a knowing smile. “How could we not?”
Emotions overtake me and despite the fact that they named their dog Jesse a few years ago, this is so much bigger. This is an absolute honor and I find myself pulling Nate into my arms once again. “Do you want to have the first hold?” Tora asks, watching the show with tears in her eyes.
“Fuck, yeah,” I cheer before scolding myself to be quiet.
I make my way back over to Tora and she passes little Ayden up to me and I scoop him into my arms with a feeling pulsing through me that I can hardly even understand, but what I do know is that it’s so much more than pride and joyfulness.
“Hey, little guy. You and I are going to get into so much trouble,” I say as Charli gets insanely jealous that her daddy is holding someone else and runs around until she’s clinging onto my leg. Kaylah comes and stands beside me, looking down at our new nephew and rests her head against my shoulder as we welcome Ayden into our family. “I’ve got so much to teach you about being a Ryder and holding up the values that your parents don’t want you to know.” Nate scoffs behind me. “Just you wait, little man. You, Charli and your new little cousin are going to be the next generation of hell raisers and it’s going to be one hell of an adventure.”