Page 123 of Riding the High

“She’s almost there,” he says, looking as white as a ghost. He takes a sip of water and Cole gets up to talk to him. I watch as he claps his older brother on the shoulder.

“Just needed a second. They’re checking her as we speak. It’s so fucking hard to see her in this much pain. All I want to do is fix it for her,” Wade says to Cole.

“You got this, man,” Cole reassures him. “She’s so fucking strong. Trust me, the moment your baby is born she won’t remember the pain. She’ll be so in love and so will you.”

Wade nods and pats his brother’s back before heading back into the delivery room.

“Next time we see you, you’ll be a dad,” Cole calls after him. Wade flashes him a wide grin—a truly rare occurrence. He has the same dimples as Cole.

I smile as I watch the brothers, imagining the two of them when they were younger.

Then my thoughts turn to what it would be like to give Mabel a sibling one day. Someone who could be her best friend. Half Cole, half me. The thought electrifies me.

It isn’t fifteen minutes later when a breathless and teary-eyed Glenda rounds the corner wearing the biggest smile on her face. “It’s a girl!” she cries.

Jo is instantly out of her seat and hugging her. They both cry in each other’s embrace.

“She’s perfect,” Glenda continues. “They’re just getting everyone cleaned up and then you can all come and meet her. Give us fifteen minutes.”

The whole waiting room erupts in cheers.

The wait feels a lot longer than fifteen minutes, but I’m not prepared for the scene that awaits when we enter Ivy’s room.Nor am I prepared for the emotion that overtakes me when I see her. She’s beautiful, with tearstained and flushed cheeks, her hair pulled back in a big messy bun. The look she’s wearing is one of pure, unfiltered joy. It’s the look of true love.

“Congrats, Daddy,” I say to Wade, who is a puddle when Ivy hands him his daughter.

“Thank you,” he says, staring down into his daughter’s eyes. She stares intently back at him, and it feels as though they recognize each other from another life.

“How is it that Ivy gives birth and still looks better than you?” Cole says, patting his brother on the shoulder. “Welcome to the dad club. She’s beautiful.”

The look the two of them share in this moment makes me wish I had a sibling of my own.

Mama Jo hugs Glenda, then Ivy, before the three of them start discussing the details of the birth. Nash wraps his arms around CeCe and whispers something inaudible in her ear.

“Do you want to hold her?” Wade asks Cole after a few minutes.

“Of course,” Cole replies, arms outstretched.

Wade places the tiny pink bundle into my husband’s arms and makes his way back to Ivy, determined to kiss her everywhere he can.

I just stand dumbfounded, unable to take my eyes off Cole. What a fucking sight he is: a little scruff, that backward Yankees hat on his head, and a black t-shirt rocking this newborn babe.

He grins down at his new niece and runs a big finger over her cheek.

“Her name’s Billi Grace,” Wade announces proudly.

“After my daddy,” Ivy says, giving her mom a knowing look.

“Well, hi Billi,” Cole croons, cradling her in his strong arms. “Welcome to the family, beautiful girl. We’re gonna have allkinds of fun, you and me, just to piss your daddy off. And you wait until your cousin meets you.”

Cole’s dimples are at full wattage as he converses with Billi like she can fully understand him. They’re in their own little world. And me? I’m ready to become a full-on baby-making machine for this man if it means I get to see him like this with our children.

Cole glances up at me, before slowly making his way over with Billi in his arms.

“You’re next, Auntie.” He smirks.

He places her in the crook of my elbow and I’m instantly in love. She’s all wrinkled-pink, heaven-scented goodness. Her bottom lip moves like she’s suckling away as her eyes flutter closed in sleep.

“You’ve had a busy night, haven’t you, little peanut?” I say to her. “That’s a lot of hard work coming into this world.”

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