Page 99 of Lost on Ice
Chuckling softly, I carry her out to the living room and lay her next to Chase. She snuggles into him immediately, and I feel a strange twist in my chest.
Sure, Chase is all cute and innocent now, but he better watch himself when he’s older.
Lilah’s going to have one hell of a protective dad breathing down his neck.
Chapter Thirty-Three
ABBIE
“Oh my gosh,he’s so beautiful,” I declare, gazing down at the tiny swaddled baby in my arms. I’m standing in Sophie’s hospital room, next to her bed, and Jake and Carter are by the room’s window talking in hushed tones to each other.
“Isn’t he, though?” Sophie replies with a smile. She looks exhausted, like she can barely keep her eyes open — but also, so incredibly happy.
“What’s his name?” I ask.
“Hunter.”
“Oh, I like that.”
Gazing back down at Hunter, I feel tears in my eyes that I quickly blink away. It’s a bit strange, holding Hunter now that I know what it’s like to hold my own baby. My heart aches with longing, thinking of what it would be like to have another baby myself. A little brother or sister for Lilah. A chance for Jake to be with his child from the start.
Jake looks up at me and grins before crossing the room to me.
“Come on, now,” he teases. “Don’t hog the baby.”
He holds out his arms, and I pass Hunter to him. I watch him cuddle the baby against his chest and am a little surprised by how totally comfortable he appears.
“You’re a natural,” I tell him with a grin.
He winks at me. “Eight little siblings, remember?”
I chuckle softly. “Well, you look really good holding a baby.”
“Oh yeah?” He grins, then gazes down at Hunter with a tender expression. “Dang, he’s so tiny.”
Seeing him like this, I feel a pang of guilt in my chest for depriving him of moments like this with Lilah. He wasn’t there when she was born. Wasn’t there for her first steps or first words.
He’s missed so much, but I remind myself that he won’t miss any more with her. We’re different people now, and our relationship is different. Better. Stronger.
We’re a family, and there will be countless moments just like this one for us to share.
Later that night, Jake and I are lying together in bed. Lilah and Chase are already asleep and we’re just enjoying a few quiet moments together after such an eventful day.
“Sophie looked so good,” I murmur, tracing patterns on Jake’s chest with my fingers. “She said Hunter’s birth was easier than Carson’s.”
“Is that typical?” he asks.
I shrug. “I’ve heard second births can be easier… it probably depends on the circumstances, though.”
“I suppose,” he murmurs, then reaches out and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I tuck my head under his chin and let out a long breath, just starting to drift off when he asks, “How was Lilah’s birth?”
Chuckling, I answer, “Rough. She was stubborn and did not want to come out. I was in labor for about twenty-six hours, and they were about to go to C-section with me but she finally gave up the fight.”
He laughs softly. “She’s been a little stinker since the beginning, huh?”
“Absolutely…oh,” I murmur, “can you remind me to switch the laundry around tomorrow? I didn’t get to it tonight.”
“I’ll take care of it.” He kisses me on the cheek. There’s a pause, and then he says in a low, rumbling voice, “Hey, Abbs?”
