Page 169 of For Wrath and Redemption
“I can’t believe it,” I say on a whisper. “I can’t believe it.”
Claire hums, the tired sound drawing my attention back to her face. She’s smiling softly and her blue eyes glitter, but her blinks are slow. Sixteen hours of labor, and she was brilliant through all of it.
“You were amazing, you know?” I cup her cheek. “I don’t know how you did it. I don’t even have the words. I’m just...I’m in awe.”
She looks down at our baby, and her smile grows. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“You’rebeautiful, and she looks just like you.” Claire rests her head back on the pillow and closes her eyes. She’s understandably exhausted, and if anyone deserves rest, it’s her. “Do you need anything? Can I get you anything?”
She shakes her head. “No. I promise I’ll tell you if I need anything.”
“Do you want me to take Teddy so you can get some sleep?”
She turns her head toward me, then winces slightly as she scoots over and pats the mattress. Something about the movement catapults me back in time.
A different room. A different bed. A different person.
A different feeling entirely.
“Climb in here.”
“I’m too big. I don’t want to hurt you.”
The words are pulled from my lips before I think them, and tears form in my eyes. Irrationally, my body braces for what comes next. Theo’s voice floats in my memory, a harrowing response echoing in my head.
“You won’t hurt us.” She pats the mattress again, but when I don’t move, she arches a playful brow. “Jonah Theodore Hendrix, you’re not paying four grand a night for this boujee maternity suite to sit in that armchair. You won’t use the other bedroom, so get into this bed and hold your girls.”
Hold your girls.
My girls.
I laugh and wipe away a stray tear, then I gently get into the bed beside her. I slide one arm under her and lay the other over her, carefully resting my hand on Teddy’s back.
“Thank you.”
Claire’s voice is a whisper, content but tired, and slowly her breathing deepens until she’s sleeping peacefully. And still, all I can do is stare. My eyes bounce from Claire to Teddy and back. The two loves of my life, and not for the first time, I’m so grateful that I’m experiencing these emotions unhindered. Raw and real and overwhelming in the best, most moving of ways. In this moment, I can’t bring myself to regret any decision I’ve made, no matter how reckless, because it brought me to her. To here. To them.
This is healing. They are my purpose.
This right here.
This is my redemption.
“Are you sure you want to let them in? We can tell them to fuck off until next week.”
Claire laughs. “I’m sure. I want to see them. And don’t try to act like you don’t want to show Teddy off. You’ve already targeted every nursein the maternity ward, José, and the grocery delivery guy. You need a new audience.”
I smirk. “I’m telling you, she’s the smartest three-day-old baby in the state. Maybe the country.”
She looks down at Teddy and smiles. “Your daddy is your second biggest fan.”
“Well, before they come disrupt our peace, I have a gift for you. I’ll be right back.”
I run up the stairs, taking two at a time, and grab the gift box off my dresser. I meant to bring it to the hospital, but I was so excited that I’d forgotten to bring my overnight bag. When I get back to the living room, she narrows her eyes at me with a small smile.
“You didn’t have to get me a gift.”
“I know.” I cross the floor to the couch and hand her the box. “But I have plans to give you a lot of them, so you might as well get used to it.”
