Page 119 of Nine Month Contract
AnimalsontheMountain:14
BabiesComingtotheMountain:1
1 Month Later
Everly breaks down bawling the minute she steps into our postpartum hospital suite, causing everyone to erupt with laughter. Max moves to stand beside her, helping her remain on her feet as she continues to lose it the closer and closer she gets to our baby girl.
Baby girl.
I’m a dad.
“Hey, kid,” Trista says with a knowing smirk from her hospital bed as she holds our daughter, looking more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her. The woman was a beast during the entire delivery. She didn’t want any drugs and didn’t even scream once. Just made this weird, satanic humming noise that might haunt me for a few months, but I’ll get over it because…I’m a dad.
“Want to hold your cousin?” Trista asks as Everly stands beside her.
Everly nods, and I watch nervously as she passes our baby over. My protective instinct over this kid might be an issue for me. If I’m this bad when she’s a tiny, helpless baby, how bad will I be when she’s running around the mountain exploring? Or worse yet, turning intoa teenager like Everly and making decisions on her own? This will be hard for me. Luckily, I have Trista to help me through all of this.
“You ruined my baby pool guess at the Mercantile, you know,” Calder says with a huff. “I didn’t even know you could be pregnant for longer than your due date or whatever.”
“How much money was in the pool?” Trista asks.
“Seven hundred and fifty bucks,” Luke replies with a laugh. “I think the whole damn town is in on it. But I don’t even know who won it?”
“It was me,” Everly says, not taking her eyes off the baby. “I knew this little one would hold out for me to come home for the holidays.” She smiles and drags her finger gently over our daughter’s little button nose. “So what did you name her? I’m dying to know. You know I can’t stand secrets.”
I reach for Trista’s hand and smile at my whole family. We were waiting to tell them all once Everly arrived, so here goes nothing. “We decided to name her Stevie Everly Fletcher.”
“After two very important people in her life,” Trista adds with a smile as she looks over at my mom nervously.
The waterworks on Everly begin again, and I rush over, holding my hands out to take the baby because she is scaring the shit out of me with her hysterics.
My mom sniffles softly from her chair, grabbing a handkerchief out of her purse as she nods solemnly. “That’s a really good name.”
I smile at Trista, whose eyes are also filled with tears as she watches my mom. Their bond was clear as day when my mom walked in the door today to meet her new grandchild, only to bypass her and check in on Trista first. She pushed my girlfriend’s hair out of her face and asked her how she felt, wanting every little detail before she even gave herself a moment to meet the baby.
They cried tears of joy in each other’s arms, and I thanked my lucky stars that my family gets it. Trista doesn’t have anyone showing up to check on her today. No mom or dad was calling to get the latest ultrasound pictures or ask what kind of casseroles she wanted in the freezer for her maternity leave. Her sister didn’t put money inthe Jamestown bar baby pool, where they guessed the height, weight, and delivery date.
My mom understood what today would be like for Trista better than I could have ever imagined. Cozy has easily become the sister Trista deserved because of their genuine connection. And if my dad was still here…he’d be right beside her, checking on both my girls.
This is Trista’s found family. And I’m a lucky man. I’ll be even luckier if she marries me someday.
But that’s tomorrow’s problem. Today…I’m just going to live in the moment and enjoy being a family with my girls.
I wake early our first morning back at the mountain as a family of three to find Trista standing in my living room. The fire crackles as she stares out the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching fresh snow fall on the mountain as the sun sheds tiny rays of light on the red barn down below. My eyes drink in her tall wool socks and big, baggy T-shirt. It will be a long six weeks, that’s for sure, but with views like this, I have no problem waiting.
She’s swaying back and forth with our daughter in her arms, humming a Taylor Swift song I’ll never admit to knowing. I make my way over to them and wrap my arms around the two of them to join in their movement.
“I didn’t even hear her wake up,” I whisper, staring down at our little one, who’s now fast asleep. Stevie has a light dusting of brown hair on her head and the sweetest little lips, with the top one just slightly bigger than the bottom. Just like her momma.
“She didn’t cry,” Trista says with a happy sigh. “I just didn’t want her to miss her first mountain sunrise.”
My heart tightens at that comment. The way Trista loves it up here feels so good. Like she was always meant to be here with me.
The sun peaks over the mountain crest, shining a ray of light on the three of us. “It is a pretty good view,” I offer.
“You’re not even looking at it,” Trista says, gesturing to the window.
“The mountain pales in comparison to you two,” I say, and withouthesitating, I reach around Trista and set a small velvet box on top of our daughter’s swaddled belly.
