Page 154 of Call You Mine
“Why, love?” I ask softly, holding our daughter in one arm as I grab Ava’s hand with the other. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I mean, this is all really scary, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
Ava nods. “I know that. I think it’s more about the realization that she’s half of me. I don’t want her to deal with a mind like mine, Anderson. I could spiral for days just thinking about it.” She pauses, like she’s trying to find the right words. “But the only thing stopping me, the only thing reminding me that she’ll be okay, no matter what, is you. She has you.”
I feel tears build in my eyes, my lips parting to say something, but I can’t find the words.
“You’re like the sun because you shine through the darkness, Anderson. And our daughter, and Georgie, are so lucky to have a father like you.”
“Ava,” I say, but she shakes her head.
“Did you know the name Eliana is commonly interpreted as ‘daughter of the sun’? I mean, it’s from Greek origins, andit’s probably too cliche to go off of that for something as important as naming ahuman, but when I was looking into names and saw that one, I really liked it, and then I looked up the origin, and?—”
“Ava,” I say again, this time to stop her from getting lost in not only her thoughts but her explanation of them. “It’s perfect.”
“Eliana Montgomery," she says just before pressing a kiss to our daughter’s forehead.
I look down at the baby in my arms. “Eliana,” I repeat, the name falling so seamlessly off my lips, like I was used to saying it in another life.
Ava leans into me, her hand resting over Eliana’s tiny chest, like she’s memorizing every breath. And for the first time in a long time, everything feels still—like the world finally caught up to us.
Like we made it.
EPILOGUE
AVA
“Emerson was right, the matching ‘Coach’hoodies were the way to go,” I laugh from where I stand on the sidelines with Rumi and Emerson.
The spring air is crisp, but I can still feel the tease of the summer as it blows.
“Did Anderson pretend to hate it as much as Jack did when you gave it to him this morning?” Rumi asks from where she sits on the blanket she set out in the grass, surrounded by toys that Evee left behind when she ran over to Jack during halftime.
I snort. “Yeah, right,” I say, bouncing lightly as I sway from side to side, keeping Eliana asleep in the carrier strapped to my chest. “He asked why we didn’t do it sooner, and I had to tell him these were just the prototypes for next season. Georgie was the one groaning about how embarrassing it was when he pointed out how they matched.”
A whistle blows, my attention turning to Georgie, whose back is toward us, the name “Montgomery” spread across the back of her goalie jersey, just above her number. Even though we still have to submit the official paperwork for her last name change, she’s a Montgomery in all the ways that matter.
We watch as the girls huddle up on the sidelines, surrounding Anderson as he kneels down, talking to each of them with a determined look over his features. His brown hair peeks out of his backwards baseball hat, curling at the nape of his neck.
He’s animated as he talks—the complete opposite of Jack, who stands there looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, Evee in his arms.
But we all know who cheers the loudest once the girls are on the field.
“Have you heard from Emerson?” Rumi asks, her hand coming to rest on her forehead to block her eyes from the afternoon sun.
“She texted that she’d be here before the game ends,” I answer.
As of a few days after I gave birth, Emerson joined the Cross My Heart tour as a nanny for the lead singer, Mateo Lane. Turns out, her friend Liam mentioned to her that the single dad was in need of some help with his son, and Emerson jumped at the chance.
“I’m glad she’ll be home for a few days before she’s back on the road again,” Rumi says as she stands, looking over toward the parking lot. She seems a little antsy all of a sudden, but I don’t have time to ask her about it, the whistle sounding again and bringing my attention back to Georgie’s game.
“Oh, I forgot to ask,” Rumi says as we watch Georgie’s team move the ball down the field toward their goal. “Did you get your hearing date?”
I nod. “We’re all set for next week.”
After Eliana was born, it didn’t take long for Anderson, Georgie, and I to fall into our new routine as a family of four. Georgie was such a big help with her baby sister, and Anderson was the most supportive partner I could ever askfor through the newborn trenchesandpostpartum hormonal shifts.
The chaos and unpredictability was hard, and there were days when it felt impossible to overcome the way my OCD seemed to fight against every instinct I had. Constantly making me second-guess myself as a mother, while also trying to convince me I was doing everything wrong.
Not to mention, Anderson having to deal with the constant updates of not only Auggie’s recovery but also his sentencing for possession and distribution of their mom’s pain medication. And then there was my own realization that I was becoming a mother without my own mom there to support me.
