"Are you ready to go?” I asked, checking my watch. Kari heaved herself out from behind the dressing table and nodded.

"I think I’m good," she replied.

"Are you leaving?” Olivia asked. She had been helping Kari get ready and had swiped a little of Kari’s red lipstick for herself – she looked adorable with it smeared over her mouth. Sammy was perched on the edge of the bed, uninterested with the girly stuff but wanting the company.

"Yes, but we’re going to be back soon," I assured her.

"Will you be bringing the baby?” Sammy asked. I laughed.

"Maybe not," I replied.

"I hope not," Kari muttered, reaching for her bag. I dipped down to lift it up for her.

"Thanks," she murmured, and I planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Anything for you," I replied.

"As long as I’m pregnant," she joked. "Come on, the car’s waiting. Let’s get out of here."

We bid goodbye to Olivia and Sammy, left our instructions with the babysitter, and headed to the car. We were off to a movie premiere, and I couldn’t wait to get there. The film that was debuting was the first of my non-action roles, and I was so proud of it. I played a father dealing with life after the death of his wife, and I knew I had knocked it out of the park.

"You doing alright?" I asked Kari as she sank into the seat beside me.

"Yeah, I’m fine," she promised me. "You’re not getting rid of me that easily, right?”

"Right," I agreed, eyeing her belly. She looked about ready to pop. The baby was only a couple of days away from coming, and I couldn’t wait to meet him or her at last. We had forgone finding out the gender, wanting it to be a surprise. Besides, I knew I would be thrilled with whatever we had.

Olivia and Sammy were excited, too – it had taken them a while to wrap their heads around the new family set-up, but they had soon come to terms with it, especially when they found out that they would be having a little sibling to take care of. We had taken it very slow; I didn’t move in for a few months after we got married. But I hadn’t minded. I just wanted Kari to be comfortable and to make sure we built our family on a solid, unshakeable foundation. I had suggested getting somewhere bigger, but Kari had insisted on staying in the house she’d always lived in. I had paid for a big extension to be attached for the new baby, though, and we had expanded the playroom for the kids. I knew that I indulged them a little too much, but I was making up for lost time. Time when I’d imagined I never wanted a family like this.

"I can’t believe it’s here at last," Kari sighed as we pulled up outside the movie theater that was hosting our premiere. It was an indie feature, but my involvement in it had gained a lot of public attention, so there were dozens of photographers waiting for us by the time we arrived.

"You’ve done so well with work," she smiled at me. "I’m so proud of you."

"Yeah, well, I’m not running a charity by myself," I pointed out. "You’re doing the really hard work."

"Hey, I thought we weren’t going to talk about my stuff tonight," she reminded me. "This is all about you, remember?”

"Let me be proud of you too," I chided her gently, and she laughed.

"Alright, I’ll try."

Kari had been running the charity solo for almost six months now – I had tried to convince her take some time off to relax and prepare for the baby, but she insisted she was fine. Making up for lost time, I supposed. All the time that she had been forced to work alongside Adam, that money-grubbing, clout-chasing dick.

I’d sued him after I found out that it had been him who’d leaked the information to the press about what had happened to me, and it hadn’t taken long for him to accept giving up his ownership of the charity to Kari as payment for his indiscretion. He had never been that invested in the place anyway – that much was obvious to anyone paying attention. He just liked being able to swan around and pretend that he was a remotely decent person, even though he patently wasn’t.

But either way, he was out of our lives now, and that was all that mattered. I turned to Kari and was leaning over to open the door when I noticed the look on her face.

"Baby?”

I grasped her hand.

"What’s wrong?”

"My water just broke," she mumbled, and my heart dropped.

"Holy shit," I muttered. "Are you sure?”

"Deadly," she replied before she winced and grasped her stomach.

"We need to get to the hospital," she ordered me. "Now. This baby isn’t waiting around."

"Take us to the nearest hospital," I demanded, leaning forward to speak to the driver. "Now. As fast as you can without getting arrested."

The driver took off, not arguing with me, and I shifted closer to be near to Kari. She was breathing heavy and fast, her eyes closed and her head pressed back against the leather seat behind her.

"Are you going to be alright?” I asked her. "Is there anything I can do?”

"Just keep reminding me that we’re finally going to meet our baby soon," she replied through gritted teeth as I stroked her face.

"We’re going to meet our baby soon," I murmured. The reality of it came down on me like a ton of bricks. My heart was pounding, but it was from excitement, not fear.

"I’m so ready to meet him or her," I confessed, kissing her on the cheek. She let out a groan of discomfort but managed a smile.

"Me too," she agreed.

Luckily, it didn’t take us long to get to the hospital. By the time we got there, Kari was already pretty far along, and the doctors rushed her straight to a private room.

"Is she going to be alright?” I demanded of one of the nurses, and she nodded.

"She’s going to be just fine," she replied as the room filled with staff and activity. "But we don’t have much time. This has to be one of the quickest labors I've ever seen..."

I stood behind Kari and gripped her hand, watching as her face contorted. This was all happening so quickly. I couldn’t believe it was finally here, after all this time. My baby. Our baby. Our family.

Suddenly, a cry cut through the chaos of the room around us, and I looked down to see the nurse holding a small, scrunch-faced baby in her arms. I felt my heart stop for a moment in my chest.

"Just let me get her cleaned up," the nurse told me. "And I’ll have her right with you."

"Her?” I asked as Kari collapsed back onto the pillow, gasping for air.

"Her," the nurse replied with a smile. Kari gripped my hand tightly.

"We have a girl?”

"We have a girl," I replied, and I laughed out loud. A little girl. A sister for Olivia and Sammy. A daughter all of my own.

The staff cleared out of the room, and the nurse returned with our daughter. She laid her carefully in Kari’s arms, and I took in my baby girl for the first time. She had a tuft of blonde hair and dark blue eyes, like mine, and she was quiet as she snuggled against her mother for the first time. I reached out to touch her tiny foot, tracing the whorls on her skin.

"She’s perfect," I murmured, and Kari nodded, smiling up at me.

"I can’t wait for Sammy and Olivia to meet her," she replied. I leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead, brushing a strand of matted hair away from her cheek as I did so.

"I love you so much," I told her. "And I love this little girl so much, too."

"I love you both too," she replied, smiling at me. "Our little family."

"This is the happiest day of my life," I murmured, and I knelt down next to the two of them, looking at them, taking them in. My daughter was asleep, her little body curled against Kari’s. She was so small and so precious, and I knew in that moment that I would do anything in the world to keep her safe. I would protect her with my life, just the same way that I would protect Kari and Olivia and Sammy.

"Our little family," I echoed, feeling a flood of warmth wash over me. This was what I had been waiting for. After all this time, this was it. And now that I had it, I knew that everything was going to be different. Everything was going to be better.