Kyle
We watched the door close behind her and the moment of silence which fell over us made me uncomfortable.
“Are we okay? I mean, that was way intense.”
“Stop, love. We’re more than okay. Yes, it was intense, but I don’t care. We’re used to dealing with ‘intense’. It doesn’t make a difference to me.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Kyle. Thank you for arranging breakfast with your mom. I loved meeting her. She loves you, and she’s a good mom.”
“When my dad left, she never backed down, she became a superwoman. I just want her happy now.”
“She will be, even more when we become parents, and she becomes a grandma,” Tiff said and then laughed, filling the room with the magical sound.
“Soon, I hope.”
Tiff pushed me against the door and kissed me. Our breakfast had taken a shitty turn, but my girl still wanted me. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling bad I’d almost ruined Mom’s day. Losing Cassidy had been hard on her, too.
“Kyle, you’re thinking too hard. You can do better than that.”
She was right. I could do better. Gripping her hair at the base of her neck and holding her to me, I responded to her with everything I had. The kiss transformed into touches and caresses, the air between us becoming hot. What better way to make this day improve? My body burned while it craved hers.
The shrill ring of the phone interrupted us, and we both pulled apart. Nervous, Tiff bit the inside of her lips, her hands posed like she was praying, while I answered.
“Tyler,” I said, and put him on speaker phone.
“It’s a girl, Kyle. I have a baby girl,” Tyler wept down the phone. “She’s perfect and healthy, and she looks a lot like me.”
“Can we come over?”
“Yeah, man. Bring Tiff, I can’t wait for you two to meet her. I’ll text you the room number.”
“Us, too, man. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Tiffany cleared the table while I went to our room to get the present we’d gotten for the baby. A smile crept onto my face remembering shopping with Tiff for the pajamas, blankets, tiny socks, and super soft multicolor bear.
“A girl! Tyler with a girl. I bet he’s going to be a super protector who warns away every little boy in the neighborhood,” I said coming back with the gift bag.
“If he’s anywhere near what he was like with me, then it’s going to be fun to watch.” She rolled her eyes.
“How come I never saw you before? I mean, when you came here the first time.” They were so close, but Tyler never mentioned her much before.
“I was living next door to Tyler, and the host family I was staying with didn’t allow much time out. So, we hung out, just the two of us, most of the time. I didn’t have many friends here then, but Tyler made my life as an exchange student easier. He was like a brother to me.”
“So, he kept you for himself.”
“Something like that. Okay, let’s get going,” she said in a drastic change of subject, and then grabbed my car keys and rushed out of the apartment in a heartbeat.
Tiff was waiting for me in the hall when I joined her. No sooner had I locked the door than she started walking so fast she was near the point of running.
“Calm down, Tiff. They aren’t going anywhere, we’ll be there soon. We are on our way.”
“Sorry, just so many emotions today, Kyle. I can’t wait to see her. I would run if it were faster.”
“We’ll get there together, okay? Calmly.” More importantly, safely. Last time Tiff had run alone, it hadn’t ended well. I didn’t even want to think about it.
To be fair, although I tried to play it cool, I was just as excited as she was. This was a big moment for one of my best friends, and I wanted to be there for him. The first baby had joined our circle of friends—unbelievable how life was changing for all of us. From single to dating, then married, and now babies.
Tiff remained quiet while looking out the window as I drove us to the hospital. Her smiling reflection in the window made me happy. Knowing she was handling this well made me stronger. I pulled into a spot in the guest parking lot at Virginia Mason, and by the time I’d turned off the engine, Tiffany was already out of the car, waiting for me with the present in her hands.
“Come on, Kyle. Hurry up!”
“How much coffee did you have this morning?” I teased. That she started counting on her fingers was terrifying.
“Four, but I didn’t finish the fourth one.”
“Well, thank God for that.” Grabbing her hand and intertwining my fingers with hers, we walked toward the entrance of the hospital.
In the elevator, I wasn’t sure if it were my fingers trembling or Tiff’s, but it was clear how we felt about this new baby. Standing before the door, we both took a deep breath. With a kiss to her temple, she knocked twice before nudging the door open.
Tyler sat on a couch with a tiny baby while Bekka was resting. It almost felt like we were intruding on their private moment.
“Hey, come on in, guys,” he whispered.
Tiff went and settled next to Tyler, her eyes attached to the little girl. “She’s so pretty,” she murmured.
Stepping closer to Tiffany’s side, I got my first look at the small human being. “Tyler, she’s the spitting image of you, but in an improved version,” I joked, trying to hide the sentiment rising in me.
“I know, it’s true,” Tyler agreed.
“She’s perfect. Look at her tiny fingers, she’s so beautiful.” Her fingers were so small, smaller than my toes even.
“Did you guys ever agree on a name?” Tiffany asked.
“As soon as we saw her. Meet Melody Jane Wright.”
“That’s a beautiful name.”
“Can I hold her?” Tiff asked with a shaky voice. My hunch was the emotions she’d been trying to keep inside all day were about to come out.
Once Tiff got positioned comfortably next to him, he placed Melody in her arms, and a sob escaped her lips. “She’s so small and beautiful.”
“She is. My precious little girl. It’s crazy how much I love her already,” Tyler boasted.
“We all do,” I added. Brushing the back of my fingers against her soft cheek, Melody yawned, and we all cooed in awe of her.
“How is Bekka doing?” I whispered. She was still sleeping behind us.
“She had an emergency C-section because the baby was having difficulty coming out. She’s loaded up on pain medication and some kind of nausea reliever through the IV, because she was about to get sick. The nurse said she should be waking up soon. I’m telling you guys, Bekka’s such a good mother. Melody already had her first breastfeeding and it went well.”
“Bekka has a beautiful soul. She’s always been one to care for someone else. Your baby is in safe hands, Tyler. She’ll be a great mom without a doubt.” I had seen Bekka in action, when she cared for Nix; she thrived on taking care of her loved ones.
“Are you done talking behind my back now?” Bekka’s voice cracked behind us, and Tyler jumped up to go to her.
“Hello, gorgeous. Do you want to hold your daughter?” he asked as he poured her some water.
She nodded with excitement. Tyler helped Bekka sit up in the hospital bed, and then adjusted her pillows around back so she could be comfortable. Tiff stayed put while I gathered Melody in my arms and carried her precious form over to be placed into Bekka’s waiting arms. Warm and wiggly, Melody snuggled against my chest and I felt my heart swell. This was fucking surreal.
Returning to Tiffany, her eyes were swimming with emotions as she said to me, “She’s incredible, isn’t she? So miniature and perfect.”
“She is,” I agreed. My lips pressed to her forehead, and she shuddered. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay, Kyle. I held a beautiful baby.” A tear trickled down her cheek to her jaw. “I couldn’t be happier right now, even if I tried.”
“I know, right?”
As Tyler, Bekka, and Melody Jane disappeared in their bubble of family intimacy, we stepped out of the room. Part of me felt light, like I was no longer restrained from breathing. Melody Jane was here, and she was healthy, sleeping in her loving parents’ arms. She was safe.
After spending a day surrounded by friends and family, I laid in bed and realized I was truly happy. All my fears of the future had disappeared the second I’d held Melody against my chest. Feeling her beating heart, seeing her pretty rosy lips and those tiny fingernails were some of the things I had always wondered about after the loss of my baby. Melody’s arrival, full of innocence and hope, acted like a bandage on my open wounds—just like Tiffany had done. And this time, I was healed.
Tiffany made me happy. With her in my life I could feel again, and smile bright. I couldn’t wait until we created a life together. One who would have her mother’s eyes and soul.
The End
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