Epilogue
Months ago Tris had thought having Cov’s love was the only thing he needed to make him happy. He was wrong.
Dead wrong.
Right now he needed the damn doctor to do something.
His wife was in pain and no amount of back rubs or chipped ice or drugs seem to make it go away.
“One more should do,” Jason said from his position between Cov’s legs.
Yeah, Tris wasn’t sure how he felt about the other man getting such a close-up view of his wife.
“I can’t,” Cov wailed.
“You can, baby. You’re so brave and strong and you’ll rock being a mom,” he tried to placate.
“Don’t you talk to me about brave and strong. You’re not the one pushing two fifty-billion pound bowling balls through your vagina!”
“Ah…” Tris closed his mouth and let her squeeze the shit out of his hand.
“Easy there, momma.” The nurse stroked a hand over Cov’s taut belly. “Here comes another contraction.”
With an agonized cry Cov bore down. Sweat rolled down her face and coated her chest. Her eyes were scrunched tight, her nose crinkled and her hair lay plastered to her skin.
Tris thought she’d never looked more beautiful. He’d never loved her more.
“All right, here we go…”
Tristan’s gaze snapped to Jason’s face. The guy didn’t seem panicked. Not like Tris was. They were eight weeks ahead of schedule, but everything had been textbook perfect up until now. They just needed to make it through—
A tiny wail of protest broke the air and tears instantly flooded his eye, blurred his vision.
He leaned over, tried to see more of their first baby coming into the world. He saw a dark head…a wrinkly face…a pair of shoulders…and a perfect body with two arms, two legs and…a penis.
Shit. He had a son.
“It’s a boy, Cov. God. It’s a boy.”
“That’s right, Dad, baby number one is a boy. And judging by the weight of this guy…” Jason held their son in his hands “He’s a good sized one.”
“Can I see? I need to see.” Cov tried to sit.
“Hang on.” Jason passed the baby to the nurse and she placed him on Cov’s chest.
Tris watched his wife stroke a fingertip down the little guys check and didn’t bother to hold back the tears. They’d done that. Together. Made that perfect little boy.
Cov gasped, her face contorting with pain.
“Okay, looks like this second one is in a rush.”
The nurse scooped up the baby and handed him to Tris. “Step back, Dad.”
He didn’t go far. Wouldn’t dare. And as he held his new son, he watched as the tiny form of their second child entered the world.
There was no cry this time and the smiles from before were replaced with frowns that had him taking a step forward.
“Tristan?” Covington’s weak voice drew him to her. “What’s happening?”
“I’m not—”
A wail only rivaled by the siren at the stationhouse cut him off.
“And baby number two is a girl,” Jason announced as he lifted up the tiny wailing baby, her arms and legs wiggling wildly.
“Jesus, she’s got a set of lungs on her.” He smiled. He’d take those screams over that dead-silence any day of the week.
“Yes, she does. How about we give Mom both babies and see what happens,” Jason suggested.
“They’re okay?” Cov asked, worry creasing her weary face.
“More than,” Jason confirmed.
“But they’re so early,” Tris argued.
“Doesn’t mean there will be problems. I’m not seeing anything that causes me concern. We’ll take them one at a time in a minute to weight them and check a few things, but what we have here is two perfect little bundles of joy.”
Tris was pretty sure the bundle of joy screaming her head off wasn’t so joyful. He moved closer to his daughter, his son still cradle in his arms. “Hey, baby girl,” he murmured near her ear.
Instantly the child hushed and turned her head towards him.
“She knows your voice,” Cov whispered.
Both babies turned towards her. “And they both know yours.”
With the nurse’s help they placed both babies into Cov’s arms and Tris couldn’t resist pulling out his phone and snapping the first shot of the three most important people in his world.
“Do we have names for these two?” the nurse asked.
He glanced at Cov. They’d discussed it and couldn’t agree so they’d decided they’d get to pick one each, but now they had to work out who named who.
“You do the girl’s one,” Cov said with a smile.
“Okay.” He nodded. He’d had a few girls’ names he’d really liked but now that his daughter was here he wanted to take her in a little longer before he decided. “Give me a minute to look at her.”
“I think this guy looks like a Kane. Kane Tristan Harding.”
“Cov.” Tris could barely get her name out.
She smiled up at him. “I didn’t think you’d go for Tristan as a first name.”
“No. But I love Kane. And Tristan for a second name works.”
“So what are we calling his sister?” she asked.
“Carys Hope Harding.”
“Well.” Cov lowered her gaze to their quietly resting babies. “I think Kane and Carys are going to give their parents a run for their money.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. He imagined they would. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
~ The End ~