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Jesse slapped him gently on the back. “We all are.”
His eyes flicked between us. “I’m glad she has you two. You’re good for her. I haven’t seen her this happy in so long, and you two play a big part in that.” He let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you for letting me be here too. I know you guys have all gotten closer, but I’m not sure I could have let you do this alone. If she needed me, and I wasn’t here…”
I squeezed his shoulder. “She wanted you, and we understand. The next one is all mine, though, got it?” I teased.
He gave me a tight smile and nodded. “You got it.”
Six hours later, Tally gave birth not to a little boy as expected, but a little girl. The ultrasound tech had said it was a guess, and apparently, she’d guessed wrong. When Will had walked into the waiting room to tell us, his face flushed and coated in tears, I’d been gobsmacked. Colin had cried harder, hugging Will tightly. I’d hugged Jesse, then Will too.
“Everything went perfectly. She’s just delivering the placenta, and they kicked me out for that. Apparently, there are some things I did not need to see. They’re just cleaning her up, then you guys can go and see her.”
What felt like a heartbeat later, we were staring down at the most beautiful baby I’d ever seen. Tally was in an exhausted slumber on the bed, and if I couldn’t see the monitors, I’d have been freaking out.
The baby was squishy and wrinkly, an odd shade between purple and pink, but she was gorgeous. I snapped a photo, then messaged my parents to let them know.
H: Surprise. It’s a girl. And she’s the most beautiful little girl in the whole world. Everything is perfect. Tally is doing well, textbook birth.
My parents were still in Texas, and we hadn’t really told them about the whole polyamory thing. But they knew Tally was my girlfriend, that she was pregnant, and while the baby wasn’t mine biologically, I wanted them to know that I was going to consider myself the baby’s parent in every way that mattered.
I hadn’t doubted that they would accept it easily. They’d talked to Tally on the phone a couple of times, and my mom had answered a bunch of her questions about babies and what to expect. She’d been great. They’d sent care packages, and talked about their grandbaby.
Mom: She absolutely is the most beautiful baby ever. Give Tally all our love and tell her we are so proud of her. Can’t wait to hold my brand-new granddaughter.
Now I was going to cry. Jesse wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I might be biased, but she’s way cuter than any baby I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
A nurse appeared and pointed down at her. “Would you like to hold her?” I nodded vigorously. “You’re Dad?”
Jesse couldn’t take his eyes off the baby. “We both are.”
The nurse didn’t even blink. “Well, congrats to the both of you. Come sit over here. Okay, now hold your arms like this.” She angled my arms, then slid the baby into them. She was so light, so tiny.
“Hello, beautiful girl,” I whispered. “I’m going to protect you and give you the world.”
Jesse’s fingers looked huge against her cheeks. “Me too.”
The nurse just grinned. “I have to wake your mama up to make sure she’s okay, pretty girl.” She gently shook Tally from her sleep, checking her temperature and asking about her pain and the stitches.
Stitches? Where would she have stitches?
Tally groggily answered all the nurse’s questions, and once the lady had closed the door, I rose to my feet. Jesse hovered, ready to catch the baby if I so much as looked like I’d drop her. I slowly made my way over and kissed Tally’s forehead and the exhausted lines around her eyes.
“God, you’re amazing. Do you know that?” Leaning forward, I carefully placed the baby into her arms. “Look what you made, sweetheart. She’s perfect.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “Hello, beautiful girl. Hello, Bobbi-June.”
The baby opened her tiny eyes and blinked up at her mama. Everything inside of me shifted and rearranged. Every priority I’d ever had, every dream I’d ever imagined, reformed itself around these two.
Jesse smiled widely. “Perfect. Bobbi-June Palmer. Welcome to the world, angel.”
We sat in silence, just staring at the baby, for an indeterminate amount of time. It could have been minutes or hours.
Colin and Will arrived in the room later, with the biggest bunch of flowers I’d ever seen, and Colin cried some more as he cooed over Tally and the baby.
At that moment, I didn’t think I could ever love two people as much as I loved the woman on that bed, and the tiny baby in her arms.
TWENTY-FOUR
TALLY
