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He nodded and kissed her head. “It might be hours before the baby arrives. I’m sure everything is going just fine.”
“I know,” she whispered. “You’re right. I should focus on our celebration. I’ll hear from them as soon as the baby is born, I’m sure.”
They stepped away from the dance floor for a while to talk to more of their guests and enjoy second slices of cake. After another hour or so, things began to wind down and guests began to depart slowly.
“One last dance?” Michael asked, taking her hand and steering her toward the dance floor.
“Yes—and let’s ask Pearl to join us.”
Grinning, Michael called for Pearl, and she came running up to them and took their hands. For a moment, they were the only three people on the dance floor, dancing along to an upbeat song. Soon other people joined them, seeming to sense it was the last song of the night.
The final chords of the song sounded, and everyone cheered and started to hug each other. As the group hug began to break apart, Caitlin heard her phone ding in her pocket.
Her heart leapt up and she reached inside her pocket eagerly. She sucked in her breath when she saw that it was a text from Dane.
DANE: He’s here! Oscar has been born. Both he and Alissa are doing great.
“I’m an aunt!” Caitlin exclaimed, and everyone cheered again.
“Yay!” Pearl shouted and grabbed Michael’s hands. The two of them began to dance around together, whooping with excitement.
“We should go to the hospital,” Michael said, panting and grinning.
“Could we?” Caitlin perked up eagerly. “I would love that.”
“I want to go as well,” Johanna said, and Everett echoed the sentiment.
A group of them—including Caitlin’s parents, Everett and Johanna, Marsha and Willis, and Josie, Wesley, and Paige—decided to leave the reception to go see the baby. The remaining guests volunteered to help the wedding decorators clean up, and they urged Michael and Caitlin to leave right away to go meet Oscar.
“It’s your wedding day, you’re not allowed to do any clean-up.” Olivia laughed, seeming to sense Caitlin’s hesitation. “We’ve got it covered. Don’t we, Isaiah?”
“We absolutely do,” Isaiah said, looking up and grinning from where he was starting to fold up chairs next to Gwen. “You go meet your little nephew. And then spam Olivia with pictures so she can send them to me.”
“All right,” Caitlin said, laughing. “Thank you all so much.”
“Of course,” Sandy said, waving her away. “Go meet Oscar!”
The group that was going to the hospital hurried along the beach to the parking lot, where they piled into their cars, laughing and bantering with a sense of eagerness. Caitlin was tingling with excitement as they started their drive, and behind her in the back seat, Pearl was starting to sing a little bit, as if she couldn’t express her feelings any other way.
Beside Caitlin, Michael reached over and took her hand.
“You’re my wife,” he whispered.
Happiness rushed through her, so sweet and full she thought she might burst.
“Forever and always,” she said, and at the next stoplight, he leaned in for a kiss.
Alissa gazed down at Oscar, feeling aglow with feelings of love and joy. She couldn’t quite believe he was really hers yet—but there he was, with big brown eyes and a tiny little nose and the smallest fingers.
“Are you real?” she whispered to him, stroking the side of his cheek.
Beside her in the delivery room, Dane grinned. His eyes were shining, and he looked a little dazed, but Alissa knew he was the proudest father in the world.
She felt exhausted—she hadn’t been in labor for a terribly long time, but it had still been an incredibly taxing experience. But it had been more than worth it—gazing down at her little boy, she felt she’d never had such a sense of wonder and delight.
“I just can’t get over how cute he is,” Dane said, staring at Oscar with a kind of awe. “I’ve never loved anyone or anything this much this fast before. I mean, I loved him before he was born, but now…”
His words trailed off, and he smiled.
