Page 399 of Wicked Brutal

Cat appears in the doorway. “You lost.”

Arthur looks offended. “By how much?”

“Three ounces and twenty-seven minutes.”

“Acceptable margin.”

Tobias pushes between them. “Did I win?”

Cat points at him. “You picked both.”

“I paid twice.”

Arthur looks down. “Did the written rules expressly prohibit multiple entries?”

Cat’s mouth falls open. “Arthur. Do not lawyer the baby pool.”

He’s already reaching into his wallet, and Tobias lights up. I look at Ally. She’s laughing, surrounded by our parents, our friends, our daughter. Laughing. I could live inside this moment.

It’s dark outside when Iz and Bella finally get here — seven hours in a car, and they still come straight to the hospital. Iz opens the door with one hand, his other linked with Bella’s. Nothing unusual about it. They’re together. They’re always touching now. Bella is tucked against his side, her head briefly resting on his shoulder while she says something too quiet for me to hear. Then she sees Piper, and stops, and Iz stops with her.

“Oh.” Bella’s hand tightens around his.

Iz looks at our daughter, his face softening. “Yeah.”

Tobias launches himself at them. “She’s a girl!”

Iz catches him with his free arm. “So I’ve heard.”

“And her name is Piper Jane.”

“We heard that too.”

“I held her first.”

“Obviously,” Bella says.

“And she’s really little.”

Iz looks at me. “Also heard that.”

Tobias grabs Bella’s hand. “You have to meet her.”

“I was planning on it.”

He drags her toward the bed, Iz following, his hand settling at Bella’s back when she leans over Piper.

Bella looks at Ally first. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Bella bends and hugs her, then looks at Piper — and Bella Whelan, who has an opinion about everything, goes completely quiet. “She’s beautiful.”

Iz looks down at Piper. “Yeah.”

Bella glances at him, and he kisses her temple. No argument. No performance. Just them.

“Can I hold her?” Bella asks.