Page 105 of Hating the Boss

His driver had pretty much been on call for the past several weeks, following us around wherever we went to, with my packed hospital bag in the trunk. And thank God for that because we were in no position to go back to our apartment now that I was soaking wet from the waist down and our baby was on her way.

Brad helped me into the car, telling the driver to take us straight to the hospital. The same hospital I had went to after the scary encounter with Angela. The same hospital where Brad proposed. Life was a funny thing, reminding me that even the ugliest memories can turn into something magical.

We made it to the hospital in record time, and our baby girl arrived in her own record time. It seemed as though she was eager to make her entrance into the world because two hours later, she was in my arms. I supposed she was growing tired of being in my belly. She had gone past forty weeks, after all. Brad liked to say she just needed a little extra time to cook, which sometimes made me roll my eyes at him as I was miserably moving around with a gigantic belly and swollen ankles and bags under my eyes from pregnancy insomnia.

Despite all this, Brad did anything and everything to make me feel better. A foot rub every night. A shower of compliments when I felt as big as a hot air balloon. Late night trips to the corner store for whatever I was craving. I didn’t think I could do pregnancy with anyone else. He was the perfect partner. The perfect husband.

Even during our daughter’s delivery, he held my hand tightly, excitedly following the nurse’s lead. I had never felt so on top of the world, even through the pain of each push, Brad made me feel like I was Wonder Woman.

Oh, and when he held our baby girl for the first time…

It was a memory I would never, ever forget. I had never seen love at first sight, but there it was right in front of me. Their gray eyes locked and I swore she cooed at him through her perfect rosy lips.

It was then that her name came to me.

Sterling.

Like the silver, the same unique hue of Brad’s eyes.

When I suggested it to him after the nurse and doctor had left us to have a private moment as a family of three, he teared up immediately.

“It’s perfect,” he said softly, as he nuzzled his handsome face against Sterling’s soft, brown head of hair. “It’s strong. Like her. Like you.”

They were both up ahead of me now, Brad carrying the newborn car seat that we spent forever trying to configure Sterling in, wanting to make sure she was absolutely secure before we went out on the road. He looked back at me, swapping the car seat to his other hand. His forearm muscles strained slightly as he paused, waiting for me to catch up.

I couldn’t believe we were about to take our daughter home. The road seemed like a dangerous place, even though we had just purchased an SUV. Our family car as Brad liked to say. It was decked out with safety accolades and everything from diapers and wipes to extra changes of clothes.

Still, as prepared as we were, I was still uneasy about pretty much everything. Another thing the nurses assured me was normal as a first-time mom, and even for a seasoned mom with multiple children. I wondered if Brad and I could do this on our own, without the help of the wonderful nurses. I wondered if Sterling would latch properly, even though she hadn’t any issues yet. I wondered if she would sleep. If we would sleep.

All these thoughts flooded my brain, but as I reached Brad’s side and saw him look down at me with that reassuring smile of his, the thoughts dissipated. He was radiant and so full of joy, even though I could see the exhaustion in the slight creases of his face. He wrapped his arm around me and we both looked down at our daughter, who was fast asleep.

“This is the best moment of my life,” he murmured before pressing a kiss against my head. “Going home with the two people I love most in this world.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” I said.

And it was true. It was the best moment, knowing we were about to start our lives together as a family of three.

Sitting in the backseat, Sterling wrapped her tiny hand around my pinky and didn’t let go the whole way home. And it was a long way home because Brad was driving ten miles per hour the entire way.

An eagerness grew within me as we rode up the elevator to our penthouse, the place I now called home. The place where we would settle in as a family and make a house a home.

Inside, I took a deep breath, taking in the calm and quiet. It was so different from the hospital. I carefully unstrapped a sleeping Sterling from her car seat and cradled her in my arms. Brad placed his hand on the small of my back and gazed over my shoulder at the bundle in my arms.

“She really is beautiful,” said Brad softly.

“Mhmm,” I said proudly, taking in her rosy cheeks and scrunched brows. I wondered what she was dreaming about.

“Can I draw you a bath? A shower? Whatever you need,” he offered.

I shook my head, my heart full from the loving man before me. “Thank you, but I think I just want to sit and stare at her for a while.”

“That sounds like a perfect idea.”

He led me down the hall toward the living room. As we went, we passed by my home office. A space that Brad had renovated just for me as a wedding present. It was a beautiful room with floral wallpaper and an intricate crystal chandelier hanging above a vintage desk. I spent many afternoons daydreaming in there as I waited for Sterling’s arrival.

Brad had been elated when I told him I was thinking more about getting involved in charity work. After we had talked about it that day in the park, his suggestion had planted itself in my mind and had grown into something bigger. Going through the journey of a family member having cancer had given me perspective into what others go through. Of course, being ill with such a cruel disease is the hand no one wishes to be dealt, but navigating it as a loved one comes with its own set of challenges. I wanted to be able to support those who felt lost.

I once felt lost. Helpless. Seeing a disease eat away at my sister until she became someone unrecognizable was heartbreaking, but I’d also seen her come out on the other side. Jessica was growing stronger and stronger in her recovery. So strong that she had been attending physical therapy multiple times a week, and was very close to being done with her wheelchair altogether.