"Let’s do this," my brave woman says.
It’s all over almost as soon as it began. After about five hard pushes, my son is born and I’m cutting the cord. He has a head full of thick, black hair and he is a big boy. I feel my chest swell with pride. They quickly clean out his mouth and nose, wipe him off then place him on Alba’s chest, skin to skin.
I stand there and look upon the most beautiful sight I have ever experienced in my life. My son and his mother—soon to be my wife. My old lady.
No words can describe what I’m feeling. I’m so sucked into the moment I think I forget to breathe. All the fear I had in becoming a father vanishes.
If it’s possible, she becomes even more beautiful as she cradles our son in her arms. Alba lifts her blue eyes to meet mine, wearing a smile that outshines the fuckin’ sun, "Come meet your son."
Getting right up beside her, I dip my head and place a soft, gentle kiss to my son’s forehead before placing my lips on Alba’s.
"You done good, mi amor my love," I whisper to her. The three of us share a few moments together before the nurse walks up to retrieve my son. Wearing a smile, she extends her arms, "I’ll bring him right back. We need to check his weight, length and few other things before we get his footprints along with his ID bracelet," she finishes saying as she gently scoops him from his mother’s arms.
I watch intently as the nurses quickly and thoroughly do their job before turning my attention back to my woman, "I’m going to step over to the window and call Jake and let him know a new member of the family has arrived," I kiss her one more time.
Smiling, she gives me an approving nod.
Turning my back for a moment I stare out the window, collecting myself as I dig my phone from my pocket. I pull up Jake’s number and hit send. He answers before the first ring even finishes, "What’s the word, son?"
Swallowing my emotions, I speak, "We have a healthy baby boy, Prez, and Alba is good too," I beam.
"He’s here! Both Momma and baby are doing fine," he calls out and a room full of cheers erupts through the speaker of my phone. "Let us know when you guys are ready for visitors. Congratulations," he tells me, his voice full of pride.
"You got it," I answer before shoving the phone back in my pocket. Turning, I walk back towards Alba. I’m not one to show much emotion but as the nurse starts to walk back with our bundle wrapped tight and warm in her arms, she rounds the end of the hospital bed and heads straight towards me.
"He’s a big boy. 9 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long. Would you like to hold your son?" she asks me. The nurse helps by gently placing him in my waiting arms, and the moment I feel the warmth of his little body against mine, my lips lift in a smile.
Besides the first time I laid eyes on his momma, this moment trumps all others in my life. Lifting my head, my eyes connect with Alba’s, "Cariño Sweetheart, thank you for such a beautiful gift."
Not long after we get settled and the nurses are through with all the well beings of my boy and his momma.
The guys come piling into the small room, but not before Bella came bounding in and immediately started fawning all over the baby and her sister. Watching them and their special bond makes me determined to not wait long on giving my boy a brother or sister of his own.
"Congratulations, brother," Logan walks up and pulls me in for a hug.
"Gracias thanks," I tell him.
"It was all worth it ya know. Everything we’ve ever been through in life. This right here… our family, it was all worth it, brother," Logan remarks.
"Si, mi hermano Yes, my brother. Worth dying for."
Our family left thirty minutes ago, and Logan literally had to throw his woman over his shoulder to get her to leave Alba’s side.
With the room finally quiet, my exhausted woman takes a much needed nap as I hold my son, Gabriel.
Gabriel Martinez, Jr.
Alba insisted he be given a good, strong name and wanted that name to be his father’s, and I will work hard to make damn sure
I make him proud to carry my name.
Epilogue
Alba
When we brought home baby Gabe twelve weeks ago, Gabriel announced we were getting married. There was no asking, just a demand. That’s pretty much what I would have expected from him. Gabriel may not be the bended knee type, but he’s my type and he’s perfect.
I originally wanted to wait until the fall to have our wedding because Montana is beautiful that time of the year, but Gabriel wasn’t having it. The two of us argued about the subject for all of ten minutes before I gave in and said yes. As long as he gave me enough time to plan something small and he had to wear a tux. He agreed to a dress shirt and jeans and gave me no longer than three months.