Cherished (Wanted 4)

Ellie looked at me, and the tears rolling down her face about dropped me to the ground.

“Gunner…” she whispered.

“Oh, baby,

I know. Squeeze the hell out of my hand. Break it if you have to. Baby, just one more time. I know you can do it.”

Ellie pushed two more times before the cries of our baby filled the room. The nurse took him, cleaned him up, and did a few things with him before she wrapped in a blanket, brought him over, and placed him in Ellie’s arms.

“Meet your healthy eight-pound-two-ounces baby boy,” the nurse said.

Ellie looked up at me as the tears flowed down cheeks, and she smiled. Her eyes lit up, and I couldn’t help it. I let the tears fall as I looked at how happy she was.

I leaned down and kissed her. “Good job, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.”

She laughed. “Thank you.” Then, she looked down at our baby boy. “Hey, big boy,” she whispered as she gently moved her index finger along his face.

She glanced up at me and wiped a tear away from my cheek. I grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

“He’s beautiful,” I said. “Just like his mother and sister.”

Ellie grinned so big and looked back down at him. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you, Colt Hunter Mathews, my precious baby boy.”

After Ellie and I spent some time alone with Colt, everyone started coming in. First, it was Jeff and Ari, then Heather and Josh, and then Scott and Jessie. I swore Jessie was getting bigger every time I saw her. She was due in July, and she looked beautiful.

“Brad and Amanda are on their way, sweets,” Ari said.

I smiled as I watched Ellie. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Colt.

I leaned over and asked, “Are you hungry, baby?”

She laughed. “Yes! I want a chopped beef sandwich and sweet tea.”

I went to kiss her but stopped short of her lips as I smiled at her. “Are you happy, Mrs. Mathews?”

The love in her eyes told me her answer even before she opened her mouth. “Drew, I can’t even begin to tell you how I’m feeling right now. I love you so much, and…I feel…” Her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she looked into my eyes like she was looking into my soul. “I’ve never been so happy in my life. Everything just feels so right. It all feels…perfect.” A single tear moved slowly down her face.

I kissed her gently on the lips and then whispered, “Yeah, sweetheart, I know how you feel because I feel the same way. I’ll never be able to tell you how happy you’ve made me, how much I’m in love with you, Ellie, and how that love grows more and more every day.”

“Drew…” she whispered as she reached up and wiped away a tear from my cheek.

“You’ve made me so happy by just loving me, Ells…and by…by giving me Alex and Colt…” My voice cracked as I tried to hold back the overwhelming love I was feeling for this woman. I smiled at her as I pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “It’s…it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of and wanted.”

“Why. Does. It. Have. To. Be. So. Hot? I hate Texas in July,” I said as I kicked my feet in Jeff and Ari’s new pool.

Ari was sitting on the edge with Grace, who was splashing and laughing.

“I can’t believe that Grace, Will, and Libby are going to be one next month,” I said as I tried to lean over and splash water on my face.

“I know. It goes by so fast. I still can’t believe Luke is two,” Ari said as she smiled a soft, sweet smile.

I dropped my head back and felt the hot sun on my face. The baby had been moving all over the place today. I felt a funny pain and put my hand on my stomach.

Luke and Alex both came running out of the house and started jumping around in the pool. Grace immediately began crying, and Ari picked her up and put her on her lap.

“Luke, you know better than to run around the pool and splash Grace. She’s smaller than you. You have to protect her, not hurt her.”

Luke tilted his head and peeked at Ari with his beautiful long lashes.