"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"So... We're getting married," she smiles.

"We're getting married."

"Will you two get a room?" I say loudly. Evelyn laughs as our best friends glare at us.

"He's right, guys. You look like you're seconds away from ripping each other's clothes off," Lyn tells them.

Lee flips us off and pulls Nessa outside. I laugh. I've never seen my best friend so happy and it makes me happy. Plus, I've got the love of my life right next to me, wearing my ring and carrying my baby.

I'm definitely happy.

And if the silly grin she's always wearing is anything to go by, I'd say she's pretty happy too.

"Marcel," she calls for my attention. "She's kicking again! Feel it." She pulls my hand to her round stomach and a surge of emotions overcome me as I feel our baby kicking.

"It's definitely a boy. No girl can kick like that," I tease.

She laughs then sticks her tongue out at me. "Don't be sexist. And I don't care what you say, it's a girl."

We've been having this argument ever since we found out that she's pregnant. Our friends and families are annoyed and keep telling us to find out the sex of the baby but we find it amusing. And we'd rather it be a surprise.

Bending, I put my lips to her stomach and whisper. "Hey, lil guy. Hurry up and get out here so we can prove your momma wrong. She's getting really over confident. Besides, I'm gonna need to begin football training as soon as possible. No time to waste with those skills you got there, kiddo." I kiss her stomach.

When I look up at her, there are tears in her eyes. I begin to worry that she's in pain or something but then she smiles and I know it's the hormones acting up again.

"I love you," she says through tears.

I stand from my crouch and kiss her eyes. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, I look into her eyes. "I love you too but love doesn't begin to describe the way I feel about you, Lyn."

This only causes her to cry more. I laugh at her confused emotions and she smacks me on the shoulder. "Don't say things like that to me while I'm like this, dammit."

"Hey, Mrs. Jamison?" She looks up at me. "Wanna go get some ice cream?"

Her eyes widen. "Now?"

"Right now."

She stops crying and a beautiful smile lightens her face. She pulls on her coat and shoes by the door, bouncing on her feet. I bite down a smile at her enthusiasm.

I open the door for her and she practically skips to the car.

"I don't think all that skipping is good for the baby," I call out, catching our friends' attention.

She merely sticks her tongue out at me again and climbs into the car.

"What's got fat Amy in such a rush? I almost thought the baby was coming." Nessa asks loud enough for Lyn to hear.

"I'm not fat!" Lyn yells, good naturedly. Which is true. She looks small for a six month pregnant woman. But she's conscious about her weight and her best friend likes to tease her about it.

"We're getting ice cream. You guys coming?" I ask.

Nessa looks to Lee and he shrugs. Turning back to me she says, "Uhm....you guys go ahead. We'll be here when you get back."

"Okay."

"Don't hurry back, though!" Lee calls.

Nessa turns pink in the face as we all laugh at his insinuation.

Definitely happy, I think to myself. Smiling, I take my beautiful, pregnant wife to go get ice cream.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

"Marcel!"

My eyes fly open and immediately find the space on the bed my wife should be occupying. She's not there.

"Marcel!" I hear her voice again. The kitchen. Barely managing to throw the covers off, I rush to her like a drug lord being chased by the FBI.

"Lyn? Baby, what's wrong?" I ask when I see her standing by the sink, hanging onto the counter tightly. My heart begins to hammer in my chest. "Lyn, is the baby..."

Her eyes fill with water. "It's the baby." She looks down and a smile grows on her face. To say I'm confused is an understatement. Why is she smiling if...

"It's the baby!" I exclaim with a wide grin. I take in the small puddle of water at her feet and the tight grip she has on the counter. "It's the baby!"

She rolls her eyes. "Daddy's kind of slow," she murmurs, rubbing her stomach.

My grin dims a little when it actually sinks in that my wife's in labour and I'm standing here doing nothing.

"Shit! We need to go!" I begin to run upstairs to get my keys and get dressed when I realize I'm leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen. "Okay, you sit here," I gently but hurriedly put her to sit down then take the stairs three at a time.

Without much attention to what I'm pulling on, I get dressed, grab my car keys, Lyn's bag -which she's certain she's packed everything she needs in- and rush to the car.

"Marcel!" She screams. "Are you gonna make me have this baby in our living room?"

She's going to wake the whole neighborhood if I don't get her to the hospital and fast. I send a quick broadcast message to our family and friends.

Getting to the hospital and in a room is almost a blur. I know I held her hand the entire way while she squeezed the life out of me as the contractions came closer and closer to each other. But the moment they took her out of my hands and into the delivery room is when my heart paused.

"Just a minute and you can go in and be with your wife, sir," a nurse says while she helps me to wash my shaking hands and put on scrubs.

As soon as I get the go ahead, I rush to Lyn's side. "Is everything alright? Is the baby-"

"Everything is going just right, Mr Jamison. We just need to start pushing, okay dear?" The labour and delivery nurse says as she looks to Evelyn with kind eyes.

Lyn grabs my hand and I turn to her. "I'm here, baby." She looks as if she's about to say something when an ear splitting scream comes out instead. Her grip on my hand tightens.

"Push, darling," the nurse orders.

Evelyn does as she's told. After a few minutes of pushing she seems to be growing tired. Her grip on my arm weakens.

"We can see the head. You're almost there. Push."

Lyn whimpers and closes her eyes. Tears and sweat have dampened her face. "I can't."

The nurse looks to me. "Lyn. Baby, look at me." She opens her eyes and I lock gazes with hers. "You're almost there. You're bringing a new life into the world and I love you all the more for it. But you have to go all the way, baby." She begins to shake her head but I gently hold her face with my free hand. "You can do this. Plus, I'm anxious to see who will win the bet. Aren't you?"

She closes her eyes again and nods. I kiss her on the forehead and brace myself for the pain she's about to inflict on my hand.

"Push," the nurse says. She does as she's told.

Ten minutes later, the doctor is holding a little bundle in her arms and goes off to the side to do whatever it is that they do. Evelyn is exhausted but just as I can't take my eyes off of her, she can't take her eyes off our baby in the nurse's hands.

I don't divert her attention. Instead, I press kisses to her hand in mine, her face, her hair... Letting her know that I love every inch of her still.

"Mr and Mrs Jamison," the nurse says as she turns to us with our baby. "Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby girl."

Lyn's sob overpowers mine as we lay eyes on our newborn. I help Lyn to slightly sit up so she can hold her.

"She's​...."

"As beautiful as her mother," I finish for her.

Tears fill my eyes as I stare at my favorite girls. The most important things in the world to me. Lyn looks over to me and I know she feels my joy.

"Oh Marcel. Do you want to hold her?"

I'm afraid for a second, because she's so tiny. But the moment I hold her in my arms I know that everything will be okay. After Lyn and I almost lost each other, we're back together and even stronger than before. This little angel in my arms is a testament to how good we are together.

And I'll cherish both of them for the rest of my life.

"We haven't named her yet," Lyn whispers.

"You have about a hundred names ready, Lyn. I saw the book." She laughs at my teasing. "So what do we name her?"

Lyn takes a deep breath and looks me in the eyes. "Sarah."

My heart stutters and I look at the woman before me with more love, if possible, than I did before. "After my mother?" She nods and I look down at the baby in my arms. "Hey, little Sarah." My voice cracks and I know it's 'cause I'm crying. "Sarah Evangelyn Jamison. Because she's a part of both of us."

Lyn tries to hold back her tears but just like me, she can't. "Sarah Evangelyn Jamison," she repeats. " I love it."

"I love you." I place the baby back in her arms. After a few moments of us murmuring to the baby, I ask, "So is there any way to forfeit the bet?"

Lyn laughs and the sound mixed with this moment fills every crack that was ever left in my heart. "After you lost? No way."

"Wonder what the reward will be," I smirk. " On the plus side, there are female football teams."

"Shut up before I let your reward for losing the bet be changing diapers for a year."

What guy wouldn't shut up after that threat? But I put my lips to good use by stealing kisses from both of them until they fall asleep.

Her parents along with our friends choose this moment to walk in, streaming balloons and flowers behind them. They gush over how beautiful the baby is and take turns holding her. While I hand over my seat to Evelyn's parents who both plant a kiss on their daughter's cheeks.

"Marcel," Mrs Brady calls.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Enough of that ma'am and Mrs Brady nonsense. It's Maria, darling."

Jorel pats me on the shoulder, a silent congratulations. "Yes, Maria?"

"Congratulations. I know you'll be a wonderful father just like you've been a wonderful husband to my baby girl. Now that you have a daughter, I hope you understand why I've treated you the way I have for such a long time. I blamed you for keeping her away from us all those years. It's no excuse, of course. But it's the truth; she's my only child. I also never wanted her to know what pain and heartbreak was. But I know now that she had to go through that to be where she is now." She squeezes my hand. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"The pleasure is all mine, Maria. I don't know where I'd be without her."

"She definitely saved your ass. You were too stubborn to let anyone else in," Lee inputs causing the Brady's to smile.

"Yea, you're right."

She saved me.

She saved us.

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There you have it. That's the end.

Thanks for the reads, the votes, the comments and the love. It's been a very long time but it's finally over. This is a big step for me as I've never completed a book before. But I made myself a part of the characters and them a part of me. I'll miss writing about them but they're only the beginning. You'll love the other characters my brain comes up with. Promise.

So check out my profile for ongoing and upcoming stories. Message me if you have any questions.

Thanks guys!

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