Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Benji follows dutifully, and Brooke curses up a storm as we make our way out of the building. And once we’re in a cab, I manage to get Chase on the phone and tell him to meet us at St. Luke’s.
I also text Kendall and Noah and Zoe and our parents, updating everyone that Brooke is in labor and we’re headed to the hospital now.
Because, holy moly, my baby sister is about to have a baby of her own.
“Mom! Mom! Did Grandma and Grandpa get here yet?” Seth shouts the moment he spots me in the waiting room of the maternity ward. Both he and Grant leave Noah’s side to sprint over to me.
“Not yet, buddy,” I say, kneeling down to hug them both. “They just got on a flight, though, so they should be here in a few hours.”
“Can we see the baby?” Seth exclaims.
“Yeah! I want to see the baby! Do we have a boy cousin or a girl cousin?” Grant asks, bouncing on his little feet.
I smile over at Noah as he closes the distance between us. He’s still dressed in his scrubs and has been keeping the boys busy for the past few hours while I stayed in the room with Brooke and Chase.
The moment Noah reaches me, he pulls me in for a tight hug. “Mom and baby healthy and happy?” he asks, and I lean back to meet his eyes.
“Mom and baby are healthy and happy.”
“But is the baby a girl or a boy?” Grant asks again, stomping his little foot in annoyance.
Both Noah and I laugh.
“How about I take you guys to see Aunt Brooke now, and you’ll get to find out?”
“Yes!” Grant cheers, and Seth fist-pumps the air.
Noah wraps his arm around my shoulders as I lead them toward Brooke’s room. Though, it’s no surprise that the boys can hardly contain themselves when we reach her door.
“Now, hold on,” I say, and while I’m gripping Seth’s shoulders to stop him from bursting in, Noah is doing the same to Grant. “We all need to be calm when we go in there. We don’t want to startle the baby, okay?”
“Okay, Mom.” Both of the boys nod.
Once I open the door, they both skip inside and head straight for Brooke’s bed, where she is now sitting up with her little bundle of joy in her arms. She looks exhausted from labor and pushing for two hours, but she also looks beautiful. And happy. So insanely happy.
Mo and Vinny are standing beside Chase, and both of the men grab Seth and Grant, lifting them into their respective arms and helping them get a better view of the baby.
“Is it a girl or a boy, Aunt Brooke?” Grant asks my sister, and she smiles up at him.
“You guys, I’d like you to meet your baby girl cousin, Emmy Rose.”
“She’s so cute!” Seth exclaims.
“She is really cute!” Grant agrees.
Emmy startles a little at their loud voices, but other than that, she just peers at the room filled with so many people who love and adore her through her little newborn eyes.
“You know, if she can already handle our wild Seth and Grant without tears,” Mo comments with an amused smile, “then I think she’s going to fit right in.”
“Definitely,” Noah agrees, tucking me closer to his side. “Congratulations, you guys. She’s beautiful.”
“Beautiful and perfect,” I add, smiling over at my sister.
Noah presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and I have to swallow hard against the emotion that wants to spill down my face.
What a day. What a perfect day, inside this happy and awesome life of mine.
A year later…
August
Sammy
Dolly Parton-inspired pink tulle runs in ribbons around the floral bouquets sitting in a jug of water in a corner of the room, and my sister smiles into the mirror in front of her as our mom tucks her veil into the top of her hair.
My sister’s fairy tale is finally complete, because today, she marries Chase Dawson. The man of her dreams, one of the best guys in the world, and her real-life Romeo.
Benji sits at her side, a bow tie and a top hat making him absolutely dapper, and Mo drinks from a small glass of red wine with a tissue nearly permanently attached to her eyes as she watches Brooke.
I can’t blame her. I’m emotional too.
My sister looks downright gorgeous in a silk gown that skims her figure, soft but elegant makeup, and bountifully curled hair. Her body has been curved by motherhood, but I swear the weight suits her even better than her thin figure of before. But the most beautiful part of her altogether is the never-ending smile on her happy face as she gets ready to say “I do” to her literal book boyfriend.
Mo and I are her only bridesmaids, and because of that—or maybe because Brooke is a cool customer about everything other than me and Noah Philips—she let us choose our own dresses.