Mr. Big Daddy (The Mr. Big Series Book 3), page 17
"How are you?"
"I'm fine. Have you slept at all?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Just getting to know my son." He smiled and glanced down at a sleeping Leif. "Imagine that -- my son."
"How is he doing?" I sat up in bed, very aware of some discomfort in my abdomen and groin.
"He's doing great. Vanessa showed me how to change his diaper before her shift was over. The new nurse is Krissy, and she's really nice, too. They said you were doing well, and if we want, we can go home after lunch tomorrow."
"So soon?"
"It's normal for new mothers to go home within twenty-four hours as long as there are no complications. So far, so good."
I adjusted myself in bed. "Can I hold him?"
"You sure can," Luke said and brought Leif over. He handed Leif to me and I took him in my arms and looked him over once more, amazed that this baby had been inside of me all that time. It was hard to believe.
"Should we go out to Westhampton or stay in town?" Luke asked.
I made a face. "Mom's coming and Candace, too. We spent all that time on the baby room..."
"I know, but we're closer to a hospital if we stay at the apartment. Maybe only for a few days, until you've had a few days to heal?"
I shook my head. "It takes six weeks to heal completely. I'll be fine. Long Island Community Hospital is close to Westhampton."
"Okay, if you're sure."
I nodded. "I'll feel better if we're at home. There's an ambulance that can take me to the hospital if anything happens."
With that settled, I tried to nurse little Leif when he started to fuss again. He searched out my breast, and Krissy said that newborns had a strong sense of smell and responded to breastmilk.
"It's a survival instinct," she said and smiled while she watched him sucking away.
Once we were finished, Luke took Leif back and changed his diaper once more. Then he sat down with Leif and just watched him.
"Are you going to let me hold him for a while or are we going to fight over him?" I asked, smiling at how eager Luke was to hold him.
"You had him for almost nine months. I get him for a while, okay?" He glanced up at me and grinned.
"He's all yours. Maybe I'll try to sleep again."
"You should."
So I did, falling asleep almost immediately, despite the lights and sounds of the hospital around me.
I woke once more a few hours later, and actually felt half decent. Leif was sleeping in his bassinet and Luke was asleep on his recliner. I sat up and saw Luke's cell on the tray table and unlocked it. I wanted to send my mother a message to let her know I was doing fine.
Of course, Luke had been busy messaging everyone we knew, posting pictures of Leif to Facebook and Instagram, so the word was already out that our baby had arrived, and all was well with us both.
I had to get up and pee, so I sat up in bed, and gave myself time to adjust. Then, I made it to the bathroom and had my first pee after delivering.
When I got back to the bed, Luke's eyes were open, and he sat up and rubbed his face.
"You should have woken me up."
"I'm fine, Luke. Women have babies and go out and work in the fields."
"They shouldn't."
I laughed. "They do, regardless. I'm good."
We spent the rest of the morning looking at people's response to our photos of Leif and of course, we took turns holding him and I fed him again, although nothing much came out yet.
By the time it came time to leave, I was feeling much better and thanked the nursing staff for everything.
As the orderly wheeled me out to the waiting limo and Luke carried Leif in his brand-new car seat, I felt like all was right with the world.
I slid in the limo beside the car seat and watched as Luke adjusted the straps to make sure everything was in place and secure. He leaned down and kissed Leif's little head, covered in a tiny green knit cap the ladies auxiliary provided for all newborns. Leif was squirming a bit, but settled down, his tiny fists clenched under his blanket.
Luke got in on the other side of the car seat and after he was strapped in, he nodded to the driver.
"Let's go. Home."
I reached over and took Luke's hand, happy that he was such an attentive and happy father. When I first saw him, I had no idea the man with the red umbrella, whom Candace said was Armani handsome, would be the father of my child but life has different plans for us.
"I love you, Mr. Big Daddy," I said and smiled.
He kissed my knuckles. "I love you. We're so lucky."
"We are."
At that, the limo drove off and we made our way out of Manhattan toward Westhampton, starting our new lives together as parents.
From where I sat, the future looked bright. Despite everything that happened over the past year -- the good, the bad, and the ugly, we'd weathered the storms and were stronger as a couple because of it.
Epilogue
Luke
A month later...
I loved being a father.
Alexa was still healing but so far had no complications after such a fast delivery. Her mother was staying with us, and had taken over all the cooking, cleaning and some of the baby care, giving both Alexa and me a chance to sleep during the day if we needed it. It was a blessing to have her there.
Candace went back to Manhattan after the first week, but made plans to come out for a weekend every month. She intended to be Leif's Godmother and took that seriously.
"I want him to know me from the start and be like a nephew. I want to be Crazy Aunt Candy," she said with a laugh, rocking Leif in her arms like an old pro. "I don't expect I'll have any nephews or nieces of my own so your kids will have to substitute."
"They're yours," Alexa said. "They couldn't ask for a better Crazy Aunt. Dana is much milder than you.”
On Leif's official due date, Alexa and I took a walk along the beach. It was a fine day in May, the sky was cloudy after a brief rain, and the ocean calm. The sound of waves washing up on the beach was soothing.
We were both exhausted.
Leif, on the other hand, was bright eyed and looking around, a fist stuck in his mouth. He was in a Snugli and pressed against my chest, his little head in kissing distance. He'd really put on weight since birth and was now up in the 90th percentile of babies his age.
As we walked along the beach near the house, I kept one hand on his butt and the other stroked his head, which was pretty much bald, only fine pale hair growing around his ears like he was an old bald man instead of one in his first month of life. He had his mother's fair coloring and both our blue eyes. He was nursing every couple of hours all day every day, 24/7, which meant that Alexa got at most two -- maybe three -- hours of sleep at night.
To remedy that, she started to pump her breastmilk so I could spell her off and give Leif a bottle. We decided not to worry about 'nipple confusion'. Most of the time, if Leif was hungry, he'd get the breast first, but then I would give him the rest from a bottle a couple of times during the day and once at night. That kept Alexa's milk flowing and gave me a chance to spell her off and feel a part of the whole business. I changed diapers, dressed him in clean onesies, and generally carried him around as much as possible.
It was nice to get outside and breath in fresh air after being ensconced in the house for the past month.
We didn't even have to think about Blaine anymore since police were able to trace him using local security cameras, and had arrested him and were building a case against him for attempted murder in Candace's case. It lifted a burden off both our minds and we felt that we could finally enjoy the beach house without worry that he was lurking around, waiting for the chance to attack one of us -- or Leif.
I was still not doing much work, and planned on keeping it that way for the next five months. Astra Investments could get by without my input, and if there was anything really big that needed a decision, John promised to call and only keep me busy for less than an hour. Everything else, he would take care of himself.
So, our little family became acquainted with each other and with the new rhythm of our lives.
"You never let me carry him," Alexa said, mock pouting as we walked hand in hand back to the house.
"You hold him every couple of hours to nurse. I need my Daddy time. I want our bond to be just as strong as yours."
"It will be," Alexa said. "If you want it to be, you'll do what it takes."
"I do," I said and sighed, thinking of my own biological father and how I missed him so terribly after he and my mother had been killed in the accident when Dana and I were eight. "I'll do everything in my power to make it so."
Alexa smiled and said nothing as we took up the walkway up to the house. The guard on duty, Christopher, greeted us as we arrived at the back porch. We no longer needed him to follow us wherever we went, whether it was a walk on the beach or a trip into town. Instead, he was merely in charge of security and monitoring the property. We decided to keep it that way just in case Eric still wanted revenge, but at least we no longer had to worry about Blaine.
In the Snugli, Leif was starting to grouse, his little snorts and the fact he sucking hard on his fist meant he was hungry.
Alexa sat on a lawn chair under the canopy and began to unbutton her blouse.
"Time to feed him," she said.
I lifted Leif out of the Snugli and bent down, handing him to her. She had him latched on and feeding within a minute, sighing happily as he calmed.
I sat on the chair next to hers and was just starting to relax when Mrs. Dixon came out onto the patio.
She placed a hand on each of our shoulders and squeezed.
"You two have a nice walk?"
"We did," Alexa said. "I hope it clears up soon."
"It's supposed to later this afternoon. Your father will be here soon, and yours as well, Luke. I'm sure we'd all love to have supper on the patio. How does a barbecue sound to you?"
"Sounds fantastic," I said, glad to have the entire family out for the weekend. "We’re going to have a full house, so I hope you have enough food. Dana and James will be here soon. John and Felicia are coming for the night, as is Candace. "
"It'll be a real party," she replied. "Don't you two worry about a thing. I've got everything under control."
"Thanks, Mom," I said, and went to her, giving her a kiss and hug. "You've been a godsend since we got home."
"That's what mothers-in-law are for," she said happily.
Of course, that didn't apply to my mother, who still hadn't come around, despite the birth of her second grandson.
I hoped that one day she would mellow, but I didn't plan on holding my breath. She had really hurt Alexa by releasing those videos, and I didn't intend to forgive her without a real show of contrition, but if she did, I knew that we would welcome her back.
I believed in redemption.
So, while Mrs. Dixon busied herself in the kitchen, getting things ready for our barbecue, we were able to welcome our guests for the night. One by one, they arrived, and I showed them to their rooms and got them drinks.
By the time my father arrived, there were nine of us, including Candace's boyfriend, Nate, who she'd been seeing since before Leif was born. We sat around the large table, the patio lanterns lit and adding a festive feel to the setting. I sat at the head of the table, Leif in my arms while I finished my beer, and felt incredibly thankful that I made one tiny mistake that fateful night almost two years earlier and sent off the email that would change my life.
There were still a lot of uncertainties in our lives: what would happen to Blaine, whether Eric would stop his vendetta, and how Alexa's next year in her PhD would go, or whether the partnership with Seneca would pan out as we hoped, but one thing was certain.
I had Alexa and I had Leif and at that moment, I felt like the luckiest man alive.
That was enough for me.
THE END
MR. BIG DEAL - the next book in the Mr. Big Series, will be released later in 2020! Sign up for S. E. Lund’s newsletter or follow her Facebook feed for details!
Also by S. E. Lund
New Adult Romance
THE MR BIG SERIES
Mr. Big Shot: Book 1
Mr. Big Love: Book 2
Mr. Big Daddy: Book 3
Mr. Big Deal: Book 4 (Coming in 2020!)
THE MACINTYRE BROTHERS SERIES
Tempt Me: Book 1
Tease Me: Book 2
Tame Me: Book 3
Tempting: The Collection
Contemporary Erotic Romance
THE UNRESTRAINED SERIES
The Agreement: Book 1
The Commitment: Book 2
Unrestrained: Book 3
Unbreakable: Book 4
Forever After: Book 5
Everlasting: Book 6
Drake Forever: Book 7
Endless: Book 8
The Unrestrained Series Collection 1 & 2
THE DRAKE SERIES (The Unrestrained Series from Drake’s Point of View)
Drake Restrained
Drake Unwound
Drake Unbound
The Drake Series Collection
Military Romance / Romantic Suspense
THE BAD BOY SERIES
Bad Boy Saint: Book 1
Bad Boy Sinner: Book 2
Bad Boy Soldier: Book 3
Bad Boy Savior: Book 4
The Bad Boy Series Collection
Standalone Romances:
Matched: Standalone Romantic Comedy
If You Fall: Military Romance
Paranormal Romance
THE DOMINION SERIES
Dominion: Book 1 in the Dominion Series
Ascension: Book 2 in the Dominion Series
Retribution: Book 3 in the Dominion Series
Resurrection: Book 4 in the Dominion Series
Redemption: Book 5 in the Dominion Series
The Dominion Series Complete Collection: Books 1 - 5
About the Author
S. E. Lund writes new adult, contemporary, erotic and paranormal romance. She lives on the side of Burke Mountain in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, with her family of animals and humans. She dreams of living in a place where snow is just a word in a dictionary.
She also writes crime thrillers as Susan Lund.
For more information:
www.selund.net
selund2012@gmail.com
S. E. Lund, Mr. Big Daddy (The Mr. Big Series Book 3)
