Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Look at the way he’s looking at you. He knows it’s you.” I stuck my pointer finger out, and he curled his little fingers around it. “I’m keeping him, by the way,” I announced.
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Yes, Sigmund. I never doubted that.”
“Everyone seemed to know that but me.”
She looked over at the bottle I was holding. “Are we supposed to give that to him?”
“The nurse told me he needs to eat.”
She reached for it. “Let me try.”
Abby placed the nipple of the bottle near his mouth, rubbing it gently over his lips, but he kept moving his head from side to side, refusing to take it. Then he started crying. It was the first time I’d heard my son cry. Even when they’d brought him out to me the first time, he hadn’t been crying. I must’ve missed that part since I couldn’t be in there when he came out.
Abby handed me back the formula, but even with the evil bottle out of sight, he kept crying. After a few minutes, he started rubbing his face along Abby’s breast.
“Is he searching for it?” I asked.
“I think so.” She turned her attention from him to me. “Should I try to feed him?”
“Would you do that?”
She nodded. “I want to.”
“That would be brilliant.”
Abby opened her hospital gown and took out her beautiful breast, which looked ready to burst. She placed her nipple against his mouth, and to my amazement, he took it, latching on and beginning to suck.
“Oh my God.” Abby’s jaw dropped. “He’s doing it. It’s working.”
Aside from seeing him for the first time, this selfless act was the greatest miracle I’d ever witnessed.
Abby and I both fixated on this suckling little guy. Love for him and for the two women who’d made him possible rushed through me. It was a powerful trifecta of love multiplied, and I felt so undeserving.
Eventually, the baby fell asleep with her breast still in his mouth.
“Well, that went well.” She turned to me. “What do we do now?”
“He likes the juice.” I shrugged. “I can’t give it to him. I guess this means you’ll have to stay in England.” I tucked her hair behind her ear. “But not just because of that. Because I’m desperately in love with you, Abby. Before tonight, I was trying to figure out a way to convey how badly I needed you to stay without my seeming selfish. I don’t care if I look greedy anymore. I need you, not for him—for me. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you so much. I’ve never been more scared than when I thought I might lose you.”
“I love you, too.” She brought her hand to my cheek. “And I love him. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel after I gave birth. But I feel like he’s my son, Sig. I don’t even want to give him back to the nurse, let alone get on a plane and leave him behind altogether. I think if you didn’t want to be with me, I might’ve had to steal him.” She laughed.
“And if you didn’t want to be with me, I might’ve had to take him to the States in a carrier on my chest, while I did everything to win you back.” I kissed her cheek. “I want to do this with you, Abby. We’ll take it one day at a time. Figure it out together. I’ve already had a talk with our son. He knows to expect me to fuck up. Hopefully he’ll cut you the same slack.”
She chuckled. “He’s gonna need a name, you know.”
Ah! That would be nice, wouldn’t it? “I have no idea what to name him,” I admitted.
“I do.” Abby smiled.
“You do?”
She nodded. “I think we should name him Alexander—Britney’s last name and a strong first name for a boy.”
“We can call him Alex.” I looked down at my son, who was starting to wake from his milk coma. “Yeah. It’s perfect.”
“Perfect like he is.” Abby smiled down at him. “Hey, Alex. You like your name?”
He opened his eyes, and I whispered in my son’s ear, “I told you she was a bombshell.”
“You guys were talking about me?” Abby grinned. “You never told any of the hospital staff that I’m a surrogate, did you? They’ve all assumed I’m his mom. And I haven’t told them otherwise.”
“No. There was no opportunity. It’s none of their business anyway, right?”
A nurse came in. “I was just coming to check on things. Did he take the formula?”
“It won’t be necessary, at least for now,” Abby said. “I breastfed him. He latched on pretty easily, and now he seems full.”
“Ah. That’s great. Your husband didn’t think you’d be doing that. I’m glad you had luck with it. So many new mums have difficulty. We have a lactation consultant on staff who can make herself available, if you need her.”