I know she’s right, even if it is a strange way of looking at things.
“I might never have gotten you, Sean.” She added tenderly, letting me pull her close and kiss her, my own way of giving thanks for the whole experience.
The storm cellar we never used was the only thing intact that was usable, and we both decided it was a smart idea to use it as part of our new home.
Our family home.
“We can have the wedding once the barn’s ready,” Tessa says, “But I want that cellar handy, just in case…” she says, rubbing her belly again, the greatest treasure we have between us. The baby I know we made our first time together.
The night I claimed her as my own. It’s so perfect that it’s also the night we started our family.
“I love you Tessa,” I tell her, kissing her, telling her for I don’t know how many times today.
“And I love you, Sean… Daddy…” she teases me.
“Don’t call me that!” I pretend to be annoyed. “No daddy talk, remember?” but I know what she means. It gives me such a sense of pride to know I’m gonna be a dad. And I just know Tessa’s gonna be the best mom in the world already.
No matter how much I try and fuss and overprotect, over-analyze everything, she’s the one who just gets on with the job of being the most amazing person I’ve ever met, not just the most amazing woman I’ve even met.
My woman.
My soul mate
My only.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
TEN YEARS LATER
Tessa
“Push, C’mon, push Tessa… that’s it. One more!” Penny says with a big smile and loads of positive encouragement.
Penny is my midwife, she’s helping me with my second home birth.
“Daddy, why is mommy screaming?” Little Joel asks Sean as he waits out front by our bedroom.
In between contractions, and with the door half open, Sean just coming back in to check on me, I can see our first. My little man, waiting without a fuss and always with a book in his hands.
“Because for the new baby brother or sister she has growing inside her to come out, she has to do a lot of concentrating… and it’s kinda painful, but in a good way…” I overhear Sean tell him, making me twist my face, remembering that’s one I owe him for making all this sound so easy.
“Like they do in the movies.” It was the most adorable thing I’ve heard, but according to Sean, Joel got tired of pacing and looking concerned after about ten minutes and started to read his book instead.
“How are you, my darling,” Sean asks me, shooting the midwife a questioning look, the fiftieth in about twenty minutes.
“I’m doing fine,” I tell him, feeling better now that he’s here, his hand in mine and his strong body able to take any and all abuse I can throw at it, if required.
“When little Joel came into the world, I had a terrible time of it, didn’t I hun?” I ask, clenching my teeth and squeezing his hand as hard as I can as another contraction ripples through me.
“I’m so proud of you honey, I love you,” Sean says. Not even flinching as I’m sure I hear the huge bones in his hand start to creak.
“Joel sends his love too,” he adds and I know he does.
“Did you tell him all about the birds and the bees?” I ask sarcastically, having to suddenly take huge puffing breaths of air.
Sean winces, embarrassed at being caught out. “What was I supposed to say?” he asks me, brushing my hair back and kissing my forehead again.
“Painful, but in… a… good way…?” I ask him, letting out a grunt.
Concentrating.
Charlotte is a surprisingly easy delivery after that. Once she makes her way into the world a short while later and she’s all cleaned up, with mommy getting her breath back Joel’s invited in to come see his new baby sister for the first time.
“Gross.” Is all he says, peering over his glasses at her tiny little body, but he kisses me on the cheek and hugs me.
“I’m glad you’re okay mommy,” he says, whispering something into my ear that I know he doesn’t want his father to hear.
“Dad tried his best to explain things,” he says, and we both share a knowing look as I give my little man a wink, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ to him and then again to his dad, Sean. To Joel for being such a perfect son than to Sean, for being the greatest husband and for both being my best friends. Most of all, for being here when I need them the most.
“I think I’ll leave Mommy and Daddy alone for a bit now, you did great Tess. I’ll be right outside if you need me,” Penny says, and I give her a huge hug as she gives both Charlotte and I a kiss on the forehead each.
“She’s a saint,” Sean observes once Penny’s left. It was a long time coming before Seam would even have anyone come near me, let alone a doctor or a midwife. Its female doctors only and Penny of course, with Sean insisting he be there every step of the way.
He knows when to give me my space too though, which isn’t very often, mainly when I’m writing.
Once we got the house built and the wedding taken care of, Sean set me up in my own special ‘office.’
Right in the loft of the new red barn, overlooking the pig pen.
Anyone else would have thought him crazy, even offensive after what had happened, but he actually read a part of my mind I didn’t know existed at that stage.
It’s my favorite place in the whole world, writing and thinking, when I’m not spending time with my two favorite males that is. My man Sean
