Epilogue

EPILOGUE

MEREDITH

T he baby shower is half blue and half pink, since the sex of the baby is a surprise.

And I had no idea any of this was happening today. I woke up thinking it would be another boring day on bed rest, when I woke to a floral dress hanging on the back of the door. When I asked Grizzly what the dress was all about, he just told me to look pretty and get excited.

I didn't bother questioning him because I was so excited to do something, anything, different.

When he brought me to a building a few minutes up the road, I had to wonder if we were moving locations to a new safe house, and if our place had been compromised. I thought for a moment the dressing up was just a ploy to get me to leave without fussing. That all changed though when he told me to close my eyes and I walked into a crowd yelling, "Surprise!"

When I opened my eyes, I was amazed to see staff members from the club, some friends from campus, and even some new faces. The whole place looked adorable, adorned with decorations, balloons, and a variety of what looked to be baby-related games for the guests to play.

"There she is!" a woman exclaims. I've never seen this woman before in my life, but she seems very excited to see me. I turn my gaze toward Grizzly, who's smiling ear to ear.

"Who is that?" I say, jabbing him in the side a little bit.

"Farrah. A fellow rescue from the Bratva. She's heard everything about you, so be nice."

"When am I never not nice?" I jab back at him.

"How are you feeling?" Farrah says. She's young and bubbly, and you can feel her energy from across the room.

"Very pregnant," I say, "but I'm great. Thanks."

Farrah wraps her arm around me and seems to subtly push Grizzly away from me.

"Alright, Grizz, I'll take it from here. I'll call you when we're all finished here, okay?"

"She's due any time now," Grizzly says, wanting to stay close to me by any means possible. He seems put out by Farrah's attempt to distance us. "I think I'll stick around just in case."

"Not in here you won't," she says, and she has a playfulness about her that would put anyone in a good mood. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a women-only event."

"But—" Grizzly starts to say, but not before Farrah takes his arm and begins walking him toward the exit.

"But nothing," I hear Farrah say as they walk away. "Don't worry your head for a second…"

I look around the room, blown away by how many people have managed to make it out. This baby is obviously a big deal for so many of us. It feels like a new beginning after such a dark time dealing with the Bratva, and for some of us, winning our innocence and freedom back.

"Sorry about that," Farrah says. "Duty called. Is he always so protective of you?"

"Kind of," I say, and what I don't add is how much I absolutely love that about him.

Farrah clasps her hands and beams as she discusses everything that's set out for me to do at the party. She points out the food and the dessert table, a place to take pictures with props, and a large polling box where guests are submitting their guesses for the baby's sex.

She invites me to eat first, and I'm happy to be eating anywhere besides my bed. As Farrah and I share our struggles with the Bratva and our relief to be free from them, other guests sit down and chat with us, congratulating me on my first baby.

"I think we should play a game," Farrah suggests once I'm finished with my plate. "How good is your aim?"

"I almost got kicked out of Little League if that gives you an idea."

Farrah laughs and shrugs. "You'll do your best then. But you're going to want to do this. You're going to have a ton of expenses soon, and this will help with that."

Farrah helps me up from my chair—I'm so big now that I waddle everywhere I go. She has me line up in front of a board that's full of pink and blue balloons and hands me a dart. She has more darts lined up next to me on a tall tabletop. Everyone gathers to watch.

"On the count of three, you're going to start whizzing these darts at the board. The more balloons you pop, the better. Some of the balloons have nothing in them. Others have a surprise. Ready?"

"I'm ready," I say. I have no idea if I am, but I'm willing to be a good sport.

Farrah counts down from three and I start driving the darts at the board. I miss the first few and laugh it off, but the more I do it the more I get the hang of it. The first balloon I pop Farrah claps and does a little happy dance. It makes total sense she was put in charge of this party.

I take a few more turns and pop more balloons. Eventually, she invites me and others to do an exercise in popping all the balloons together and the board is left nothing but a sea of deflated latex. On the floor are a bunch of gift cards. I waddle closer to the board and Farrah looks like she just had a front row seat to her favorite sporting event.

"You did perfect!" she says, and she pulls the gift cards up from the floor. "These are all yours."

"Thank you," I say as I take the gift cards into my hands.

"We'll just put these over with your other presents."

I'm shocked to see an entire table with gifts on top, of all shapes and sizes. I only did a registry for fun while I was bored in bed. I never would have guessed it would have such an amazing turnout.

Suddenly I hear Grizzly's voice at my side. "Are you okay? That looked like it might have been a bit strenuous for you."

"Grizzly," I say, flabbergasted that he's already back so soon. "I'm fine."

"She's fine!" Farrah says, shaking her head at Grizzly for intruding on the party. "I know you're a worried soon-to-be papa, but I promise she's in good hands."

"I just needed to see," Grizzly says, rubbing my arm.

Farrah points toward the exit. "The exit is that way, sir! I will call you if we need you, I swear."

Grizzly reluctantly walks toward the exit, but he keeps looking over his shoulder. Farrah is shooing him away with her hands. I understand why he's so protective, but the degree to which he can't pull himself away from me at this point is as concerning as it is endearing.

The chair with balloons and streamers is right in the center while everyone else is at their tables and facing my direction. I'm not sure how I feel being the center of attention, but it comes with the territory. I've barely gotten anything for the baby myself, so I know it's necessary.

Farrah brings me the gifts off the table, and I'm elated to open some of the cutest items. There are gifts from Harlow and a few gifts from Farrah even though we only just met. I hold up the tiny, cute outfits with sayings like Daddy's Little Blessing and Mommy's Little Monster.

I smile when I come across Addy's gift. It's an entire basket of items wrapped in cellophane. I take out a pacifier and a rattle. I wave at Addy and hold up the items in appreciation. I can't believe how soon I'll be able to use such things. I lean down to look for more items to hold up and put on display when I feel a wetness forming between my legs.

I don't know what to do at first. I'm convinced that in the distraction of the party I forgot to go the bathroom and I've peed myself. I'm mortified and I'm not exactly sure what to do. I look over at Farrah, and she can tell from the panic on my face that something is happening.

Before I know it, she's at my side and asking me what's wrong. I explain that I have a huge puddle between my legs and I'm not sure what it means. I don't know what I expect her to do exactly, but she instinctively investigates further.

"It doesn't smell like pee," she says.

"Okay," I say, paralyzed and not sure what to do next.

"I think your water broke," she says. She sounds calm, with a hint of panic somewhere in the mix. I'm sure she's trying not to completely freak me out. She's obviously over her head here.

"Grizzly!" she shouts. "Someone call Grizzly."

But no one needs to call. As soon as she says the words, Grizzly appears in the doorway again. He must have been hovering right outside the exit, despite being kicked out. The man can't help but keep me in arm's reach these days.

He's at my side almost immediately and helping me up off the chair. I'm not feeling any contractions yet, but I know he's already thinking that if this is a fast labor I could end up birthing in front of a whole crowd at my baby shower. He helps me to his car, opening the door for me and making sure that I sit down in the passenger seat as gingerly as possible.

"How far is the hospital from here?" I ask as he gets into the car.

"About half an hour."

"Okay, let's go then."

As a first-time mom, I'm a bundle of nerves, and I want to get there as fast as possible. I make some calls in the car to tell Dart and Trap to meet us at the hospital. Both rush off the phone in order to make it there. I squeeze Grizzly's hand the rest of the way as the contractions begin to pick up. It's just as I feared. They're coming on fast and coming on strong.

By the time we arrive at the hospital, I can barely walk. They wheel me up to the second floor and have me lie on the bed to check how dilated I am. The nurse opens her eyes, surprised.

"This baby wants to come meet you so bad."

I look at the clock and hope everyone will be in the room in time. I'm in more pain than I ever anticipated. I feel like I'm going to break Grizzly's hand with how hard I'm squeezing it.

It isn't much longer that I feel the urge to push. Suddenly, Dart and Trap race through the door together and stand at my side. The nurses look confused at first as to why there are so many men in the room, but I try my best to assure them through labored breaths that it's alright.

"Alright," the doctor says as she enters the room. "I heard there's a baby eager to make their big debut. I'm going to need you to push, Meredith, when you feel the urge."

Grizzly takes one of my legs and Trap takes the other, helping keep my legs open while Dart moves into position to stand at my side, brushing my hair and telling me what an amazing job I'm doing. My body feels an even stronger urge to push now that they're all with me.

It's only a few pushes before I see a baby in the doctor's arms. I wait to hear the cries because I want to know the baby is alright. I look around at everybody's faces, checking for smiles or concern. It's the longest few seconds of my life, but then I hear the little cries.

I let myself fall back on the hospital bed to catch my breath, relief washing over me.

I turn to Dart and ask, "What is it? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A baby girl," he says. "A beautiful girl, just like you."

The doctor places the baby on top of my chest, and I can't believe I'm holding such a precious miracle in my arms. As much as I love each of the men standing by my side, I'm not sure I've ever felt such an incredible amount of love radiating from me in my entire life.

"She's perfect," I say, taking in her little chubby cheeks and perfect lips.

Dart, Grizzly, and Trap all stare down at us with such joy and light in their eyes. Of everything they've ever given me, this is by far the best gift of all.

"Who's going to have the honor of cutting the cord?" the nurse asks.

The men stare at each other for a moment. This is something none of us ever thought to discuss. It seems like an impossible decision to make on the fly. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.

"I vote Meredith," Dart says, and he's looking at me with deep love and admiration. "She carried this baby, she birthed this baby, and she's going to be the best mother to this child."

"Oh, Dart," I say, and I could almost cry he's being so sweet.

"I agree," Grizzly says. "I like the idea."

"Settled," Trap says. "Meredith, you cut the cord, and we'll all hold your hand while you do it."

The nurse hands me the scissors and I line them up to the cord. The men all delicately touch my hand in support. As I snip the cord, everybody instantly smiles and laughs at its completion.

"I love you," I say, looking up at the adoring men all around me. Then I look down at my baby who has her eyes closed, peacefully taking milk from my breast. "And I love you too, Clara Joy."

Each of my men take a chance to kiss my forehead, thank me, and tell me they love me, welcoming our little bundle of joy into the world.

I feel complete, and I can't wait for our next adventure.

The End