Authors: Brenda Sparks
Knew he had made the right choice.
Knew
his
dream had come true.
Zane marched through the familiar sterile halls of the hospital and pushed through the door to her room. The need to see her lengthened his purposeful strides. It had only been fifty minutes, just long enough from him to run home and take a quick shower, but it was too long a time to be away from his girl.
He reached down scooping her into his arms. She wiggled two tiny fingers and yawned. Her tiny lids fell over her eyes in her struggle to stay awake.
“You know you’ll spoil her if you keep holding her all the time,” his wife chastised as he made his way to her hospital bed.
“She’s too young to be spoiled. She’s only a day old.” Zane rocked his daughter in his arms, marveling in the tiny miracle of her.
She had pale, delicate skin and beautiful chartreuse eyes like her mother. All ten fingers and toes were present, and she had scored a flawless ten on the Apgar test—the doctor told him so. She was the picture of perfection, a carbon copy of the woman he loved more than life itself, save for the sandy-brown tuft of hair on her tiny head.
She looked very much like Maggie had imagined in their shared dream, but this was so much better than a dream. This was real, permanent.
“Isn’t that right, little one? Daddy isn’t spoiling you.”
Maggie chuckled. The sound slid over his skin in a velvety caress. As long as he lived, he’d never get tired of hearing her laugh.
“She seems very content in your arms, Blue Eyes.”
He looked down to discover his daughter looked at him with wide eyes.
“As her mother has been for the past five years.” Zane pinned Maggie with his azure stare, daring her dissent. When she didn’t disagree he continued, his gaze dropping back to his daughter. “What should we name her?”
“I was thinking Gracyn.”
Zane’s eyes flew from his daughter to his wife. “Gracyn?”
Maggie nodded her head. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather name her after. If it wasn’t for Gracyn, we wouldn’t have her.”
A genuine smile took his face. It reached his eyes, making them glisten with his love for her. “I think it’s a perfect name.”
Zane bounced his little girl in his arms. “And what do you think about the name Gracyn, little one?” His daughter gave a soft coo, and Zane placed his lips lightly on her forehead in a gentle kiss.
“I think she approves,” Maggie said, holding out her arms.
“I think you are right, sweetheart. Gracyn it is.”
Zane reluctantly placed little Gracyn in her mother’s arms. His hand slid up Maggie’s arm to catch her throat. He nudged her chin with his knuckle and tipped her head, before he covered her mouth in a soft kiss.
When he straightened, he caught a glimpse of color in the mirror that hung on the white wall in front of him.
He focused on the glass, making out the blurred outline of two familiar faces. Appreciation that his friends were able to share this special moment made him smile. He blinked and the images of Jolan and Gracyn were gone in an instant.
Zane regretted they had left so quickly, but it was daytime. And to be honest, he was surprised they had risked a peek into the human world when others were awake and might see them. But then, they had done that a time or two in the past five years during important events, like their wedding for instance.
As he looked back down on his wife and child, his heart swelled with love.
They were the most beautiful women in the world. So special that nothing, no one would ever compare. Their entire lives lay before them. He knew there would be some tribulations, some hard times. All lives had them. But in the end, all would be well because they would be together.
One happy family.