Beth squealed and threw herself at Gray. “You totally rock future brother-in-law! Welcome to the family.”
She then turned to her sister and grabbed her ring finger. Tears were swimming in her eyes as she pulled her close. “I told you that someday you would find your prince. Our parents might believe that fairytales are silly, but you and I know the truth, don’t we?” Beth whispered.
Suzy gave her sister one last hug and allowed Gray to pull her back into his arms. Finally, she was where she’d always belonged, in the arms of the man who completely understood every crazy part of her and loved her anyway.
Gray looked down at her, “Ready to go, baby?”
Locking her gaze with his, Suzy replied, “I’m all yours, lead the way.”
Epilogue
Gray led her quickly out the door of the house that they shared on the beach. When they were both settled in the car, he took off at a fast clip. He reached over and took her hand giving her a squeeze of encouragement. “You ok, baby?”
Suzy’s face was flushed and her heart raced in excitement. “Yes, but please hurry! At the rate we are going, the baby will be born before we even make it to the hospital.”
“Honey, calm down before you have a stroke. What good is it going to do us if we have an accident on the way? I can’t risk your life by driving too fast. If the baby is born while we are in the car then it will just have to be.”
Suzy turned towards the man who filled her days and nights with such love that she literally had to pinch herself often to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. True to her word, she kept him on his toes and he kept her grounded. She couldn’t imagine how she ever thought of him as a stuffed shirt because the man definitely had a bit of freak in him.
When they finally made it to the hospital, Gray pulled up to the valet stand, grateful that the hospital offered that amenity. As he handed the keys over, he asked the valet, “Where can we find the maternity floor?”
“It’s on the third floor, sir; go left when you get off the elevator.”
Gray muttered a thanks and quickly led Suzy towards the elevator. Once inside, he rubbed her back trying to calm her. “It’s ok baby, just breathe.”
As they exited the elevator, they ran into Beth, Nick and Ella. “Hey guys, any news yet?”
Beth walked up and quickly gave them a hug. “Nothing yet and it’s making me nervous. Maybe we should ask someone at the desk.”
As Suzy approached the nurse’s station, a tired but beaming Jason walked towards her. She squealed and threw her arms around him. “How’s Claire? Where’s the baby?”
“Claire and the baby are both doing great. They’re checking her out now and then I’ll bring her out for a minute for you guys to meet.”
“She? It’s a girl!”
“Yeah, I got my two girls now. We are naming her Christina Louise.”
“After her sister and her second mom,” Suzy said softly.
“Claire was planning to name her Christina Evelyn, but her mother asked that she use Louise. She felt like she deserved the honor of having our first child named after her. Speaking of them, they’re all in the room with Claire.”
Suzy put her hand on Jason’s arm. “I’m so happy for you both. I know you’ll be wonderful parents.”
Squeezing her hand, Jason said, “Thanks Suzy, that means a lot to me. I’ll see if they’re ready for me to bring the baby out, stay right here.”
“Great, let me grab the others and we’ll be waiting.” Suzy ran back to the waiting room and motioned for everyone to follow her. When they got back, Jason was standing proudly where she’d left him with his new daughter in his arms.
There were tears of joy and laughter as everyone welcomed little Christina into the world. Suzy’s heart was full to bursting. She was standing in the circle of Gray’s arms surrounded by family and friends while she gazed into the eyes of her new Goddaughter. Even a cynical person like herself, couldn’t help but feel blessed. She’d waited a long time for her happily ever after and here in this hospital, in the hallway, she was surrounded by it. Happily ever after was neither one person nor one place, it was a collection of things that brought you peace, love and contentment, and if you were lucky, a little magic.