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Ròs House, Scotland – April 2018

 

“It’s OK, miss Lisa… Marcus’ outside waiting for you”. Miss Emma held Lisa’s hand as they slowly climbed down the stairs. Lisa’s other arm was wrapped around Michael’s shoulder, and he was holding her by the waist, placing soft kisses on her temple every now and then.

Lisa tried to regulate her breathing and nodded her head, all the while paying attention to each step. She was well aware of what she was experiencing: it was labor, in its first stages. Pain and pressure were still the primary sensations so far, and having to face a huge staircase to reach the front door didn’t help – her back was starting to scream in pain. The labor had begun the night before, and she had barely been able to keep Michael’s anxiety at bay. She knew that they didn’t need to rush to the hospital at that very moment. Yet it was pretty clear that this morning it was time to go – as she had a feeling her waters would break any minute now. Her contractions had become strong and regular, and Lisa realized that she couldn’t postpone any longer: the baby was coming.

“I’m so sorry, miss Emma… we really didn’t wanna cause you and your husband any trouble…”, she swore under her breath and winced as a sudden contraction shot through her, “…and we know this is not your job at all… It’s just…”.

“Don’t worry about it… We’re happy to help”. Miss Emma’s voice sounded comforting and motherly and Michael, once again, felt thankful for the support they were receiving from their staff, since their families weren’t there… yet. Emotionally speaking, to him Lisa’s labor was a lot to take in, it didn’t matter how prepared and ready he thought he was. Not only he felt substantially helpless, but also a bit in labor himself, cramps running through his stomach, erratic heartbeat, lungs constricting with each breath. Papa penguin mode on, full force, minus the egg.

“There you go… nice and slow, baby…”, he murmured as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs.

“You know, it’s not that we wanted Marcus to drive us to the hospital… it’s just that he…”, Lisa tilted her head toward Michael, “…well, driving is not his thing, especially if he’s upset.”

“I’m not upset.” Michael rolled his eyes. He was being honest: he was terrified.

“It’s OK…”, Miss Emma grinned and gently patted Lisa’s shoulder, all the while giving Michael a sympathetic look.

“You ready, baby?”, quickly and mustering all his strength to appear calm and relaxed, he grabbed Lisa’s coat and helped her put it on.

“Yeah… Let’s get this over with…”, Lisa let out a long breath, then inhaled again. From the expression on her face, Michael could tell that she was in pain. But he could also see her determination: his woman was gearing up for the battle.

And then it struck him like it had never hit him before: Lisa Marie was his baby’s mama. And Michael’s heart threatened to blow up in thousands of particles of pure star-dust.

They walked through the front door and found the car ready, Marcus in the driving seat, engine on.

“Emma… you gonna stay here?”, the gardener’s head stuck out of the window, and he glanced at his wife. Still standing at the door, she nodded her head.

“Yes… I’ll get everything nice and ready for the baby… You just make sure they get to the hospital safe and sound, OK?”.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I got this,” Marcus winked at her in a very endearing way just as Michael helped Lisa sit in the back of the car, then jumped in by her side.

“You comfortable, baby?”.

“Yes…”, she breathed in and breathed out, then flinched, “…Son of a bitch”.

“Let’s go, Marcus…”, Michael leaned over and watched the old gardener with slightly panicked eyes, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”.

“Yes, sir!”.

“Don’t badger him… I’m fine…”. Another torturous breath, another flinch.

“No, you’re not. We gotta go”. Michael fidgeted in his seat and Lisa grabbed his hand, squeezing it, effectively forcing him to look at her. All the while the car started moving, slowly and steadily, toward the front gate of the mansion.

“Hey… Look at me… It’s OK… I’m fine… I can deal with this…”, Lisa’s sparkly eyes were cobalt blue and huge, and Michael couldn’t stop looking at them, “…Just relax, baby”.

He smirked, half-heartedly, and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

“Don’t steal my lines, girl…”. His tepid attempt at humor was the best he could do. Lisa might be able to deal with this tension but he – well, Michael felt like he was probably going to stroke out.

When, the previous night, Lisa had awakened and gone to the bathroom, he had immediately opened his eyes. Michael’s sleep had never been as light as in the last couple of days – after his anxiety had been triggered by Lisa’s sudden nesting instinct. Although very tired, as had to be expected at this late stage of the pregnancy, she had manifested a sudden burst of energy and, out of the blue, she had expressed the desire to cook, clean and get the house ready and organized for no apparent reason. Her energies had been mainly focused on the baby’s nursery.

The previous afternoon, Michael had furtively peeked into the room, finding Lisa intent on plumping up pillows, checking the crib, folding comforters, moving quickly from one activity to the other. He had eyed her suspiciously and then had backed off, unnoticed, as a light bulb went off in his mind. Once in his studio, he had checked her behavior on one of his books. Yes! He knew it. Lisa was nesting. Meaning that she was getting ready for the baby. He had immediately realized that he would have to tread carefully from that moment on.

So, when later that night she had suddenly gotten out of bed, staying in the bathroom more than necessary, his internal alarm had immediately started flashing. Pretending to sleep, his eyes half-open in the darkness, he had heard the water running in the bathtub. When silence had wrapped around the space again, he had quietly climbed off the bed and had walked over to the bathroom, standing by the door, which Lisa had left ajar, and knocking on it.

“Come in…”.

He could tell that she was smiling and that she wasn’t exactly surprised by his subtle intrusion.

Michael had pushed the door open, finding the only woman he could see as his wife immersed in a bubble bath, in the bathtub strategically placed right in the middle of the room. She looked beautiful and strangely relaxed, her long hair gathered up, her long, sinewy neck visible.

Lisa had turned her head just enough to meet his eyes, then had sunk deeper into the warm water. Michael felt frozen in place.

“It’s almost time, isn’t it?”.

“Yeah…”. The soft sound of the water moving, her hands emerging from the foam and resting on her belly had welcomed him. “But it’s too early to go to the hospital, so I’m just trying to relax…”.

“How can you be sure it’s too early?”.

Lisa had chuckled, a little breathlessly, and he had perceived her physical discomfort.

“Because I’ve already given birth four times, Michael…”.

Right.

“Well, maybe we should go anyway, just in case… You could just have your bath while I call the doctors and tell them that we’ll be there tonight”.

“Mike…”.

“Lise?”.

“…Come here. Stay with me for a while”.

“Sure. After I call doctor Russell”.

“Come here, baby…”.

Michael’s feet had followed her voice before he could rationally think about an answer, and he had found himself kneeling by the bathtub, right behind Lisa’s head. He looked almost as if he was in silent prayer. He had bent over slightly, kissing Lisa’s head and her cheek, as her wet hand reached out and her fingers raked through his hair. She had turned her face slightly, and their lips had met in a slow, lingering kiss, as he started to gently massage her shoulders.

“Please, girl… let’s just go to the hospital… what if something happens?”, Michael had murmured, his lips now pressed against her forehead. Lisa had just kept caressing his hair slowly, soothingly.

“Mike – you gotta trust me here… I’m just starting to have contractions. But if we go to the hospital now, they’re gonna send us home because it’s too soon… My body is simply getting ready…”, her blue eyes had found him, and she had grinned, “…and it’s practicing for this Olympic event that is going to happen. Right now, I just need to rest, and I plan to do it in our house… So I’m gonna enjoy my bath, and then I’ll try to sleep for a few hours… with you lying next to me…”.

He had bitten the inside of his cheek, anxiously, and Lisa’s hand had brushed his face, her fingertips skimming on his skin.

“It’s gonna be OK…”.

“You sure you don’t wanna go for a C-section right away?”. Michael already knew the answer but hey – he had to try.

“We talked about it.”

He had sighed and had kissed her again.

“Would you give me a massage?”, she had asked, as he nuzzled her neck. She had taken his hands and had rested them on her belly. “…Unless you’re too weirded out…”.

Michael had pulled back and had stared at her with a slight frown. “Are you kidding me? Here…”. His large, strong hands had started rubbing her belly with a soft, yet firm touch and she had exhaled a long sigh. Michael could feel that her abdomen had already gotten way harder than it had ever been, and realized that the delivery was near. In no way he was squeamish, though – nothing about Lisa disgusted or disturbed him, and he was ready to show her just how involved he wanted to be in this childbirth.

After massaging her for several long minutes, he had lathered her up and then rinsed her off. He had held her hand, helping her stand up in the bathtub, then had wrapped her up in a warm towel. Eventually, they had gone back to bed together, and Lisa had asked him to spoon her and just hold her. Michael had pressed his chest against her back and had delicately rested his hand on her thigh.

“You know…”, he had heard her whisper in the darkness, “…At one point in my life, everything was easier and harder at the same time, if you were involved…”.

Michael had smiled and had kissed the nape of her neck.

“What about now?”.

Lisa had pressed his hand against her chest.

“…And now it’s back to just being easier… And I’m so happy… So happy, Mike… That we’re in this together… I love you…”.

After a while, he had heard her breathing deepen and had stayed awake, looking after her as she slept, until morning had colored the sky with its orange fingers.

Right now, as the front gates opened, Michael wasn’t too surprised to see a bunch of reporters waiting outside, cameras and microphones in hand. They were probably waiting for them to make an announcement or something. Fat chance! He knew very well that they’d had to deal with the press soon – Jackson or Murphy, some unspoken arrangements hadn’t changed. But at least for now, the paps had to stay away – unless they wanted to meet Michael 2.0’s pissy attitude up-close and personal.

Lisa’s pregnancy had become public a few weeks earlier, a couple of days after they finally managed to reach the long overdue out of court settlement with the blond mosquito. Dude and his people had suddenly become very pliant and reasonable after Lisa’s lawyers had laid down the law – or, more specifically, had laid their cards on the table. The little dossier about Beavis’ not so immaculate habits and practices had been a great push in the right direction and had positively brought his arrogant, nauseating ass to a screeching halt. Unsurprisingly, the lanky asshat didn’t like the idea of his dirty laundry made public and had finally acquiesced to some very reasonable agreements. As per Lisa’s generosity, to be fair. Had Michael had the chance to decide at her place, dude’s chance of getting a dime from his ex-wife would have been that of a snowman surviving in hell.

Michael had felt delighted, nonetheless: Blondie was finally gone. Jog on, little leech. Rotate 180 degrees and survey the vast amount of off into which you can fuck. Checkmate. Bye.

 

 

Three weeks earlier

Michael was working in his studio when Lisa knocked on the door. It was late afternoon, and it had been a pretty warm day, very sunny for the first half of March. Spring was definitely around the corner and Michael couldn’t wait to see what it would bring – he was pretty sure that the flowerbed he and Marcus had worked on would not be the only colored thing in his and Lisa’s life. In about a month, Kellan would be born – making Michael a dad once again. At 59. The mere thought filled him with overwhelming joy, delirious happiness, erratic anticipation, making him feel at least twenty years younger, both in body and spirit.

“Come in…”.

Lisa appeared in the door frame, and Michael thought that the same rule seemed to apply to her too. She looked magnificent, beautiful enough to take his breath away every time he would look at her.

This child-bearing thing had literally made Lisa glow, her skin was luminous, her eyes shiny, her hair silky, her body curvy in all the right places, only rarely fatigued and so very sexy. Even the doctors were amazed by the remarkable way she had been going through the pregnancy, by the boost of energy and vitality – of youth – this baby had brought both Lisa and him. She hadn’t experienced any particular discomforts or health ailments of sorts – as if every single cell of hers wanted to make up for all the time lost, doing its best to bring this baby safe and sound into the world. Their baby.

“Hey… I’m sorry, I know you’re working… Want me to come back later?”. She gave him one of those crooked smirks that always widened his heart and tightened his pants.

Michael took off his reading glasses and leaned back into his chair, sighing dramatically.

“Well… to be completely honest…”.

She rolled her eyes and motioned to leave, and he immediately stood up, laughing and walking over to her. He took her hand and gently pulled her closer to his body.

“Never! I’m never too busy for you, woman! Please… stay…”.

The soft kiss he bestowed on Lisa’s lips had all the intentions to become a little more than that, but she backed off almost immediately, and only then he noticed the tablet in her hands.

“Wait… I need you to see something”.

Michael’s eyebrows sprung up.

“Baby! I told you to stay away from the internet. It’s full of bull. I mean, taking a break from it is a rule that should apply to you, too”.

“Why you gotta be such a freaking bully and verbally assault me even before I tell you what the heck is going on?”. She was chuckling. She sat down on the couch and placed the tablet on her legs.

Smiling back at her, he pushed his hands into his pockets.

“I’m glad to notice you’re finally cleaning up your language in view of our baby’s birth.”

“That’s because you helped me. Bless your heart, you little fucknugget, what would I do without you and your sophisticated vocabulary?”.

Michael snorted at her apparently endless creativity when it came to cursing. The truth was, he secretly loved goading her into producing new profanities. The more you would ask her to stop cussing, the more she would keep going. She was adorable that way.

They locked eyes and burst out laughing, together, the rhythm of their bantering as flawless as it once had been, eons ago. Plus, since her ex-husband had finally gone off to fuckland – where he belonged – Lisa’s mood had improved considerably. She looked way more relaxed, lighter somehow, definitely happier.

“No, but seriously, Mike…”, she patted the empty spot next to her on the couch, “Come sit here with me for a minute… I wanna show you something”.

He cleared his throat and sat, giving her a kiss on the cheek and resting his elbows on his knees.

“Bring it on, baby. I’m ready”.

She slid her finger on the screen and then turned the tablet to him.

Michael frowned.

“Um.”

“Yep…,” Lisa sighed, and he glanced up at her, trying to assess her reaction. Apparently, there was none. She didn’t look upset, nor worried.

“What you think of it?”.

Michael just shrugged.

“What am I supposed to think?”.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” She leaned back on the couch and studied him with a serious expression on her face. She looked so cute, and Michael bit his lip, repressing a grin.

“Well… They know. So what? It’s not that we were planning to hide our baby or anything…”.

“I also look like a whale at this point, I might add, so it’d be quite hard anyway…”, Lisa considered, pensively.

Michael giggled and tilted her chin toward him.

“First of all, whales aren’t technically fat and not in the least ugly. And anyway no, you do not look like a cetacean. You look like a gorgeous goddess. Come here, little Venus…”. Another kiss, and this time she engaged fully, cupping his face with one hand and letting her tongue glide against his in a slow, tantalizing motion.

“You look gorgeous in those pictures, and even more so in person…”, Michael whispered against her lips, and she smiled.

“Your sweet talking won’t get you anywhere, Michael…”.

“Yeah? We’ll see about that… Later…”.

After making his head spin with another deep, open-mouthed kiss, Lisa pulled back once again.

“You know what?”.

“What?”. His voice had become a little raspier, and his glance had dangerously lowered on Lisa’s cleavage.

“Mister? My eyes are up here! Darn, you’re such a pervert…”.

He chuckled and then locked eyes with her again, knowing full well that Lisa loved feeling desired. And he adored making her feel how passionate he was about every single inch of her delicious body, pregnant or not.

“What?”, he repeated, more clearly now.

“I don’t give a damn if they know. I thought about it, and I realized that, in fact, I’m almost happy they do… and you know why? Other than the fact that I no longer have to worry about them finding out, that is…”. Her arms came to rest around Michael’s neck, and she tilted her head back to take a good look at him.

“Why?”.

“Because I am so proud of this. Of our baby. Of our family. Of who we are”, she paused, and her fingers started playing with his curls, on the back of his head, “I mean… I am all about privacy, you know me… But at the same time, privacy doesn’t have to mean being prisoners of ourselves, right?”.

“That’s what I’ve learned, yes.” Michael nodded, then leaned back into the couch, pulling Lisa with him and keeping her close to his body. Her head rested on his chest as he stared at the screen.

“Alright, let me see…”.

The pictures, strangely enough, had been published on the online version of People. Michael would have expected TMZ or, even worse, the always horrid Radar Online. His eyebrows shot up in mild, positive surprise.

The article was not at all slanderous or harmful. In fact, it was reasonably balanced, and Michael considered it a nice truce in their often unfair relationship with the press.

 

“Lisa Marie Presley’s new, happy life: husband-free and pregnant with new partner’s baby

Elvis’ daughter and her partner, art dealer Ethan Murphy, will soon be welcoming their first baby, according to these recent pictures taken in Edinburgh, Scotland, where they moved permanently several months ago. The two looked happy and in love, laughing and holding hands while strolling down Princes Street.

[…] At one point, the cuddly couple was spotted drinking something in a coffee shop, and it became clear that, under Lisa Marie’s heavy coat, she was hiding a beautiful, rounded baby bump! By the look of it, she is also about to give birth very soon. Her partner’s hand on her belly and the loving expression on his face were also a dead giveaway… […]”.

 

Michael had been reading the article out loud and now smirked, looking up at Lisa. She was staring back at him, a hint of a smile on her face.

“See? It’s basically all your fault we were busted”, she declared gravely, but her eyes looked amused.

Michael glanced once again at the pictures that showed him resting his hand on Lisa’s abdomen, utterly oblivious to whatever it was that was happening around them. He was grinning, and Lisa was clutching onto his sleeve, all the while leaning in and whispering something into his ear. It was nothing but a set of grainy candid photographs taken while they were sitting at the small table, at the coffee shop, and Michael remembered that moment perfectly.

Yeah. Lisa was right. They didn’t care about being noticed, at this point. Once established that they were basically being left alone, in Scotland, and that the press was only mildly interested in them – and oblivious about his true identity – they had implicitly decided to stop worrying and just living.

Lisa gestured toward the tablet.

“Read the last part…”.

Michael, not wearing his reading glasses, squinted his eyes a little.

“Wait… God, I’m blind… Uhm… OK… ‘These pictures emerged only a few days after the surprising out of court settlement reached by Lisa Marie and her fourth ex-husband, who had been locked in a nasty tug of war with Elvis’ daughter for almost two years. We reached out to Lockwood’s spokesperson asking him for a formal statement on these new developments in Lisa Marie’s life. “My client wishes miss Presley and her partner all the best for their future,” he simply declared, declining any further comment’…”.

Michael giggled and looked up at Lisa. “This is effin’ hilarious… I’m actually surprised he had anything to say at all… I thought he was still busy playing his new game… how did you call it, babe?”.

This time she smiled fully.

“It’s called hide and go fuck yourself…”, she replied in her husky voice, and Michael snorted in pure amusement.

“Right…! Holy shit, girl, that was majestic”.

 

 

At the hospital, the situation had in the meantime escalated quickly. With apparently perfect timing, the baby had decided that it really was time for him to make his appearance into the world and Lisa’s waters had broken about thirty minutes after their arrival. Or maybe Lisa had been right all along, and she had been more than capable of reading the messages her body was sending.

Michael, too, had kind of understood that things were progressing at a relatively quick pace when, at one point on their way to the hospital, Marcus had stopped the car to let an old man with a cane cross the street. Quite uncharacteristically, given the fact that she was a real sweetheart deep down and usually a very thoughtful person, Lisa had exclaimed: “Don’t help the cripple!”.

Stunned, Michael had immediately patted his hand on the driver seat, and Marcus had circumvented the obstacle, speeding off. It looked like they had left the house with Lisa Marie, and now they were suddenly sitting next to Regan McNeil from The Exorcist.

Entering the clinic, Doctor Bianca Russell was there waiting for them, and she had immediately confirmed that they indeed had made the right choice, by deciding to spend the night at home, allowing Lisa to relax before the final marathon. Lisa had glanced at Michael with an “I told you so” look in her azure eyes, and he had just shrugged his shoulders.

As Lisa was brought to the triage room to check the baby’s heart rate and measure her contractions, Michael had stayed back for a minute to speak to the doctor.

“Doc… you know, before we begin, I just want our position to be clear.”

“Ethan, Lisa was very clear. She wants to try to give birth to her baby naturally”.

Michael had stopped in the corridor, fidgeting a bit, and the doctor had perceived his discomfort. She had studied him intently.

“What’s the matter?”, she had eventually asked, a slightly amused expression on her face.

“No, nothing… I mean… I know Lisa was clear about what she wants to do. But I just want to be sure that, if anything doesn’t go as expected, you guys will be ready to intervene with a C-section…”.

Doctor Russell had sighed, staring into his eyes and in that very moment, Michael had realized that Lisa had told her about his doubts.

“The short answer is, yes. We are ready to bring Lisa to the OR and help her out if she needs it. But, Ethan… look, some hospitals don’t expect women to give birth naturally. They don’t expect them to be prepared for their labor and birth, or to be able to manage their contractions. They expect women to be in pain, overwhelmed and in need of interventions and medications right away… Well, I am proud to say that ours is not that kind of hospital. We know that every patient is different and we treat them accordingly”. She had rested her hand on Michael’s arm and had given him a comforting squeeze. “As an OB-GYN, I have been following you guys from the very beginning of this amazing journey, and I’ve come to know you and Lisa pretty well, during the past months. You are a wonderful, beautiful couple. Yours will be a very lucky kid. And Lisa… well, she is very much in tune with this pregnancy. She strongly desires to have a natural birth experience, and I believe she has all the physical and emotional resources to do that”.

Was doctor Russell going all New Age on him? Michael hoped not. Yet, her words and the look in her eyes infused him with a weird sense of peace and acceptance of what was going to come. After all, this was more Lisa’s call than his.

“And what I also know, is how supportive you are of her. Lisa told me again and again what an amazing partner you are… How lucky she considers herself to be having this baby with you… And what a great dad you’ll be…”.

Michael had felt a rush of pure emotion wash through him and had grinned.

“So we just need to be there for her, now. That’s all we gotta do. I am going to be in the room with her, together with a nurse and a doula and you will be there too, right? That’s what you told me”.

“Yes, of course, I want to be there!”. Had he ever come across as a man who didn’t want to be there for the birth of his kid? He didn’t think so!

Doctor Russell had smiled.

“Yes, indeed. That means that Lisa is going to have someone with her that supports her 100%… right, Ethan?”.

“I just… I got scared last night when she told me she was in labor”.

The doctor had chuckled.

“I know. And yet staying home as long as possible was actually the right choice, because laboring in your bed is much more relaxing than laboring at the hospital… Mister Murphy… Ethan…”, she had inhaled a long breath, “…Lisa was pretty clear about wanting to avoid medications as much as she can. She told me she doesn’t need them anymore, that she made a choice. Staying home actually allowed her to start managing the contractions on her own and deal with the pain, without any external intervention. Personally, I am willing to respect her wishes, unless she tells me that she wants an epidural or anything else that might help her, such as pain relief medications”.

Michael had swallowed.

“So… you’re not gonna give her anything?”.

“She might get an IV to provide fluids, so she doesn’t get dehydrated. Don’t worry… We’re going to take good care of her”.

His shoulders had slumped, and he had just let out a long sigh.

 

Right now, Lisa was in her private birthing room – which, in all fairness, looked very comfortable and homey, designed in warm and soothing colors and with all the medical necessities strategically hidden behind armoires. The lights were dimmed out, and Michael had also noticed a plush sofa bed positioned against a wall. Unfortunately, he was so wired he couldn’t even sit down and had been standing right at Lisa’s bedside for almost an hour, now. At this rate, he would be the one needing fluids in a little while.

Lisa was squeezing his hand so tightly that it was actually painful, and he winced. As he stared at her flushed, sweaty face, Michael not only thought that she had never looked more beautiful, but also that it was amazing how a hand as small as Lisa’s could deliver such a deadly grip.

This having a baby thing really was a big deal, and Michael, too, was sweating through his clothes. He didn’t remember having felt so agitated during the birth of his other kids – but he had also never been romantically involved with the women carrying them. With Lisa, it was different, and the whole experience was entirely new, for him.

“Come on, baby… Breathe in, breathe out… there you go… what a good girl…”. He kissed her temple as she kept trying to regulate her breathing.

“Lisa, you want your partner to go out for a minute? I just don’t want him going green and sliding off furniture in the lead up toward the baby, alright?”, the nurse asked at one point, probably trying to be funny. Michael frowned and looked at her as if she was an alien. What the fuck?

Lisa gritted her teeth and, when she spoke, she was almost breathless.

“Look, I’ll be honest with you, Rose… There’s no way in the world I want him to be anywhere other than by my side, right now… ‘kay? Let’s get this going…”.

Ah! Take that, Rose! Go looking for the Heart of the Ocean… in what’s left of the Titanic! We can manage just fine, here!

Michael watched the nurse triumphantly.

“Tell her, baby…”, he whispered into Lisa’s ear.

“Don’t distract me.”

Michael closed his mouth and kept holding her hand.

Her contractions had become incredibly intense and very close together, the pressure was massive and so was her urge to push. At the same time, she wasn’t ten centimeters dilatated, yet. Michael let go of Lisa’s hand for a moment and stepped next to doctor Russell, who was sitting right at the foot of the bed. He glanced underneath the sheet, then swallowed hard, his eyes widening.

“Lisa, I need you to wait…”, the doctor said, in a very calm voice. “Don’t push yet. You’re not dilatated enough, and we don’t want you to injure yourself”.

“There’s no way he’s coming out of there…”, Michael mumbled, almost to himself. Lisa heard him and glared at him.

“Yes, he is… Just gimme a minute, here, OK? What the fuck”, she exhaled and threw the doula a contrite look, “I’m sorry I’m cursing like a trooper, but I feel it kinda makes me feel more in control…”.

“Don’t worry dear. Don’t hold back. Whatever happens in the delivery room, stays in the delivery room”.

“OK… That’s it… I gotta get up… I need to move”.

Astonished, Michael helped Lisa get out of bed. He was convinced that it was normal to lie down during labor. Well, apparently he was wrong.

Still holding onto his hand, Lisa walked around the bed, all the while regulating her breathing.

“Perfect, Lisa… This way, you’ll help the baby moving down into the birth canal…”, Rose commented, following her every move like a hawk.

“Yeah, gravity is such a beautiful thing…”, Lisa’s ironic tone was accompanied by a flinch and a whispered curse. “I feel like I gotta sway… I just don’t know if I’m supposed to move one way or another… I don’t know what the hell I wanna do…”.

“Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?”, Michael rubbed her back lovingly.

“Where do you think!?”, she let out a sarcastic chuckle.

“What can I do, babe?”, Michael asked apologetically, starting to panic.

“I don’t know…”, she replied breathlessly, wiping her forehead with her hand. “…I just wanna help the baby move further down”.

And it worked. After about twenty minutes of drunk pacing, swaying left and right and cursing, she finally lay down in bed again and was allowed to start pushing for real. In that very moment, Michael went through a whole series of different stages and emotions. He wanted to cry. He wanted to laugh. He felt overjoyed, petrified, thrilled, delirious, annihilated, suddenly old, then suddenly very young.

After an unusually bad contraction, Lisa told everyone – doctor, nurse, and Michael included – to just fuck off and leave her alone. A minute later, she grabbed Michael’s hand and told him she loved him so very much. He just smiled at her, a bit hesitantly.

“I love you too, girl…”.

Lisa flinched and pushed.

“Shut up! No, wait… talk to me… I love you, but not so much right now… Since you did this…”, another push followed, “…OK, I’m back at loving you like crazy… Shit! Where are my ice chips?”.

“Lise, you’re turning into someone I never even knew existed.”

“I know sweetheart, I’m so fucking sorry.”

“By all means, baby, speak your mind freely.”

Michael heard doctor Russell, the nurse and the doula snicker behind the sheet.

He stared at Lisa, at her gorgeous, sweaty, flushed face and started to chuckle. He just couldn’t help it. The tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife, and it needed to be broken somehow. Incredibly, within a few second Lisa started to giggle, too, a little breathlessly, but wholeheartedly.

“OK… OK… Alright… Here it goes again… I got this. I can do it…”.

“Yes, you can, Lise… You’re amazing, you’re awesome… There you go…”. Michael kissed the top of her head, and she grabbed his hand once again, squeezing it.

Panting heavily, she studied his face as she stopped pushing for a second, trying to catch her breath.

“You’re pale, baby… You feel faint?”. As her blue eyes explored his face thoroughly, she frowned, and Michael’s heart expanded even more. How could she be worried about him at this very moment? A bit overwhelmed, he just shook his head.

“No, Lise, I’m fine…”.

“Drink some water…”.

Not wanting to contradict her, he grabbed the bottle from the nightstand and gulped down half of its content.

“There… Happy?”.

She smiled, breathlessly.

“Yes… What a good boy you are…”, she whispered sweetly, and for the first time, he noticed that she was really starting to look exhausted. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he realized that she had been going for almost three hours now. The new set of alarm bells going off in his mind got drowned by doctor Russell’s voice.

“There you go, Lisa! I can see we’re almost there! Push!”.

Lisa pushed, one hand squeezing the daylights out of Michael’s, the other grasping the sheets.

“Please don’t let anyone get in the room…”, she whispered to him, “I don’t want anybody else to get a view of my no-no place…”.

“OK… OK…”, he just whispered back, reassuringly. Once again, a rush of different emotions threatened to overcome him. For the umpteenth time in the last few hours, he felt elated, excited, terrified, about to pass out, pregnant, in labor, horrified at the top-notch level of cursing delivered by Lisa, desperately in love, high, on the verge of tears, and oh so happy.

Then Lisa’s hold on his hand weakened and, alarmed, Michael glanced at the doctor. Bianca Russell moved her glasses up her nose, her face serious, and stood up.

“Alright, Lisa… Stop pushing for a minute… It’s time to check your blood pressure again”.

Michael kept his eyes on the doctor, watched her as she measured Lisa’s pressure and noticed her pursing her lips.

“Lisa, your blood pressure is getting a bit high, and –.“

“Is there any fetal distress?”, Lisa’s huge eyes stared at the doctor.

“…And I would like you to at least start considering a C-section”.

“Is the baby in distress?”, Lisa repeated, exhausted and through clenched teeth.

“No, not for now… The baby is fine”, Doctor Russell sighed.

“OK then… Please let me try again… Just one last time… and if it doesn’t work… well, in that case…”.

“Alright…”, the doctor acquiesced, calmly. “Let’s try again, then.”

Michael caressed Lisa’s hair, glancing up at the doctor.

“Lise… maybe we should just listen to the doctor, you know? You’re exhausted, honey…”.

Lisa turned to him and bit her lips, then blinked.

“I know you’re worried… and I’m so sorry… But you don’t have to agree with the rules… you just need to accept them. I wanna try this…”.

Michael hesitated for a second, then nodded.

“OK, baby… OK”.

What was he supposed to do? He wanted Lisa to be sure that he was on her side – no matter what. She was the one doing this – not him. He squared his shoulders and held her hand tight. “Focus and push, honey!”, he said, firmly.

Lisa smiled and pushed, as much as she could. Doctor Russell sat back at her position at the foot of the bed and, a couple of minutes and a few more pushes later…

“I can see the head!”.

Michael almost jumped out of his skin. His hand leaving Lisa’s, but staying connected to her body, sliding on her knee and resting there, he stepped closer to the doctor and bent his head to look underneath the sheet once again.

He smiled.

“Yes! Baby, the head is right there, I can see it! Go, Lise! That’s it! Keep going!”.

After a huge smile lit up her face, she seemed to experience an unexpected moment of discouragement, and her head fell back against the pillows.

“I can’t do this anymore… When is this going to be over? Why can’t we just lay eggs?”, she spoke in a whisper, staring at the ceiling, dejectedly.

Michael squeezed her knee.

“Look at me, Lise: you can fucking do this, OK?”.

His voice seemed to startle her, and she raised her head, staring at him. And his face, at that very moment, was everything she saw.

“You really think so?”.

“No, I know. You can fucking do this!”.

“I can do this…”, she murmured, hesitantly.

Another squeeze on her knee.

“Yes, you can!”.

For no apparent reason, Michael’s words of encouragement worked like a charm.

“I can fucking do this!”.

“Yeah!”.

“That’s right, Lisa! Push!”, doctor Russell coaxed her.

And she pushed again, with all was left of her strength.

Michael kept his eyes focused on the baby’s head.

“There it is! There it is, honey! …Nope, you sucked it back in!”.

Lisa groaned and rolled her eyes.

“It’s OK, Lisa…”, the doula interjected.

“It’s not fucking OK!”, she glared at her with a growl, and for a second Michael feared she was going to bite her. Then she pushed again, and the baby’s head reappeared.

“There it is again! It’s right there! You’re doing great, Lisa, you’re doing amazing! Keep going, honey!”. It was Rose’s voice, this time, but Michael didn’t pay any attention to it. He was hypnotized entirely by his son – because he was finally coming into the world. He could feel it.

Lisa felt it too. With her last, strong pushes, she started to whisper to herself, like a mantra: “The baby’s coming… Baby’s coming”.

And right then and there, more than in any other moment, Michael realized the tremendous extent of what she was doing, both physically and emotionally. It required all her focus. And as the delivery reached its final stages, Lisa went more inward, became more inwardly focused. Instinctively, Michael kept his hand on her perfectly still, knowing well that touching her at the wrong moment or in the wrong place could distract her from her work. What she was doing was all she could manage now, and he just stayed close to her, helping her remember to breathe, trying as best as he could to help her release some tension with only his words. As the baby’s first cry broke finally free, he felt as if the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders and realized that, sometimes, a little could go a long way.

“You wanna cut the umbilical cord, sir?”, the doula snapped him out of his dazed state and smiled, “Wanna do the honors?”.

“Yes… yes, sure…”. As he did it, his hands trembled, and Michael felt as if he was going through the first step in the passage to the rite of fatherhood all over again.

The doctor and the nurse gave the baby his first check and started cleaning him off, wrapping him in a blanket to keep him warm and dry. Michael turned back to Lisa and stared at her exhausted face. Her head had fallen back against the pillows, and her eyes followed her baby’s every move. They looked so tired and yet so bright and alert.

“You did great, baby… you did so fucking great…”, Micheal murmured as he sank by the bed again, his voice breaking. He bent over and rested his forehead against Lisa’s, and her hand immediately reached up, finding his head, grabbing him by the nape of his neck, holding him close.

“I love you, Lise… I love you so fucking much…”.

“I love you too, I really do…”, she replied hoarsely.

They were both drained, and yet the first thing they did was share a gentle, soft, lingering kiss. Then, Lisa pushed Michael back slightly.

“I’m so sorry for all the swearing,” she said to the dedicated staff who had helped her bring her son into the world. She looked truly apologetic.

The doula smiled and stepped closer to the bed, holding the baby in her arms.

“It’s fine… It happens all the time, don’t worry about it…”. She gently placed the newborn on Lisa’s chest and caressed his head. “Lisa… Ethan… Meet your beautiful son. Congratulations”.

Still experiencing the full body-shaking caused by the immediate hormonal shifts occurring after delivery, and possibly by the endorphin release – but most of all oblivious of the medical staff now taking care of her exhausted body, Lisa kissed the baby’s head.

“Hi, Kellan… hi, beautiful boy…”.

Michael let out a sob, and his large, warm hand rested on his son’s tiny back. His heart raced into his chest, thundering in his ears, at the sight of the teeny human being who was the physical representation of the all-consuming love he had always shared with this woman.

“Look, Lise… Look how gorgeous he is… He is perfect… Our baby’s perfect”.

Lisa’s shiny blue eyes, suddenly very calm and serene, looked up at him.

“Yes… he really is”, she gently touched the baby’s face with her fingertip. “…Oh my God…”, she whispered in complete amazement. A tear ran down her cheek, and Michael kissed it away.

Kellan, his head full of thick, curly black hair and his eyes open, but still of an undefined color, rested his cheek against his mother’s chest and closed his tiny hands into fists.

It was a perfect moment that froze in time and became immutable in Michael’s mind. Sitting there by the bed, one hand on his son’s back, the other caressing Lisa’s hair, he felt at peace, as if the entire world had finally stopped spinning on its axis at a crazy pace and in the wrong direction. And he also felt as if he and Lisa had never divorced, had never been apart. They truly were forever. They indeed were a family, and even more so now because, finally, the ultimate miracle had happened.

 

 

Four weeks earlier

Mark Gross could barely contain his satisfaction, and yet Lisa detected it, clearly, the moment he appeared on the screen of Michael’s iMac.

They had decided to opt for a video-conference, as per Gross explicit request, to discuss what they were going to do next. Although there wasn’t anything else to do, really: everything had been settled. The nightmare was finally over. Now it was all about practical stuff.

“Lisa… Ethan… Hello…”.

The attorney sat at his very elegant mahogany desk, in his private office. His hands were clasped in front of him, and his brown eyes shone with excitement. He looked exceptionally sleek today, his grey beard trimmed short, his crew cut impeccable, the tailored suit, the fabulous coral-red tie.

“Hey, Mark, how are you?”. Lisa sat back in the comfortable office chair in Michael’s studio and rested her hands on her belly. Michael, sitting next to her, just waved at the lawyer.

“I am very good! How’s your pregnancy going? It’s almost time, as far as I can see…”, Gross smiled. He had a fairly gentle smile – but also an iron core that made him one of the best divorce attorneys in California.

“The baby’s due in a month… we can’t wait”, Michael interjected, unable to hide a proud smile.

“Well, congratulations! You guys look so happy! And you, Lisa, look gorgeous…”.

Lisa snickered, trying to relax and get rid of the last remnants of tension. She knew that the meeting between her lawyers and Lockwood’s had gone well, but Gross had insisted on speaking to her and Michael in person. Sort of. In this case, a video conference would have to do – since they weren’t planning to go to L.A. anytime soon.

“Thank you, Mark… You look happy, too! So, what happened?”.

Gross turned serious and cleared his throat.

“I am indeed very satisfied, Lisa. And that’s the reason why I wanted to speak to you in person… informally. But I am also glad Ethan is there with you since this, um… matter involves a man whom I know was very important to you”.

“He still is,” Lisa replied, almost automatically, knowing well that her lawyer was talking about Michael, but couldn’t know that, that same man was there, sitting next to her.

“OK… Yes…”, Gross looked slightly uncomfortable for a second, as if he found Lisa’s words somehow distasteful in the presence of her new partner. Well, Lisa didn’t really care about what people thought of her any longer, at this point. She just wanted to get shit done and move on.

“Then, first things first – let’s deal with the fact that Mr. Jackson’s name was brought up… As you know, the lawyers who took care of the report we were so lucky to receive were basically appointed by… well, Michael himself. Apparently, he gave specific instructions several years ago, and they’re still valid”.

“Yes, so you told me,” Lisa replied in a very even voice.

“…Of course, I had to show the counterpart our report, even though they only have a partial copy of it. It was more than enough to convince them to back off, believe me… But, if they ever decide to dig deeper, they will definitely manage to trace it back to the law firm which put it together…”, Gross scratched his temple. “…That means that, if they wanna try a last-ditch effort to discredit you or to make you look bad with the press, it is possible that they bring Mr. Jackson’s name up. They know nothing about it now, but they can find out if they really want to”.

“OK…”, Lisa murmured cautiously.

“So, my question is: what do we wanna do? We want to disclose the information first and preempt any possible speculation or simply deal with it, if necessary?”.

Lisa glanced at Michael. The expression on his face was very neutral. He didn’t care.

“What do you think will happen, Mark?”, Lisa asked.

“Me?”, Gross shrugged, vaguely. “My experience tells me that they won’t say a thing. I mean… we spoke about what’s included in that folder. I don’t think they will be willing to start any pissing match, nor that they will be confrontational any longer. In fact, to be completely honest, I got a feeling that your ex-husband’s lawyers are pretty eager to cut ties with their client, as quickly as possible”.

This time, Michael couldn’t avoid a shit-eating grin and leaned back into the chair, inhaling a deep, restoring breath.

“Then let’s deal with the problem if and when necessary…”, Lisa commented.

“Alright… Now, moving on to more practical stuff, your ex-husband was basically summoned by his lawyers and advised to settle, for what they described to me as a matter of professionalism. Meaning that they probably don’t wanna have anything to do with him any longer. When we met, yesterday, it was pretty clear that they just wanted to close the case, so I laid down the law the way we agreed on…”.

“And…?”, Michael chimed in, in his business-like tone.

Gross let out a sigh.

“Well, believe it or not, they didn’t bat an eyelid… I think they were actually pretty surprised as they thought you would be way more merciless, considering how ferociously their client behaved with you… So, they agreed on the monthly fee you so kindly decided to grant – which, on a side note, I would have never conceded – and also on the final settlement, with the promise not to make any more claims from now on… ever again”.

“I just want my daughters to have a father who looks like a human being and not a squatter… and since I’m not so sure he can take care of himself, that monthly fee is actually for the girls’ benefit. I don’t care about him. I just want the best for my kids… What about the twins?”.

Michael immediately perceived the slight edge in Lisa’s voice and reached out, taking her hand.

The attorney smiled.

“You’re gonna have sole custody, as planned, and they will have the chance to see their father whenever they want to, as you asked.”

Lisa let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding and, once again, leaned back into the chair. She smiled, almost hesitantly.

“So… you’re telling me that it’s done?”.

“It’s done,” Gross nodded his head. Again, that satisfied look on his face. He was happy with the settlement. Relieved. Just like she was.

“We also agreed on the public statement his spokesperson will make… They’ll say that you and your ex-husband realized that fighting in court was nonsense and that an amicable, extrajudicial private agreement was made for the benefit of the twins. They will also declare that Harper and Finley will have the chance to see their father whenever they want… The girls will move to Scotland next June, after their last day of school. The settlement and the monthly fee you so kindly granted your ex-husband will allow him to fly to Scotland, no problem, whenever he wants to see his daughters”.

Lisa blinked her eyelids and cleared her throat. OK. She was not going to burst into tears like a very hormonal, very pregnant lady. Which she was. She was almost managing to accomplish the feat when Michael, like the gentleman he had always been, extracted his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her quietly. Then, the tears came. Damn him! Lisa sniffled and fought the urge to kiss him right then and there.

“Cheer up, Lisa! You won!”, Gross laughed.

Still weeping a little bit, Lisa laughed, very softly, as Michael’s arm came to rest on her shoulders.

After endless years of pain and struggle, the universe was no longer working against them.

 

 

The nurse returning to their room, holding their baby in her arms after about an hour since she had taken him away for the routine check-ups, made both Lisa and Michael sigh in relief. Neither of them had said it out loud, but they had been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Well, as a matter of fact, they both had experienced such a vast amount of shoe-dropping throughout their lives, that they had troubles thinking that the stockpile could really be empty. Yet, apparently, it was.

“Hey…”, the nurse, a very sweet girl whose name both Lisa and Mike had completely forgotten, absorbed as they were in the vortex of what had been going on, smiled at them. “…All done. Kellan is a very healthy baby. He weighs 7.7 libs, which is perfectly normal. He actually weighed a tiny bit more right after being delivered, but he kind of amused everyone during his top-to-toe check-up…”, the nurse giggled as Michael stood up and took Kellan into his arms, rocking him gently.

“Why?”, Lisa asked, from the bed.

“Well, the little mister here, peed for like five minutes and just when we thought he was pooped out, he peed some more… on the doctor. Then on the clock, then on the floor, then on the equipment… Finally, as I was putting on his diaper, he peed on me”.

Michael seemed completely unfazed.

“You peed on everyone… what a good boy”, he whispered, as he kept cradling his son.

Lisa chuckled and covered her eyes for a moment.

“I’m sorry… About both of them”.

The nurse kept giggling, sincerely amused.

“It’s OK… He was probably just feeling very relaxed”.

Michael sat on Lisa’s bed and placed Kellan right on her chest, then leaned over and kissed the top of his head. Lisa touched Michael’s face, and they shared a gentle kiss on the lips.

While the baby was being examined, Michael and Lisa had made several phone calls, informing their families about Kellan’s birth. They were all ecstatic. The two major surprises had been Paris and Priscilla: they both had cried over the phone. Paris had expressed her desire to fly over to Scotland and meet her “baby brother” as soon as possible and had talked to Lisa for a good ten minutes, chatting excitedly. Even Priscilla had sounded relieved and genuinely happy, asking Lisa to please send her a picture of the kid whenever possible. She had also wanted to make sure, again and again, that Lisa truly was OK. What was even more extraordinary was that Cilla had actually asked to speak to Michael, and had warmly congratulated him, all the while repeatedly referring to herself as “grandma” – which had stunned him. Michel imagined Lisa’s accident indeed had taken a toll on her.

All in all, Lisa and Michael were sure their families and closest friends would be swarming their Scottish house very soon – and they were perfectly okay with it.

Lisa gently traced her fingers along the baby’s back, and he made a sound. She smiled, the warmth of Michael’s hand resting on her leg comforting and oh, so right. This experience was so different from her previous ones. Having Riley, Ben and the twins in her arms right after bringing them into the world had felt incredible and had made her feel ecstatic with happiness. Yet, Lisa had always felt strangely detached from everything else that wasn’t her babies, at that very moment. Emotionally focused on her kids, and nobody else.

This was entirely different. Baby Kellan’s mere presence, every single inch of him, every movement and sound coming from him made her feel blissful, profoundly at peace for the first time in years. But she also felt wholly connected to Michael, in perfect communion with him, as if the three of them were one single entity. She was finally complete. With her man, the one she had always loved and wanted by her side, even when she didn’t know it, and their large, extended family. And, finally, their kid – the result of their undying love.

Lisa looked down at the baby.

Kellan had been thoroughly cleaned up, and now wore fancy green rompers and a bean. He was very much awake and alert. She kept him close to her body, knowing well that he couldn’t control his temperature well, yet. Lovingly, Michael covered them both with a towel and caressed the baby’s head, once again. Kellan’s little hands opened on the naked skin of Lisa’s collarbone, his eyes staring into space.

The Apgar assessment had already evaluated his heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflex response, and color. Kellan was fine. A blessing from heavens, indeed. Everything had gone well, since she and Michael had decided, in perfect harmony, that it was time for them to just try again and have a baby, with all their love and commitment.

It was fate. Their history was written in the stars and, apparently, the most beautiful love stories really were the one who didn’t look like they had any happy ending… only because they didn’t end at all. They couldn’t. When permeated by profound, true love, those stories became eternal.

Kellan made a little cry and grimaced, and Lisa blinked.

“He’s very alert and probably hungry…”, the nurse stepped closer to the bed, “…You want to try to breastfeed him, Lisa?”. Her voice was very soothing, very soft.

“Of course…” Lisa smiled and unbuttoned her nightgown. She didn’t need to ask Michael if he wanted to stay: she knew he would, and she was right. Nothing about parenthood embarrassed him or looked unnatural, disgusting or weird to him. Lisa herself had witnessed his astounding natural skills as a father both with her kids and his. So she wasn’t in the least surprised when Michael, completely relaxed and quiet, just caressed her head as she positioned the baby more correctly onto her chest, to help him out as best as she could.

Kellan’s eyes roamed for a moment, a bit aimlessly, then locked with Lisa’s and she smiled.

“There you go, baby boy… Are you hungry?”.

“Don’t worry if he seems to have trouble finding your nipple at first, he just needs to have the opportunity to…”, the nurse chimed in.

Kellan proved her wrong right away, as he found what he was looking for in no time flat and started to nurse. Lisa chuckled, softly.

“Well, look at that…”, the nurse commented, sounding pleased and a bit amazed.

Lisa scrunched her nose, and her blue eyes glanced up her.

“He’s just like his daddy.”

“Lisa…!”. Michael blushed violently and giggled.

The nurse just snickered and commented that she was going to leave them alone for a while. And that they were one of the funniest couples she had ever met.

The door closed behind her back, and Michael stared at Lisa.

“You’re horrible.”

“I know, I’m such a bad girl.” She was smiling at him.

“You love to embarrass me.”

“No daddy, I swear I don’t, it just comes natural to me…”, her innocent expression didn’t really match the mischievous glint in her eyes.

Michael giggled again and shook his head, then his gaze dropped and he found himself staring at his son once again.

“I still can’t believe it, you know?”. He took in a deep breath.

“Yeah… I know. But this is real, Mike… This is us”. Her hand found his, and she squeezed it. Michael blinked.

“We’re gonna need to start planning our wedding, then…”.

Lisa laughed, softly, and Kellan made a sound. She immediately rubbed his back, soothingly, and Michael couldn’t help but notice what a natural she was, with kids. She was such a fantastic mom. He had always been right about that. And he had wanted her to be the mother of his kids with all his heart.

“Slow down, big guy… We certainly have our hands full, right now”.

“You’re right, but I don’t wanna wait too long, Lise… Not anymore”.

She studied him, frowning lightly.

“You really are serious about this… aren’t you?”.

Michael snorted and tilted his head toward the baby.

“Are you kidding me? Don’t I look serious enough to you? I’m your baby daddy, woman…”.

Lisa’s eyes became remote and amazed at the same time, as if he was stating a truth that hadn’t stricken her completely.

“Yes… Yes, you are, Mike. You’re my baby daddy”. Her eyes shone, like blue jewels, and Michael felt his throat constrict.

“I don’t wanna push you, Lise. But I just want you to know that I’m all in… Always. Forever”.

She rested her hand on his face and pulled him for a gentle kiss.

“…And I want you to be my beautiful wife again, once and for all”.

“You love hearing me say yes again and again, don’t you?”, Lisa’s crooked grin made him smile.

“Of course I do.”

“Then I’m gonna repeat it. Yes, I will marry your stubborn, persistent ass. Whenever you want me to, the way you want me to. I’m just asking you to give me a few months to get back into shape. You know…”, her hand caressed his cheek, “…I do have this gorgeous, handsome man by my side and I’d like to be at my most beautiful, for him”.

“We could get married right now, then…”.

She pushed him, playfully.

“Sh…oot, you’re so corny.”

He just chuckled and glanced down at Kellan, once again.

“He fell asleep on your boob, Lise…”.

Lisa followed Michael’s gaze, and she rose an eyebrow.

“Yeah, well… That’s because he’s full. And probably exhausted, poor baby…”.

They stayed quiet for a long time, just reveling in the perfection of the moment.

Raising this baby was going to be a different experience for both of them, on so many levels. They now had a lot more time on their hands to fully dedicate themselves to their kids and their family. They would be raising Kellan in the serene, peaceful environment they had been building together – for themselves, and for him. Also, their maturity and previous experiences made them way more confident and determined as to how they wanted their life to progress. They both felt taking care of their loved ones as an essential part of their lives, as the absolute priority. Nothing came before that, and nothing would distract them from that.

Albeit exhausting at times, the option to reinvent themselves was intriguing – it was a challenge, an adventure, and a beautiful one at that. With their collective physical, emotional and intellectual resources, with their love and absolute commitment to one another, with their devotion, Lisa and Michael felt now more competent than ever to be parents of a newborn. Plus, this time they would have each other.

 

 

Chapter song