Free Arrive by Nina Lane Page A

a moment, I stare at my husband. His eyes are red-rimmed and bloodshot, stubble covers his jaw, and his hair is a mess. He has never looked more beautiful.
    Dean shifts his gaze to mine.
    “Hi,” I whisper past the tighteness in my throat.
    He leans forward and puts a gentle hand on my head, pressing his lips to my forehead.
    “I love you so much, Liv.” His voice is rough.
    “I love you too, Dean.”
    The words will never be enough to encompass everything we are to each other, but he and I both know all the secret nuances and intricacies that belong to us alone. And the rest of the world fades into the distance.
    Dean and I look at the baby together. Nicholas’s face is pink and scrunched, his eyelashes long and dark against his cheeks, his little hands balled into fists. A sweet, fragrant scent wafts from him. A tuft of dark hair covers his head. As we watch, he starts to squirm. His eyes flutter open to reveal his midnight eyes.
    “Hello, Nicholas,” I say softly.
    He yawns. I glance at Dean with a smile. He’s looking at our son as if he’s never seen a baby before. His eyes are damp. He shifts his gaze to mine.
    And then there just aren’t any words at all.

CHAPTER SIX
    ‡
    D EAN
    A fter the nurse takes Nicholas for testing, I leave Liv to rest and go outside for a few minutes. I stand on the sidewalk outside the hospital, breathing the cool evening air and trying to untangle everything I’ve been feeling for the past day.
    My hand shakes as I pull out my cell and scroll my contacts, then press the phone to my ear. “Dad?”
    “Dean?” His voice is wary, probably because I never call him when he’s still at work. “Is everything okay?”
    “Everything is fine,” I assure him. “Better than fine. I called to tell you Liv had the baby. A boy.”
    There’s a stunned silence on the other end, as if my father hadn’t even known Liv was pregnant. I almost smile.
    “Dad?”
    He clears his throat. “That’s great news, Dean. I’m… how did it go?”
    “It was rough for Liv, but no complications.” I take a breath. “He’s six and a half pounds. We named him Nicholas.”
    “Nicholas West. Good name. Strong.”
    “Yeah.” My throat is starting to close up. “So, uh, I’ll give you a call later, okay? I want to tell Mom too.”
    “Congratulations, son.”
    I end the call and dial my mother’s cell to tell her the news.
    “Dean, I’m so happy for you.” Her voice thickens with emotion. “I’ll let Paige know and tell her you’ll call her when things settle down a bit.”
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    I hesitate for a second, not sure if I want to make my next request but knowing I’ll regret it if I don’t. If nothing else, my brother needs to know he has a nephew.
    “Hey, you don’t happen to have Archer’s contact number, do you?” I ask my mother.
    “I don’t know, dear,” she says, her tone edged with worry. “Last time he called me, he was in Texas, I think. Do you want me to try and find out where he’s staying?”
    “Yeah. I’d like… well, I’d like for him to know about Nicholas.”
    I don’t know what I expect to happen by telling Archer he has a nephew. Maybe nothing. Maybe something. It’s been a long time since I’ve believed anything good might come of my relationship with my brother. I guess having a child does that to a person—gives you a reason to hope.
    “I’ll do what I can, Dean,” my mother says. “Give our best to Liv, and please send pictures. I love you.”
    “You too, Mom.”
    I end the call and draw in another few gulps of air. The world still seems out-of-focus, as if it has stopped for the past day and is trying to start again.
    I head back to Liv’s room. She’s asleep, her features pale but relaxed. I stop beside the bed and touch her shoulder. More emotions than I know what to do with crash through me. Amazement, gratitude, awe, wonder. A love so all-consuming, so fierce, that it has the power to bring me to my knees.
    I brush a few strands