Epilogue
SPOV
"Ames, he's never going to go for me. He's gorgeous," I whispered harshly to her.
She was trying to convince me to flirt with a tall, handsome blonde guy since, as she said, I was long overdue for a good fuck. I'd caught him looking at me quite a few times in the hour we'd been at the bar, but I figured that was mostly because I was wearing a top that had the girls on almost full display.
Amelia was right though that I was overdue. I'd been with one man, and it was in college, and since then I'd only gone as far as giving a guy a hand job or oral. My last sexual encounter had been five months before, and I'd only made out with that guy. I was fairly confident in most respects of my life, but since my job didn't really require me to be too social, I'd grown comfortable being mostly a hermit. The most I got out was when Amelia dragged me out every weekend.
"Sook, he's staring at your tits like they could be his last meal," Amelia insisted. "Just go over and say hello."
Then she pushed me in his direction.
And the luck of the Irish was not on my side that day, because I tripped and fell, right into his arms.
"I am so sorry," I said as I tried to stand back up, but I stumbled again.
He helped me get back on my feet and joked, "Falling for me already, huh?"
"It seems so," I laughed. "Or that someone spilled a beer in a really bad spot."
"Or a really good one," he smiled down at me.
"Depends on how you look at it," I said. I liked that he was actually looking at my eyes when he talked to me.
"I'm Eric," he said, and held his hand out to me.
"Sookie," I said, and took his hand.
"So, Sookie," he said with that big smile fixed to his face again. "Are you really Irish or just pretending?"
"Just pretending, but don't tell anyone," I smiled back. "What about you?"
"Definitely pretending. I won't tell if you don't."
"Pinkie swear?" I said, and held up my pinkie before I could stop myself.
He chuckled and indulged me by hooking his pinkie with mine.
"So what are you drinking?" he asked me, peering over to try and figure out what was in my glass.
"It's a gin and tonic, but I'm thinking of getting an Irish Car Bomb next," I told him.
"Oh yeah?" he lifted a perfect eyebrow. "I don't know... that might be a bit much for a little leprechaun your size."
"Is that so?" I asked, raising my own eyebrow at him. "I think you'd best not underestimate me."
"Okay," he said, and flagged the bartender. "I think someone needs to put her money where her mouth is."
"Gladly," I smiled. He didn't know it, but I could drink most men under the table.
Then Eric ordered four Irish Car Bombs and two shots of Jameson.
"You are drinking two of those, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am," he nodded.
"Prepare to be beat by a woman," I grinned.
"You think so?" he looked like he welcomed the challenge.
"I do," I said confidently. "Should there be terms?"
"Oh so it's a bet now?" he asked, and I nodded. "Alright. Name your terms."
The bartender put our shots on the bar in front of us.
"If I win, you dance with me," I said.
"I can do that," he smiled, and handed me one of the shots of whiskey. "And when I win?"
"If you win... you choose."
"When I win, you dance with me," he said with evenly matched confidence to my own.
"Clever," I smiled.
"Well, it seems dishonorable to try and get a kiss out of you on a bet," he said, and lifted his shot glass to mine. "So it's a bet then?"
"It's a bet, and just so you know, if you're a good dancer you might get a kiss without a bet."
He winked at me, but said nothing else before tossing back his shot like it was just water. I tossed mine back too, and made a face so he'd think I was weak. The whiskey burned, but I'd gotten used to it over time.
"Burns like a son of a bitch," he said as he set down his shot glass.
"Yeah it does," I said.
The bartender put up the four glasses of stout and the four shots that went with them, and Eric added them to his tab. He turned to me and asked, "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"The real question is whether or not you are sure you're ready to be beat by a girl."
He laughed and moved the drinks around so there were two in front of me and two in front of him, and then he said, "Bring it on, shorty."
"On three?"
"On three," he nodded and picked up his beer in one hand and the shot of Bailey's in the other.
I mimicked his actions, and then started counting. "One... Two... Three!"
We both dropped our shots into the beer, and then started chugging. I wanted to not focus on him at all and just pretend that I was drinking with my brother, which was hard, because Eric was fucking delicious. But I did it, and I was dropping my next shot into the second beer just as Eric was finishing up his first. He started to catch up at the end, and we almost had a tie, but I slammed my glass back on the bar just before he did.
"Ha!" I laughed. "Not so little now, am I?"
"Looks like I owe you a dance," Eric said gracefully.
"Yes you do," I smiled, and offered him my hand. "Please catch me when all that booze hits me and I fall down."
"Let's just try to keep you vertical... for now," he winked, and took my hand to lead me to the very crowded dance floor where people were already dancing to very loud Irish punk rock.
"Don't think you're going to liquor me up and get lucky tonight, mister," I yelled over the music when he found us a good spot to dance.
"I don't need liquor," he smirked, and spun me around.
"Cocky!"
He just smiled smugly and kept dancing. Eventually the floor got so crowded that the only way to dance was to be pressed right up against him, which I really, really enjoyed. He was muscular underneath his clothes, and his hands... I loved his hands. They were big, and strong, and all over me, but not in a bad way. I especially enjoyed it when he turned me around and pulled me back against him as we danced. Every second of it was fun, but eventually I got too hot to keep going.
I turned around and motioned for him to dip down so I could say something in his ear.
"I'm hot! Can we go get some air?" I asked.
"Whatever you want," he said with a smile, and followed behind me when I started pulling him through the crowd.
I kept pulling until we were almost to the door, and then I turned to face him again.
"Do you want to go outside?"
"Yeah. A little fresh air might be good," he said.
I grabbed his hand, and headed out the door. The street was also crowded, so we went down the block a little until we found a less occupied spot.
"This is so much better," I sighed.
"God bless March for being cold," he said with a smile and tilted his face skyward.
I looked up at him and smiled. He was so, so tall, and beautiful, and I couldn't believe he was actually out there with me instead of inside hitting on more girls.
"So do you do the St. Patrick's Day thing every year?" I asked him.
"I do," he lowered his head to look at me. "It's a fun day, even if you just get completely shitfaced, go home and eat cold pizza at three in the morning."
"That sounds delicious," I said.
"I ordered pizza last night so I would be prepared," he confessed with, I shit you not, a giggle.
He was so fucking adorable.
"You're a smart guy."
"Yeah, we'll see if you still think that tomorrow when the hangover hits," he smirked.
"Are you implying that I'll be seeing you tomorrow?" I asked.
"Not at all. It's just a proven fact that no one drinks multiple Irish Car Bombs without waking up feeling like their head is stuck in a cement mixer."
"It got me a dance with you, so it'll be worth it," I smiled.
"You could have had that anyway," he said, and pushed my hair off my shoulder, grazing my neck with his fingertip in the process. His touch make me shiver in a very good way.
"What else could I have?" I asked.
He moved so he was standing in front of me, which meant I was backed up against a brick wall. He towered over me and asked, "What else do you want?"
"I want a lot, but right now I'd settle for a kiss," I said.
He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, but quickly came back for more.
It may have been a while since I'd been kissed well, or it could have been the alcohol, or even the insane amount of attraction I felt towards this man, but when he unleashed his kissing skills on me I almost went weak in the knees.
Just when it was getting really good, he pulled back, and I wanted to groan in frustration.
"Do you think I could have more of that?" I asked him. "And maybe some of it while naked?"
"I think you can have anything you want," he said, and kissed me again.
I'm not completely sure how long we stood there, kissing, but I do know it didn't break up until Amelia tapped on Eric's shoulder.
"Sorry to break this up," Amelia said with a grin that told me she wasn't sorry at all.
"What do you want, Ames?" I asked, and felt my face flush with embarrassment.
"Just doing the best friend thing here and making sure tall, blond and fuckable isn't taking advantage of you, that's all. You're not, are you?" Amelia looked to Eric who had a confused look on his face even though he was smiling.
"No more than she asked me to," Eric told Amelia.
"I'm fine, Amelia," I smiled reassuringly at her.
"Just checking," she said, and then tugged on Eric's sleeve so he'd lean down. She whispered something in his ear that made him smile and when she released him she patted his shoulder and said, "You kids have fun!"
"What did she just tell you?" I asked him when Amelia walked away.
"That this spot right here," he said, touching my neck with his fingertip. "Is your biggest weakness. And if I make you cry some guy named Tray will shoot my dick off."
I smiled, and said, "Yeah, he will, and uh... yeah, that spot will get you places."
"I'll try to remember that," he said. "Should we go back inside?"
"Yeah. I'll buy you a shot this time."
"Good deal," he said, but then leaned down to kiss me again. This time going after that spot on my neck.
I let out a moan, and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"You're doing a dangerous thing, Eric."
"Should I stop?" he whispered in my ear, and nibbled on it a little.
"Definitely not," I said.
He growled and then went back to that spot on my neck.
"Hey Eric?" I asked when I realized that it felt like he was kissing a very different area of my body.
"Hmmm..." he hummed against my skin.
"Do you wanna get out of here?"
He lifted his head, looked into my eyes and said, "Yes, I do."
"Your place or mine?"
"You choose."
"Mine," I said. "It's close by."
"Fine with me," he said, and stood up straight.
"Good," I smiled, and took his hand.
The bar was within walking distance of my building, and I shot a quick call to Amelia on the way back to let her know I was gone. She didn't answer, so I assumed she was still in the bar and left her a voicemail.
Ten minutes later I was pulling Eric into my apartment, and the next thing I knew we were on the couch picking up right where we left off. I thought he was amazing when we were vertical, but being horizontal with Eric was a million times better.
"This might sound stupid," I said when he was attacking my neck with kisses again. "But how far is too far?"
"We'll go as far as you want to go," he said between kisses.
"I think," I started to say, and then moaned when his hips ground against mine. "Ugh."
"Don't think too much," he advised. "We'll stop when you want to stop."
"I just think I've had too much alcohol for the sex thing," I said. "But I don't want to stop yet."
"Okay," he said, and kissed me before I could start rambling again.
We kissed for what seemed like hours, and I would have been perfectly content making out with him for a whole freaking week. It was that good. Eventually, items of clothing started coming off, and before I knew it we were both topless, and I was straddling Eric's waist.
"You're so beautiful," I told him.
"So are you," he said, and let his eyes drift down to my chest.
"Do you want to take off my bra?" I asked with a giggle.
"Very much," he nodded. I swear he was drooling a little bit.
"Go right ahead," I said.
He leaned forward to kiss me, and at the same time he reached behind my back and popped the clasp like a pro. His fingers gently pulled the straps down my arms, and once it was on the floor, his hands covered my boobs.
"Verdict?"
"Homegrown," he said with a sloppy smile. "That's a good start."
"I don't like plastic body parts," I smiled.
"Me either," he said, and dipped his head to kiss one of my breasts.
I was content to let him play since it not only felt good, but I wanted to see how he handled them, and handle them he did. By the time I pushed him back down again I was almost ready to just have sex with him, and I'm actually surprised I had enough non-alcohol soaked brain left to not do it.
"My turn," I said, and my hands went to his jeans.
"No plastic parts there either," he smirked.
"I should hope not," I smiled.
I got his zipper down, and then I reached into his boxers. My eyes went a little wide, and I started stroking him.
"I'm impressed," I told him.
"Thank you," he said in a strained voice.
"Do you mind if I..." I said, and looked down to where my hand was.
"Not at all," he said as his eyes rolled back into his head a little bit.
I smiled, and pulled him out before I continued stroking. He was big. Very big. I was actually kind of glad I wasn't planning to have sex with him that night. Eric was the definition of proportional.
I watched his face as I stroked him, and when I added a twist and he groaned I couldn't stop myself from moving off the couch and taking him into my mouth.
"Fuck," he groaned, and grabbed the couch.
I moaned around his length and swirled my tongue around the head. I didn't have a huge amount of experience in the sex department, and I didn't really have a lot in the oral department either, but at least oral was something I was good at, and something I enjoyed giving.
He was too big to fit all of him in my mouth, so I used one hand to stroke what didn't fit while my other hand went into my pants. After a minute or two I looked up at him to find that he was watching me touch myself. I blushed at first, but then I saw the lust in his eyes. I released him from my mouth.
"You okay there, Eric?" I asked him with a smirk.
"Uh huh," he nodded, and looked like he was trying to concentrate on something.
"Want me to keep going?"
"Yeah," he nodded again and I noticed he was gripping the couch cushions so hard his knuckles were white.
"Don't come in my mouth, okay?"
I didn't know where he'd been.
"I'll warn you," he said through a clenched jaw.
I decided not to torture him any longer and wrapped my lips around him again.
"Fuck," he groaned again, and a moment later I felt one of his hands in my hair.
My head bobbed, and I stopped to suck hard on the head every once in a while. When I heard him panting and groaning, I pulled my other hand out of my underwear and gently fondled his balls to see what kind of reaction I'd get out of him.
He growled, his grip tightened on my hair and his hips bucked up off the couch a little bit.
I wanted to smile, but smiling and blowjobs don't mix, so I kept doing what I was doing. When I increased the speed and intensity of my actions, he finally gave me that warning.
"Sookie, I'm close," he said, gently pulling my head up.
I released him again, but kept stroking and playing with his balls until he came, and boy did he ever. He cursed loudly when he finally let go and made a big mess all over his torso, thankfully not getting any on my couch.
I giggled and grabbed the box of tissues off my end table so he could clean himself up when he calmed down a little.
"Jesus Christ," he said as he gasped for air. "That was... fucking awesome..."
"Thank you," I smiled, and started wiping him off anyway.
"Do I get to give back?" he asked, stilling my hand as it moved across his stomach.
"Only if you want to," I said.
"Oh, I do," he nodded with a devilish little smirk on his face.
"Then by all means..."
Eric helped me up, and then leaned forward to kiss my stomach while he unbuttoned my jeans. The little bit of scruff on his jaw tickled and it made me giggle.
"Ticklish?" Eric asked, looking up with amusement in his eyes.
"Very," I admitted.
"Good to know," he smirked, and then went back to kissing my stomach while he slid my pants down.
His eyes trained on mine, but his lips kept moving while he slid my panties down, too. His hands landed on my hips, and then moved down to cup my ass and pull me a little closer. His mouth moved down and he kissed from one hip to the other before moving a little further south. I could feel his breath on my thighs and my fingers ran through his soft, silky hair.
Before he could go where I really wanted him, Eric pushed me back and got up off the couch. He laid one hell of a kiss on me that completely stole my breath, and then pushed me down onto the couch. He tugged my jeans and panties the rest of the way off, and then dropped to his knees in front of me. He kissed the inside of my thigh, smiling a little when I started to giggle again, but the grazing of his fingers against my lower lips stopped that.
"Mmm… you're wet already," he stared into my eyes. "Did sucking my cock do this to you?"
I nodded, even though it wasn't just that. There was all the kissing and boob handling before that. He moved just that little bit to the left, and then I felt his tongue lick up the length of my slit a few times. His fingers parted my folds and he kissed my clit before flicking his tongue against it. My back arched and my hand was back in his hair. He was good about letting me direct him a little, even though he didn't need much direction at all.
Eric slid a finger inside me and my hips lifted up to meet the slow thrusting of it. When he added another he latched onto my clit and alternately sucked and thrust his tongue against it in time with the rhythm of his fingers until I was panting and moaning, and pulling his head closer to me.
"Eric," I moaned his name, knowing I was close.
He twisted his fingers a little and on the outstroke, he found a spot inside me that made me moan loudly. He growled, and searched for it again. I cried out when he found it a second time, and his tongue moved faster against my clit until I felt myself exploding. For a second I was sure I pulled a handful of his hair out. My eyes rolled back and then squeezed closed as I came.
"Fuck, you're sexy when you come," he said against my thigh, and sucked on it a little bit as I came down from my high. His fingers were still stroking gently inside me, prolonging the feelings.
"You are way too good at that," I panted.
He stilled his fingers and asked, "Should I stop?"
"If you want to keep going and give me another, I won't stop you."
He smiled, but removed his fingers just long enough to lick them clean and reposition me on the couch so I was under him.
"Is this okay?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Good," he said, and then kissed me hard.
His hands were on my nipples for a few moments before one hand moved down my stomach and back between my legs. He broke the kiss to find that spot on my neck again, and I was sure I was going to have a hickey by morning. His fingers slid inside me easily, and slowly began to pump in and out. I was panting for air in no time, and when I felt his erection pressed against me I managed to get a hand between us to stroke him while he fingered me. It seemed only fair.
In spite of how drunk I was, he got me off again quickly and might have gone for a third if his own orgasm wouldn't have interrupted us. That time he came on me, but I didn't mind since it landed on my stomach and not near my lady business.
"Fuck," he groaned and dropped onto the couch, trailing kisses along my shoulder.
I was impressed that he wasn't pushing me to actually fuck him.
"I know what you mean," I sighed happily. "I needed that."
"Uh huh," he agreed.
"Thank you," I told him, and kissed his nose.
"You're very welcome," he said, and kissed my chin before reaching over me to get the box of tissue off the table. "Sorry I made a mess here."
"You kind of can't help it," I chuckled.
"Not really," he smiled at me.
"Are you thirsty?"
"Yeah, actually," he said, and started to push himself up off of me.
"I think all I have is water and beer."
"I think I should stick to water at this point," he said, and pulled me up off the couch. "Goddamn, you look good naked."
I blushed, and said, "Thank you. I'm glad you think so."
"I do, but you should probably put some clothes on before I attack you again," he warned.
"That, I can do," I smiled, and started looking around for my underwear. "Where did you toss my panties to?"
"They should be on the floor with your jeans," he said as he got himself all tucked away.
"Aha," I said, and found my pretty lace boyshorts with my jeans. I pulled them on, and then put my shirt back on. "Can I go pantless?"
"It's your house," he chuckled.
"I just didn't know how it would affect your urge to attack."
"I guess we'll find out," he shrugged.
"Well then, follow me to the kitchen," I smiled.
"So tell me the truth," Eric said as we walked. "Was tonight the first time you ever had an Irish Car Bomb?"
"Nope," I smiled.
"That impresses me," he smiled.
"I'm an impressive girl, what can I say?"
"You are, and if it wasn't for your awesome rack, I would have won," he said. "You distracted me."
"Uh huh," I laughed, and pulled two bottles of water from the fridge and handed him one.
"Thank you," he said and twisted the cap off.
He then proceeded to drink half the bottle in three large gulps.
"You're welcome," I said. "Thirsty?"
"Yes, and trying to limit the clusterfuck of a hangover coming my way."
"Good thinking. There's like twenty more bottles in there, so if you want more, help yourself."
"I might."
"Do you want to go sit down and talk?"
"Sure," he smiled, and finished off his water. He grabbed another bottle for good measure, and then followed me back to the living room.
"So, Eric, are you going to remember all this in the morning?"
"I hope so," he said as he plopped down on the couch next to me.
"I hope so too," I smiled. "And just so you know, I never do this. Not that this is bad or anything."
"I don't either," he said, and dug into his pocket to produce his cell phone. "You know, just to be on the safe side maybe we should trade numbers now so we don't forget. I definitely want to see you again."
"Yeah?" I smiled, and took his phone when he handed it to me.
"Absolutely. Any girl who can dance like that after slamming two Irish Car Bombs is a girl I want to spend more time with."
"Any guy who looks at my face when he's talking to me and doesn't push for sex is a guy I want to spend time with," I smiled. "My phone is in my jeans pocket."
Eric leaned down to get my jeans, and he found my phone a minute later. He handed it to me and then gave me his number so I could program it. I programmed mine into his phone and handed it back to him so he could fill out the rest of it. Some people like to put nicknames instead of real names.
"So," I said. "What do you do for a living?"
"I work as a financial planner for a big firm down at the Mercantile Exchange," he said.
"Do you wear a suit?"
"Everyday," he nodded.
I smiled and bit my lip.
"What?" he looked at me curiously.
"Nothing, I just... I like suits."
"That smile tells me you more than like them," he smirked.
"I have a thing for a man in a well-fitting suit."
"I see," he nodded.
"Is that weird?"
"Only if it's because daddy used to wear suits all the time," he said with a smile.
"Not that I remember," I said. "My dad worked in construction. He probably only would have worn a suit to mine or my brother's wedding."
"Would have?"
"He and my mom died when I was young," I told him.
He looked at me sympathetically when he said, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you," I said. "But I've had a lot of time to deal with it."
"Still sucks," he said. "I could be closer with my parents, but at least I have the option of changing our relationship if I want to. And now I kind of feel like I dick for even saying that. Sorry."
"It's okay. We all take things for granted. I took my parents for granted before they died, and by then it was too late."
"Sometimes it's hard to see how important something is to us before we lose it," he said.
"That's life."
"Yes, it is," he nodded.
"Do you want to watch some TV?" I asked. Too much heavy stuff would be a bad thing.
"If you want to."
"I just don't want to scare you off with all this heavy talk."
"Why would that scare me off?" he quirked an eyebrow. "We all have a past and have had bad things happen to us."
"Some guys just... you know what, no. You're not most guys."
"I hope not," he said. "But we don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about. TV is fine."
"I'm actually really tired. You wore me out," I smiled.
"I'm not even sorry," he said with a smile. "I should probably get going though, so you can get some rest."
"Oh," I said, unable to hide my disappointment.
"Unless..." he trailed off, and reached for my hand. "Did you want me to stay?"
"Yeah," I said. "Only if you don't need to leave."
"I don't. I just didn't want to be a presumptuous jerk, or crowd you or something."
"You're not," I smiled.
"Good," he looked relieved, and then moved closer to me on the couch.
"Wanna make out for a while?"
"I thought you were tired?" he smirked.
"That's where the for a while part comes in."
"Oh, well, in that case," he said, and then kissed me.
We continued to make out and talk until we were both tired enough to pass out, which we did, right there on the couch. It was actually the perfect end to a first meeting, and when we woke in the morning, we still remembered it all.
oOoOoOo
My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw were bright lights that made me close them tight again. I tried to remember what had happened and where I was, and after a moment of confusion it all came flooding back to me. I had gone into premature labor. I didn't remember much after getting to the hospital. My hands went to my stomach, which was sore and deflated.
"Eric?" I asked, and opened my eyes again in a panic.
"Hi," he smiled at me when he came into my field of vision. "I'm glad you're awake. There's someone you should meet."
"Is she okay?" I asked. I was about to burst into tears.
"She's perfect. A little small, but she's fine," he bent and kissed me. "She's got your eyes."
"Where is she?"
"Right over there," he pointed to one of those plastic bassinet things, and then went to go get her. He came back a few seconds later with a little pink bundle. "Alright, baby girl, say hi to your mommy."
I sat up slowly and winced in pain, but as soon as Eric put her in my arms I forgot all about it.
"Oh my goodness," I said, and my eyes filled with tears. "She's so small."
"And she's got a ton of blonde hair under her hat," he sat on the edge of my bed.
I lifted the hat a little and saw an adorable blonde head of hair. She had my nose, and Eric's long eyelashes. I was sure her eyes were blue since he told me they were mine, but they could change as she got older.
"Does she have all her fingers and toes?" I asked. I didn't want to unwrap her.
"She's perfect, babe. You did good," he smiled at me, and when he reached out to touch our daughter, his hand was bigger than her whole head.
"She's so small," I said again, and started full on crying.
"She's just over six pounds, but the doctors have checked her out and she's fine. Her lungs are good and she came out screaming," Eric assured me over my tears.
"Of course she did, she wasn't done baking yet."
He laughed and said, "I suppose not, but she's doing fine."
"Did you call your parents yet?"
"I did," he smiled. "Mom is booking a flight out for next week, and she's bringing Pam with her. Dad is excited and said he'll make plans to come up after Mom does. And just so you know, you're okay, too. The doctor didn't have to remove anything. We got lucky."
"Oh my god I didn't even think of that. So we can still have kids?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "And if our Amelia theory is correct, you'll be pregnant again within a year."
"If she knows what's good for her, she'll give us at least two years," I smiled.
"You were always better at talking sense into her than I was," Eric smiled as the baby opened her little eyes.
"Hi, baby," I said, and teared up again, just as the last bout dried up. "I'm your mama."
"Have you decided on a name yet?" Eric asked me, and adjusted our daughter's hat a little bit.
"I was thinking Amy," I said. "Amelia said her mom used that as her nickname in her baby book."
"I like it," he smiled. "What do you think, Amy?"
"I think she'll be fine with it," I smiled down at her. "Do you want to pick her middle name?"
"How about Elizabeth?" he suggested, which was my middle name. "That way you and Amelia will always be together."
"You don't think she'll hate us for naming her after me?"
"Nah," he shook his head. "Little boys get named after their father or grandfather all the time. Besides, you're going to be such an awesome mom I think she'll be proud of the name."
"Amy Elizabeth Northman," I smiled. "I think it's perfect."
"I like the sound of it," he said, and leaned over Amy to kiss me.
"I love you," I told him. "I'm sorry if I scared you."
"I love you too. It was definitely a nail biter there for a little while," he told me. "But it wasn't your fault. I'm just glad you came back to me."
"I'll always come back to you."
"I guess we're an us now," he said, looking down at Amy, whose eyes were closed again.
"We have a kid," I said with a big grin. "We're gonna screw her up so much, but we'll love her enough that it won't matter."
"And she's never going to a bar on St. Patrick's Day," he said, which made me laugh and my stomach hurt.
"Just try and stop her," I chuckled. "And don't make me laugh."
"Sorry," he said, and leaned down to kiss me, and then the baby. "Can I get you anything?"
"Will you go grab a nurse? I just don't know what I'm allowed to do, and I think I have to pee."
"Yeah, sure," he said, and kissed me one more time. "I'll be right back."
While he was gone I had a few words with my daughter.
"Okay, listen up, Amy," I said. "I named you after my best friend in the whole world, and she would have been the best aunt to you. As awesome as Amelia was, I don't want you to feel pressured to live up to her name. She would just want you to be you, and that's what I want too. I don't care if you want to be a clown when you grow up, you just have to promise me you'll do what makes you happy. And you have to love your father and me and not date until you're at least twenty-five."
Eric came back in the room with a nurse behind him, and he gently took Amy from me after I gave her a kiss.
EPOV
"Okay, bed or couch?" I asked Sookie when we walked into the apartment. I didn't know where she would be most comfortable, and getting up and down was difficult for Sookie. Probably would be for a couple of weeks.
"If you won't mind hanging in the bedroom with me when I'm awake, then bed."
"That's fine with me," I said, and then Holly came out from the kitchen with a grin on her face.
"You're here!" she said, and crossed the room to give Sookie a gentle hug. "How are you feeling?"
I'd asked Holly to come by and do a quick load of laundry for us so Sookie would have clean sheets to sleep on. Judging by the smells in the house she'd also taken it upon herself to cook for us, which was fine by me.
"Sore, but happy," Sookie smiled.
"I remember how that feels. I had to have a c-section with Molly. She refused to turn," Holly said sympathetically, and then bent to peek in on Amy. She gasped and said, "She's just the most precious little thing I've ever seen."
"Yeah, I'm rethinking that whole wanting her to look like her mother thing," I confessed, and Sookie elbowed me.
"She'd be gorgeous either way, and you know it," Sookie said.
"That's the truth," Holly smiled up at us. "Congratulations, you two."
"Thank you," I smiled at her. "And thank you for your help around here."
"Oh, please," she waved us off. "I remember how hard it is when you first bring a baby home. You think you're going to keep up with everything and the next thing you know there are empty bottles all over the place and toys on the floor. They aren't kidding when they say a baby changes everything."
"I have a feeling you're very, very right about that," Sookie smiled. "And we really do appreciate the help. I feel a little unprepared with her coming early."
"I'm just glad you're okay. Tray wanted to be here, but he couldn't get anyone to cover the bar," Holly smiled. "But he did send along a little gift. I put it in Amy's room."
"Tell him thank you," Sookie said with a smile. "How are things between you two?"
"Very good," Holly smiled.
She and Tray had been seeing each other for the last three months. They made a cute couple and her girls adored him.
"I hate to run out so quickly, but I have to go get the girls from school. There's a pot of chicken and dumplings on the stove, and whatever you don't eat today can be frozen for another day. And I also put a baked spaghetti in the freezer for you too so you don't have to worry too much about meals today and tomorrow. If you need anything else just let me know," Holly said.
"We will. Thank you, Holly," Sookie said, and gave her another hug.
"You're welcome, sugar," Holly kissed her cheek, and then moved over to me to hug me too. "Take good care of my girls, mister."
"I will," I promised her, and then Holly bent to give Amy a kiss on her forehead.
"And you, you little angel, sleep through the night for your mama, okay? She's had a rough couple of days," Holly said.
Amy snorted.
"And she's got Amelia's sense of timing and humor," I said.
"If that's true we have our hands full," Sookie laughed.
"You will anyway," Holly said as she stood up.
"Look how she came into the world," I pointed out. Amy had certainly made a memorable entrance, at least for me. It kind of sucked that Sookie had no memory of it since she'd been unconscious at the time.
"I have a feeling she'll always be surprising us," Sookie smiled down at our little girl.
"I hope so," I said.
"She will," Holly said, and then said goodbye one more time before letting herself out of the apartment.
"Bed?" I asked Sookie, and leaned down to take Amy out of her carseat since bending was also on the list of ouchie things Sookie hated doing.
"Yeah," she nodded. "And if the munchkin stays asleep, maybe a bowl of that amazing smelling food Holly made?"
"Deal," I said, and lifted Amy from her seat. It was amazing how much her face had changed in just three days.
I followed Sookie back to our bedroom and set Amy down in the little co-sleeper we'd attached to Sookie's side of the bed since she was serious about giving breastfeeding a try. Then I helped Sookie into bed, and stacked her pillows behind her the way she wanted them.
"Comfy?" I asked her.
"As comfy as I can be," she smiled, and puckered her lips for a kiss.
I kissed her and asked, "Do you want food now, or do you want to wait?"
"Now. Hospital food doesn't cut it."
"You got it," I said, and kissed her again. "I'll be right back."
I left her alone with Amy and went to the kitchen to get her a bowl of the chicken and dumplings Holly had made. I grabbed some crackers for good measure just in case, and poured her a glass of milk too. When I got back to the bedroom she was turned on her side a little and staring at Amy.
"We're never going to sleep again, are we?" I asked her, and handed over the bowl of chicken and dumplings.
"I'm sure we'll pass out from exhaustion at some point," she smiled as she took the bowl. "Thank you, sweetie."
"You're welcome," I said, and sat at the edge of the bed. "Think she likes it here so far?"
"She hasn't cried too much, so I hope so."
"She'll get used to it. Her new accommodations are definitely roomier than before," I smirked.
"Definitely, but I'm kind of having separation anxiety. It's weird not having her inside me."
"She's not too far away," I said, and when Amy started to fuss a little I picked her up. She was barely bigger than both of my hands.
"She looks smaller than a loaf of bread in your hands," Sookie said.
"I could just carry her around in my pocket," I suggested.
"I think she might outgrow your pocket eventually," she smiled.
"Eventually," I said.
"By the way, you holding a teeny baby is kind of attractive. I'm going to need a lot of pictures of that so I can get the happy going again once I'm healed."
"Mommy porn," I chuckled and Sookie nudged me with her foot.
"It would be like me dressed up in baseball gear or something. But sexy baseball gear."
"We'll look into that once you're back on the market," I told her.
"And you can just deal with my baby weight by the way. I'm not snapping back like those celebrities who leave their kids with nannies right away so they can work out non-stop and starve themselves," she said with a teasing smile.
"I'm not even worried about it," I told her.
"Good, because I seem to recall you liking the bigger butt."
"It looks good on you," I smiled at her.
"Thank you," she grinned.
Amy started to stretch a little and she yawned all big and adorable, which had Sookie cooing at her immediately.
"Oh she's so cute! And I think she used to do that when she was in me."
"Oh yeah?" I asked, and laid Amy down on the bed so she could move around more if she wanted to.
"Yeah, remember when the front of my stomach would push out? I think she was doing that. We were seeing her stomach."
"She was fun to push around in there," I agreed, remembering how Sookie would press on her belly to move Amy around when she was uncomfortable.
"Until she kicked me in the kidney when I made her mad."
"I'm sure that was an accident, wasn't it, baby girl?" I asked. When I held my finger out to her little hand, she wrapped her fist around it. "She's got a good grip."
"She's never going to do anything wrong in your eyes, is she?" Sookie smiled at me.
"I'm sure she will... just not for at least twenty years."
"Wait until she's twelve," she said. "They start early these days."
"Start early with what?"
"Liking boys, makeup, bras, periods... all that girl stuff."
"I can handle that."
"You sure? Even when she's suddenly embarrassed to even be in the same room with you?"
"Shhhhh..." I said, and then leaned over Amy. "Don't listen to her, Amy. She's talking crazy."
"Just you wait," Sookie laughed, and then took a bite of her food.
"Why do you want to ruin it?" I shook my head at her.
"Sorry, Amy will be your little princess forever, and never do anything wrong. She'll also not have a boyfriend until she's at least twenty, and she'll marry that boy before having the sex."
"Well let's not get carried away," I said. "Let's just hold off on her hating me for a little while. She's not even a week old yet."
"She's got years of loving you ahead of her," she smiled, and held up a spoonful of chicken and dumplings. "Now try this, it's delicious."
I took a bite and said, "Damn, that is really good."
"You should eat, sweetie. You're going to run yourself ragged helping me."
"I will," I promised. "I'll wait until you're done just in case the boss needs something."
"She is the boss now, isn't she?"
"I thought that became obvious when you spent eight weeks puking your guts out," I reminded her.
"Ew, don't remind me."
"Just saying," I shrugged.
"Well I don't want to puke again until I'm pregnant again," she said.
"That's an excellent goal," I told her, and ten seconds later Amy started fussing again. I looked at the clock and said, "I think it's feeding time at the zoo."
"Yeah, I think it is," she said, and set her bowl aside. "I'm not sure how much I like this breastfeeding thing though."
"Well, whenever you're done, you're done," I said, and lifted Amy to hand her over to Sookie.
She unbuttoned her shirt, and tried to get Amy to latch on.
"It's so difficult getting her to latch sometimes. And most moms I talked to said they felt a connection, and I do, but it's not as profound as they made it sound. I just feel like you're missing out on bonding time with her too by not being able to help with this. Plus she did better with the bottle nipple than with mine."
"Well, Amy and I get plenty of bonding time while you're sleeping, so don't worry about that. But if you're not comfortable, or it's not working out for both of you then you don't have to keep doing it," I told her.
"I won't be a bad mom?"
"Not at all. There are plenty of moms that don't breastfeed, Sook. You're a bad mom if you don't feed her at all."
"Then I'll give myself another two days to try and hack it, and if I can't, it's the bottle for this one."
"That sounds fair," I nodded.
Sookie looked down at Amy and smiled when she finally latched on and started drinking.
"That's my girl," she said, and looked at me. "Your parents are going to fall in love with this cutie."
"I think that's a pretty safe assumption," I agreed. "I'm curious to see how Pam reacts to her. She's never been one of those girls that wants to babysit or get anywhere near babies."
"She might not like her now, but maybe she'll react more when Amy's crawling around and easier to play with."
"Maybe," I shrugged. "Or maybe she'll treat her niece like a little Barbie doll come to life that she can dress up."
"Or that," she chuckled. "One thing's for sure, Amy is well-loved already."
"Very much so."
"How are you doing with all this?" she asked. "I can't believe I haven't bothered asking how you are."
"I'm good. You're healthy. Amy is healthy. I can't ask for anything more than that," I said.
At about thirteen weeks into her pregnancy Sookie was diagnosed with placenta previa, which just meant the placenta had attached at a bad spot in her uterus. There were risks associated with it, but it wasn't life or death. She was put on bedrest at thirty weeks just to be on the safe side so Amy wouldn't come too early, but a higher power had other plans. Sookie went into early labor, and when she started bleeding I was terrified that I was going to lose her. She ended up going to the emergency room in an ambulance, and she passed out on the way there.
She'd needed an emergency c-section to get Amy out. Sookie was only thirty-five weeks along, so Amy was a couple of weeks early, but she came out healthy and strong, just like her mother. I was lucky that both of them were okay. We'd had several talks about what we were going to do if it came down to making a choice between her and the baby, and try as I might I could never accept her insistence that I choose Amy over her. Even if she hated me for the rest of her life because of it, I just couldn't do it.
"We got lucky," she said quietly.
"Yeah, we did," I agreed, and laid a hand on her knee. "But the good thing is that this shouldn't happen again. You heard what the doctor said about this being just one of those chance things."
"I don't know. I feel like something is always going to go wrong now."
"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe this is just some higher power's way of testing us to make sure we really want it."
"Some test," she said.
"I think we passed, though," I smiled at her.
"I should hope so. I never want to go through that again. I thought I was going to lose her."
I nodded, but didn't say that I was more concerned about losing her. It's not that I don't love Amy, because I do but... hell, I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an asshole. Thankfully I didn't have to worry about it since someone was looking out for us, and both of my girls are safe and healthy.
"You know what all this means, right?" Sookie asked.
"Sook, they haven't perfected the male pregnancy yet," I joked and she rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I was thinking more that now we have a better idea of how long it'll be before we can make with the sex again," she said and wiggled her eyebrows.
"How do you even have the energy to think about it?" I asked her. Neither of us had slept much since Amy was born, and I hadn't slept at all in the first twenty-four hours.
"I've been thinking about it for weeks. We kind of got side-lined early."
"That's true."
"Oh no," she said. "Have you not been thinking about it at all?"
"Here and there. Not so much in the last four days, though."
"Well no, I haven't either in the last four days."
"Gotta love that immediate shift in priorities, huh?" I tried to smile but ended up yawning instead. The exhaustion was starting to catch up with me.
"Honey, take a nap," she said as she touched my cheek with her free hand. "She's just going to eat, burp, and go back to sleep anyway."
"I know, but I should get the stuff unpacked and eat something first," I said. "I'll get to it eventually."
"We're supposed to sleep when she does. You're no good to either of us if you're exhausted."
"I know, but she's not sleeping right now," I pointed out. "Don't worry, I promise I'll sleep."
"Then at least go get yourself some food so I don't feel like you're just staying awake for me."
"Yes, ma'am," I leaned forward and gave her a kiss before getting up to go grab a bowl of chicken and dumplings.
When I peeked into the bedroom Sookie had Amy on her shoulder with her eyes closed and a smile on her face as she burped the baby. I figured I'd give them a few minutes alone, and went to the couch to eat. The downside to that decision was that when I was finished, I didn't want to get up. But I forced myself to get up so I could put away the stuff Sookie had packed to take to the hospital. She had just packed the bag the week before, thankfully, or I wouldn't have known what the hell to bring.
By the time I was done with all of that I found Sookie lying on her side, facing my side of the bed. She'd put Amy down on the mattress so she'd be between the two of us. What else was new there? I kicked my shoes off and then got into bed as quietly as I could so I wouldn't wake Sookie if she was sleeping. I was more worried about her than I was myself. Amy turned her head so she was facing me and her eyes popped open. I smiled at her and reached for one of her little hands. She wrapped her fist around my finger again, and my thumb stroked over her teeny fingers.
When the nurse first handed Amy to me in the hospital I was afraid I was going to break her. She looked so fragile and small, but she was a lot stronger than I had anticipated. It boggled the mind to think that Sookie and I had created this little person that was resting between us. All of a sudden it really hit me that I was a father, and responsible for this child. I glanced at Sookie and was surprised to see her eyes were open as well. I'd thought she was sleeping.
"Hey," I whispered.
"She's pretty awesome, isn't she?"
"Best thing I ever did," I smiled at Amy.
"Ditto," she said, and reached for my hand.
"I love you, Sook," I said as I took her hand.
"I love you, too."
A brilliant idea flashed into my mind and I lifted Amy so she was lying on my chest over my heart. I turned my head toward Sookie and asked, "Think you can snuggle with your stitches, or will it hurt too much?"
She smiled and said, "As long as nothing is pressed up against them, I think I'll be fine."
I extended an arm and said, "Then come make yourself comfortable."
She snuggled up to me as best she could, and smiled. "This is nice. Our whole family on this bed."
"It's pretty comfortable," I smiled over at her. "Don't be offended if I fall asleep though."
"I won't. I might do just that too," she said and yawned.
"Good idea," I said, and closed my eyes. If Amy needed us, she'd wake us up. It would be hard to miss her with her lying there on my chest.
"Before I forget to tell you, thank you for being you," Sookie whispered.
"You too," I whispered back, and smiled when she kissed my chest.
"Goodnight."
"Night," I answer, but know we won't be asleep for long before the newest member of our little family wakes us up again.
Thank you all for reading and we hope you enjoyed the ride. Makesmyheadspin says thanks to you all and thanks for being awesome :) She also said to thank you for not killing us for killing the baby. Really, thank you.