‘BE CAREFUL! WATCH IT! Whoa! Not there! There. Careful. Precious cargo.’ Lily hovered around Fraser, shouting directions as he placed the baby car seat onto the bed.
Bri followed them in and sat down in the rocking chair, watching as father and daughter fussed. They seemed to be in a competition about who loved the baby the most.
She reckoned she won. She loved them all so much.
The bedroom was exactly how she’d envisaged it: the cot, the rocking chair, stacks of teeny baby clothes, even though they had a perfectly suitable nursery down the corridor. But she wanted to be on hand when the baby woke up, at least for the first few months. Her new husband agreed.
He grinned. ‘I’ve got it, thanks, Lily.’
‘Got her.’ A Lily eye-roll, which took today’s count to about number one hundred and thirty-four. ‘I don’t want you to drop her.’
Fraser laughed. ‘I meant I’m in control of the car-seat manoeuvre. I’ve done this a few times.’
‘But you haven’t done it with this little one.’ Lily unclipped the straps on the car seat and carefully picked up little Ellen Josephine Moore—Elle for short—who was making little gurgling sounds, and cradled her in her arms. ‘I think she’s hungry. Or does she need changing? How do we tell what her different cries mean? Can I change her?’
Bri smiled. It had been an intense labour and she was tired and wired. Excited and hopeful and teary. ‘I think we’ll learn as we go. Right now, I’d say she’s just showing us how excited she is to be home. Just like I am.’
‘This is where the fun starts.’ Fraser took the squeaking little bundle from Lily and lifted her onto his shoulder, rocked from side to side, patting the tiny back and whispering, ‘Hey, there, little Elle-Belle. This is our bedroom. This is your sister, Lily-Bee. She hates the Bee bit, but we say it to wind her up.’
‘It works.’ Lily snorted and stroked the baby’s head, cooing soft words and giving her gentle kisses. ‘Don’t tell them, but I like it, really.’
‘This is your mummy.’ Fraser turned and bent to Briana, taking little Elle’s hand and waving. He stopped, his beautiful smile turning to a look of concern. ‘Oh. God, are you okay? You’re crying.’
Briana sniffed and wiped her tears away. ‘I’m absolutely fine. Absolutely, wonderfully, totally fine.’
He knelt down next to her and pressed his cheek to hers, protecting the baby on his chest. ‘So why the tears?’
‘It’s so perfect.’ She took them all in, her husband and her two beautiful daughters, unable to believe she could be this lucky. This loved. Unable to measure the love in her heart, because it was beyond anything she could ever have imagined.
The giving and taking, the wholeness, the care. The unity of it all. ‘All of it. All of you. It’s just perfect.’
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Louisa George
The Princess’s Christmas Baby
A Puppy and a Christmas Proposal
Saved by Their One-Night Baby
A Nurse to Heal His Heart
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Reunited with Doctor Devereaux by Allie Kincheloe.