Special Delivery by April Wilson
Chapter 15 – Cooper
Daniel Cooper
Just after midnight, I come across Shane in the kitchen, attempting to make a sandwich with one hand while cradling Ava in his other arm. “Here, let me help.”
I take the baby from him and settle her in my arms. She’s wide awake, squirming and stretching. I like the feel of her in my arms, the slight weight and the warmth of her. As I feel a tug on my heartstrings, I know this precious little one already owns a piece of my soul. Just like her mama and her brother do. They—along with Shane and the rest of the McIntyres—are the extended family I never had.
My family—my parents, that is—disowned me because of my sexuality. I was raised by an aunt, but she’s gone now, god rest her soul. I wish she could have met Sam. I wish she could have seen how happy I am now, how utterly fulfilled.
As I stare down at Ava’s sweet little face, so perfectly round with a tiny button nose and big blue eyes, my chest tightens. This little girl has a bright future ahead of her, because no matter what, her family will show her the unconditional love that all children deserve.
I gently stroke her soft hair. “You two sure make pretty babies.”
Shane grins. “She’s beautiful, but I might be a little biased. Right now, she’s wide awake and keeping her mama up, when her mama should be sleeping.”
Shane finishes assembling his plate for a midnight meal.
I nod toward the door. “You go on up. I’ll bring Ava to you in a few minutes. I just need to wrangle Sam. He’s on the back patio playing poker with the youngsters.”
Leaving Shane to it, I head through the great room and out the back doors. Sure enough, the young guys—Sam, Philip, Liam, Ian, and Miguel—are gathered around a table playing cards. I’m glad to see Ian’s fitting right in with the guys. “Howdy, boys.”
As they’re between hands, Sam jumps to his feet and takes the baby from me. “Hey, little princess,” he says as he coos to her. He leans down to touch the tip of his nose to hers. “Uncle Sammy loves you.”
Ian holds out his hands. “She wants Uncle Ian.”
Liam shoots to his feet. “What about me?” He holds out his hands for his turn to hold the baby. “Uncle Liam here.”
“You boys can fight over her in the morning,” I say. “It’s late. I’m supposed to take Ava up to Shane and Beth’s room.” I grip the back of Sam’s neck. “And you’re needed upstairs.”
Sam grins at me, his face heating as the rest of the boys snicker at him. Ian gives him a wink.
Sam scoops his winnings off the table and pockets the change. “Sorry, guys, but you heard the man. I’m needed elsewhere. You’ll have to get along without me.”
Ignoring their teasing jests, Sam and I walk back into the great room and head upstairs.
“I can’t stop looking at her,” he says as he gazes down at Ava. “Have you ever seen anything so adorable? She definitely takes after Beth.”
There’s something about watching Sam fawning over a baby that hits me right in the gut. He loves kids. We’ve talked about having our own one day. But to be honest, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it. I grew up ostracized. I thought I would never have a chance at a family. And now things are different, and that dream isn’t quite so elusive anymore.
My throat tightens and I choke up when I think about how shitty my parents were. It was a generation ago, and things were a lot different back in the seventies when tragedy forced to come out as a teen. My parents kicked me out of the house, and that was it. They didn’t want anything more to do with me. I don’t understand how a parent could do that to their own kid.
Sam cups my cheek, getting my attention. “Hey. Earth to Danny. Where’d you go? Come back here.”
I shake myself mentally. “Sorry. I was thinking about my own parents. They weren’t good role models.”
“No, they weren’t. But that’s irrelevant because we’d be great parents, and that’s what matters.” Sam leans forward and kisses me, his lips brushing lightly against mine.
When we reach the door to Shane and Beth’s suite, Sam pauses. His brown eyes glitter with emotion. “I want a child,” he says quietly as he meets my gaze. “I want us to have a child. We’d make great dads.”
I cup the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss. “I know. Me too.”
He smiles. “You’d be an amazing father.”
A sharp pain pierces my chest. “You don’t think I’m too old? I’m not a spring chicken, Sam. I don’t even know if I’m eligible to adopt at my age. What’s the cut-off?”
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out. There’s always a way. We could consider surrogacy.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Sam frowns. “I’m not saying it’s easy. I just know if we both want it badly enough, we’ll make it happen.”
Heat swells in my chest. When I reach up to brush back his hair, I picture a little red-headed child, and the pang of longing I feel is sharp. I never thought I’d be fortunate enough to have Sam in my life, let alone the prospect of a child too.
I reach past Sam and knock quietly on Shane’s door.
A moment later, he opens the door. “Thanks, guys.”
The bed is empty, and we can hear Beth speaking softly to Luke over the baby monitor. We follow Shane into the nursery and find Beth leaning over the side of his crib, rubbing Luke’s back. When she sees us, she straightens and nods toward the door.
We all return to the bedroom.
“He’s having trouble settling down tonight,” she says quietly, as if she’s afraid she’ll wake him.
When Ava lets out a plaintive squawk, Beth reaches for her. “It’s time for this little one to nurse.” Then she makes herself comfortable in an upholstered armchair and proceeds to feed the baby.
“I’m so proud of you, kiddo,” I tell her. I remember very clearly how she suffered from postpartum depression after Luke’s birth. That was a dark time for all of us. I think we’ve all been secretly afraid it might happen again—especially Shane. I know he’s tried to hide it, but her depression after Luke was born really scared him.
She smiles up at me, clearly happy, even if exhausted. “Thank you.” She tosses her hair back from her face, laughing as she says, “Is it hot in here, or is it just me?”
I lay my hand on her shoulder and give her a reassuring squeeze. “Try to get some rest. You’ll feel a lot better after you’ve had a good night’s sleep.”
I get a good look at her—she looks tired, which is to be expected. The poor girl just gave birth. But she also looks a bit flushed to me. “We’ll leave you two alone,” I say, catching both Sam’s and Shane’s gazes and nodding toward the door.
Shane steps out into the hallway with us and pulls the door closed behind him.
“How’s she doing?” I ask.
“She’s doing well. Really well, in fact. Ava’s nursing fine. That’s a huge relief. It was much more difficult in the beginning with Luke.”
“She looks a bit flushed to me. Keep a close eye on her.”
Shane nods. “Believe me, I will. She’s probably already sick of me asking her how she’s doing.”
* * *
I reach for Sam’s hand as we head for our suite. Once we’re inside our room, I pull him into my arms, one hand cupping the back of his head as I draw him close for a kiss. Our mouths come together, hot and hungry. All day, I’ve been wantin’ to get my hands on him, but it’s been hard because we’re in a house full of people.
I back him into the wall and hold him there, one hand grasping his chin as I hold him still for a kiss.
He grips my shoulders tightly, as if he needs something to hang on to.
I lean in close and whisper in Sam’s ear. “I want you.”
He presses his head back into the wall and groans. “God, yes. Please.”
I slide my hands up beneath his T-shirt and stroke his lean chest. I splay my fingers over his pecs and massage his muscles. When his breathing picks up, I pull off his shirt. His beautiful chest is bare and heaving as he sucks in air. When I lean in to lick his nipple, he shivers.
I pin his wrists to the wall and lean in close. “Do you want me?”
His answer is a hot, rushed breath. “Yes.”
I step closer to him, pressing my erection against his, aligning our flesh. Both of us are hard and throbbing. “Inside you?”
He nods.
I give him one last kiss before I release him, and he heads for the bathroom to get himself ready.
While I’m waiting, I pour myself a shot of whiskey and carry it out onto the balcony. My mind’s preoccupied tonight with thoughts of marriage and babies. I want that for us, and I know Sam wants it too. There’s no reason why we can’t have what the others have. Since coming out, I’ve become far more comfortable with the idea.
I guess first things first. We need to get married. Shane said he’d get licensed to perform the ceremony for us—just like I did for him and Beth. We just need to pick the venue and a date.
When I hear a noise behind me, I glance back and see Sam standing at the balcony doors, naked and hard. His eyes are glittering with anticipation.
My pulse pounding, I knock back my shot of whiskey and walk inside.
