After 8 months
"Just breathe in and out, sweetie; it'll be over soon!" Edward said over her sobs. The doctor began talking to her.
"OK, Cassandra, are you ready?"
She nodded, her breathing quickening. "OK, 1,2,3, push!" he exhorted. She pushed with everything she had. She scrunched her face up and squeezed Edward's hand so hard that she probably broke it. "OK, Cassandra, her head is beginning to emerge! Keep pushing!"
She pushed once more. This process continued for about 20 minutes, and she soon had a beautiful baby girl in her arms. "You did it, sweetie," she said with a smile. He kissed her on the lips and returned his gaze to their baby.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Consuelo, but I need to take your baby for a moment," the nurse politely explained. She smiled and nodded, handing her the baby to wash.
"We're going to have a big family," Edward said nervously. She took one of his hands in hers to reassure him.
"It's okay, Edward. You've been there for me all this time, and now it's my turn to be there for you; it'll be difficult, but we'll get through it together, I promise you," she said softly. He raised his head and looked at her.
"I f*cking love you so much, sweetie," he said, moving closer to her. He leaned in and began kissing her lips, and she returned the kiss.
"I love you as well, my husband," she murmured between kisses.
He responded, smirking slightly into the kiss.
In between kisses, he told her, "I love you more than you love me."
At the door, they heard a cough. They saw the doctor at the door with Mark, who was shooting his head, and Edward quickly pulled away.
"Yes, um. Could you please sign these papers for your new child? Just put the name, date, and your signature there and you'll be all set," he said as he handed her the clipboard. She smiled as she took it from his grasp.
Cassandra smiled as she scribbled the name Cassie Mary Ogatcho Consuelo. She wrote down the date, 7/27/22. She signed and dated one of the lines and gave it to Edward. He had the biggest grin on his face, his dimples visible. He signed it, which brought even more tears to her eyes. Her husband was by her side as she gave birth for the first time.
"F*ck Edward, you should rest your wife for that," Mark joked as the couple laughed.
"Here is your new baby, Mrs. Consuelo," the nurse said as she handed her the infant.
"Thank you so much," she said, her baby in her arms. "Hi Cassie," she said as her eyes opened and met hers. "I'm your mommy," she said, her eyes welling up even more.
She raised her eyes to Edward. "Do you want to hold her?" she inquired. He appeared unsure at first but then nodded slightly.
He stood up, and she drew her closer to him as he took her from her grasp. As he began rocking her back and forth, she heard her squeal. He chuckled slightly, which awed her.
"This is the best feeling ever; too bad I didn't get to see how you gave birth to our two angels, Akia and Eddie," Edward said, referring to Akia and Eddie.
"Hello, Cassie, I'm your daddy!" he exclaimed excitedly. She squealed once more, and they both laughed.
He sat back down in his chair, holding her and bouncing her up and down. "Aww, she's sleeping," he said quietly. She smiled as she noticed how gentle he was with her.
His hands were nearly as large as hers, and she was cradled in his arms.
He knelt and kissed her on the cheek. She raised her arms and touched his cheek before he sat back up. His fingers traveled from his eyes to his nose to his mouth. She laughed as she grabbed his lip.
He simply smiled down at her. She took her hand away and began to sleep again. Edward sat up straight and returned her to her. She cradled her in her arms and watched her sleep.
~
Three years have passed.
"Daddy put me down!" squealed Cassie as Edward lifted her over his shoulder from soccer. She smiled as she watched them have fun together.
"No, you cheated at soccer! You should be in the penalty box," Edward exclaimed, laughing at the end. She just shook her head, laughing at the scene in front of her. Cassie began screaming after Harry placed her in a mud puddle.
"I'm going to get you back, daddy!" she yelled. She stood up, took two huge lumps of dirt in her tiny hands, and ran over to him, smushing it on his face while he was still crouched down.
He gasped, but before collapsing, he grabbed Cassie by the waist and dragged her along with him. She squealed and laughed mockingly at him.
He lifted her into the air and maneuvered her like an airplane.
She laughed as he flew through the air. She took a look around our small backyard in their new Canadian home. They began a small vegetable and fruit garden in the corner, which was doing well. They had a beautiful patio with incredible furniture. On each side of the yard, up against the white picket fence, there were mini soccer nets.
Cassandra returned her gaze to Edward and Cassie, only to find herself sitting on top of his chest. He was allowing her to smear mud all over his face. She sighed and rose to her feet. "I'm going to get some water," she announced.
"OK! Get a rag too, please!" Edward exclaimed, laughing. "Cassie, you got it in my mouth!" her husband exclaimed, followed by a spitting sound. She burst out laughing.
As she walked into the kitchen through the sliding glass door, she noticed Akia on her phone.
"Akia, put that phone down now; wake up your brother; it's already 6:30 a.m.," she told her daughter.
"OK, mom," Akia replied as she dashed upstairs.
She grinned as she opened the fridge and took a bottle of water from it. She turned around and placed it on the counter, grabbing the entire roll of paper towels.