I get another hug from his dad, who says, “I’m going to need to know more about the howling.” I snort out a laugh and slide my gaze to Asher.
“I see you’ve been keeping everyone up to date.”
He gives me a sheepish smile from where he is standing next to his mom. “What can I say, Juliette? The people needed to know what we…”
Asher stops mid-sentence, and his eyes snap to the waiting room entrance. I follow his gaze to a tall, good-looking blond man standing there. His eyes are tired, but he is absolutely glowing, a giant grin is stretched across his face. This has to be Alex. He hasnew dadwritten all over him.
Asher is in front of Alex in two strides, the rest of his family hanging back, seeming to understand that Asher needs this moment. “Alex. Is she here? Is Kyla okay? How much does she weigh? What’s her name?”
Asher’s questions come out in a flood of words, and Alex’s smile widens even further.
“His name.”
“Huh?” Asher’s voice is full of confusion, but it clicks for me right away, and my own grin starts to spread.
“You asked what her name is. That’s the wrong question. You should have said, ‘what’shisname?’”
“No fucking way,” the guy I’m pretty sure is Lucy’s husband, Noah, murmurs, his voice laced with humor.
“It’s a boy?” Susan chuckles. “Well, this day is the best kind of surprise.”
“But…we don’t have boys. I didn’t even know any of you guys could make boys. What do we do with a boy?” Asher is adorably baffled. I just want to cuddle him right up.
Charlie pushes through the crowd, radiating serious oldest daughter energy. “For fuck’s sake, Asher. Pull yourself together. You literally are a boy.” She wraps her arms around Alex. “How’s Kyla doing?”
At the question, Alex’s eyes fill with tears that he lets run down his face freely. “She wanted a minute to get herself together, but she’s amazing. She just…” He breaks off, shaking his head, his face full of awe. “She’s perfect.”
I feel a rush of affection at the naked love on his face when he talks about his wife.
“As for his name, Kyla made me promise not to tell you. She wants to do it herself.”
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get in there,” Annie says, and the whole family starts moving towards the door. I hang back, not sure what to do, but Charlie grabs my hand. “Come on, Jules. We have a baby to meet.”
“Oh, I don’t have to. I can just stay here. This is really a family thing.”
Charlie gives me a look full of understanding. “I know we can be a lot, but you’re family now. You’re Asher’s, so that means you’re ours too.”
“Damn straight.” Asher comes up and swings an arm around my shoulders, planting a kiss on my cheek. “Follow me, Juliette. This is the fun part.”
When we walk into the room, Lucy, Charlie, Annie, and Asher’s parents are already crowded around the hospital bedwhere a stunning brunette sits holding a tiny bundle. Out of all of Asher’s sisters, Kyla looks most like him, with her golden-brown hair and blue eyes that look both exhausted and elated. When she sees us walk in, her grin spreads. Tugging me with him, Asher makes a beeline straight for the bed. He leans down and puts his arms around his sister, being careful of the baby she’s holding.
“Missed you,” I hear him murmur to her.
“Missed you more,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. She hangs on to him for another minute before her gaze moves to me. She lets go of Asher, her grin returning. “The famous Julie Parker in my hospital room. I love this day.”
I don’t know what it is about the Hansley sisters, but they are utterly irresistible, just like their brother. “I don’t know about famous…”
“Oh, with the way Asher has been keeping us up to date? You definitely are.”
“Fuck’s sake, Kyla,” Asher mutters.
“Oh, has he?” I grin at him, enjoying seeing him embarrassed for once.
“Okay, okay, this is nice and all, but what’s the baby’s name?” Annie interrupts. “We’ve never had a boy before; this is a big deal.”
“Oh boy, okay.” Kyla takes a deep breath. “I assumed it was a girl, so we didn’t even pick a boy name. But as soon as I saw him, I knew what it should be, and luckily Alex was happy to let me run with it.”
Alex leans down and kisses Kyla’s forehead. “It’s a really good name.”
