Lena Boggs has been best friends with JJ and John B since they were in the fifth grade, it wasn't until last year that JJ and Lena began hooking up under the radar. No feelings, solely sex... For JJ. Lena has been in love with him since the eighth g...
"Emilia..." He whispers, eyes never leaving our daughter. "She looks... Like an Emilia." His voice is so soft, so gentle.
My eyes filled with tears of happiness, "Then Emilia is her name."
JJ's eyes meet mine. "Emilia Logan Maybank." A faint gasp leaves my lips as I hear the name of my late father... A tear slips down my cheek, we're crying together now.
I couldn't imagine sharing this moment with anyone else... I knew we weren't married yet, nor were we engaged... We hadn't planned to have a child yet, but this moment felt so surreal.
"Come here," I say, reaching my hand out for him to grab again.
I needed him to hear me.
I needed him to understand.
I needed him to see himself the way I have always seen him, the person he has been all along. JJ takes my hand in his, sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed being careful not to hurt me in any way.
I play with his fingers, my free hand pushing hair away from his forehead as I smile up at him. "Baby... I need you to know that you're more than what you think you are, do you know what I see when I look at you?"
JJ doesn't respond, chewing on his bottom lip with teary eyes as he takes another glance at our daughter before looking back at me.
"I see... The same boy, who grew into this amazing man that I always knew he would become. I see the boy who was there for me when my whole world fell apart, who took my hand and showed me a light I didn't even know was possible. You have and have forever been, the light in my life. I've been waiting for a long time for you to see just how worthy you are, just how deserving you are. That little girl, our little girl JJ... She's made from you, and I can only hope she has your courage... Your strength, you're survival skills," He laughs lightly at my last comment.
"I see my JJ," I rub his cheek with my thumb. "I just wish you could see him too."
JJ leans into my touch, pulling my hand away and placing a kiss on my palm. "Go to sleep, my love. You're exhausted." He whispered to me before stepping away from the bed. "I'm going to grab a coffee from downstairs, I'll be right back."
"Sh, sh, ch, sh..." The sounds JJ's lips so softly, my eyes slowly fluttering opened. I turn my head to the side, freezing as I spot a sight that makes me so happy... I could cry.
JJ holds our daughter in his arms, rocking her back and forth as he looked down upon her little face. "Hi, Emilia." Tears are escaping his eyes, holding his– Our daughter so close to his chest like he was afraid she would slip away.
"You're so beautiful... You know you got that from your Mama." A smile makes its way onto my face, listening in on the first conversation he would ever share with our baby girl.
"I'm going to protect you, always. I'd lay down my life for you girls... My best girls," JJ presses his lips so gently to her forehead, her tiny little hand reaching out as a soft groan falls from her lips. Tears fill my eyes at the breathtaking sight before me.
"I can't promise that I'll be perfect, but perfect's overrated... Right?" JJ lets out a soft laugh that is followed by a sniffle. "All I can promise you is that I'll love you with every bone in my body... Just like I love your Mama, I'll be the best I can be. Forever, my girl, you will be."
≪ Sixteen Years Later ≫
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