“A girl?” A slow smile crept over his face. “I have a baby daughter?”
“Here, hold her so the two of you can get acquainted.” I placed her in his arms.
“Why is she so small?” Flynn asked. “Is she supposed to be this size? She’s barely bigger than my hand.”
“She’ll get bigger, but remember she came out of a small space.”
“Look at her hands and feet. They’re tiny but perfect.” He gazed down at the baby’s scrunched-up face. She began to cry.
I smiled at the look of astonished love on Flynn’s face. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, the most beautiful baby ever born.” Flynn said this without a hint of humor.
Theo appeared at the doorway. “You may come in now. Shannon’s ready for you.”
Flynn went into the bedroom with the baby in his arms. Outside, the sun was coming up in the east, making the sky as pink as a baby’s cheek.
Theo brushed my mouth with a kiss. “You were spectacular in there.”
“I was, wasn’t I?” I couldn’t stop the grin that came. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” The enthusiasm was evident in the elevated pitch to my voice. “I loved it. I’d do it every day if I could. When we saw the baby’s head and then you eased her out—I couldn’t believe what I saw—this perfectly formed little person. I had no idea it would be like this.”
Theo laughed. “Like what?”
“So exhilarating. I feel like I could climb a mountain right now.” I tugged at the sleeves on his shirt. “Did you see how I got her on the floor? That helped her. It was just instinct. I don’t know what got into me.”
“It was brilliant. You’re a natural, my love.”
“Theo, I could help you from now on. I would be there with the mothers during labor. Like Poppy and Cym do with the animals. I could help the mothers through to the birthing part and you could deliver them.”
“Dr. Neal hates the baby duty,” I said. “And neither of us is any good at the labor part. Perhaps there’s room for you in our practice.”
“What? No, you don’t mean it.”
“Midwives have been birthing babies for centuries. Why not you too?”
My heart raced at the idea. “Could I? Really?”
“I’ll talk to Dr. Neal and see what he thinks.” He squinted down at me. “Is this really what you want? To work outside of the home? Helping with births?”
“It’s what I want.” I’d felt as if destiny had called on me tonight. As Quinn had said, one never knows when it might call or if you’ll recognize it when it does.
“Just like Cym and Poppy, I guess.” Theo shook his head. “And here I thought I was marrying someone docile.”
I shoved him playfully in the chest. “You didn’t really think that?”
“No, of course not.” He laughed and caught my hand and held it tightly. “There’s no mistaking the fire in you, Louisa Barnes. I’m just glad to be in your light.”
We went outside to watch our world waking all around us. Birds chattered and sang. Dew sparkled on the grasses. The arms of the mighty sun peeked out from the east. I leaned against Theo, tired but content. We’d done good work last night. There would be more in our future. I would provide comfort and service, as my mother and father had, only in my own way.
I filled with happy anticipation of our future. There would much joy in the years to come. Happy mornings like this one where we celebrate the birth of a precious baby and her loving parents. I breathed in the sweet scents of this morning, grateful to have come this far.
My parents were no longer here but their goodness remained. Their legacy would continue through me. The kindness and love which had saved me I would bestow upon others. They’d taught me that. And I was still here. Alive and safe with Theo by my side. Because of the abuse I’d suffered, to live fully and without fear would be a challenge all my life. Regardless, I’d survived. Now I thrived. I’d let go and fallen into the arms of my true fate. My true love.
With the certainty of a woman in love, I understood my life was meant to be lived here in Emerson Pass with Theo and his family. My life mattered. I mattered. I was not the little girl sold for pennies or chased by a monster with a gun. I was a wife, an aunt, a sister. Perhaps someday, a mother. I was needed and wanted. There was purpose to my existence.
I glanced up at Theo. His eyes were closed. The sunrise swathed him in its golden light. A satisfied smile lifted the corners of his mouth. I stood tall and lifted my own face and basked in the rays of this resplendent morning.
I am here, as luminous as the sun. My light shines. No one can snuff me out. Not again. I am the sun and the moon and the stars and the dew on the grasses. I am Louisa.