#th: 002

MADELYN HARPER

As unfair as it may have seemed to say, Madelyn had been serious when she’d said that Wolf was her biggest mistake. It wasn’t like it was his fault, or like he’d even done anything wrong. If anything, Mad probably owed him an apology, because she’d essentially used him, and been a crazy bitch in the process. It wasn’t so much him that had been the mistake, though, as it was the situation. Being with anyone when she should’ve been with Katie was a mistake, and one that was only made worse by the fact that the person she’d been with was her ex’s brother. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how fucked up it really was. If she could take it back, she would in a heartbeat, and especially after the other day. Katie was usually on her mind, truth be told, but ever since they’d seen each other last week, and all of the truths had been spilled, she’d struggled even more than usual to get the other girl out of her thoughts.

Last night, she hadn’t even been able to enjoy Layla’s party. She’d started drinking, and that was helping her to forget, but the moment something as simple as the Instagram notification letting her know that Katie had liked her picture popped up on her phone, she was right there in her mind all over again. Truth be told, Mad didn’t even mind. She’d actually liked the conversation they’d ended up having, in fact. Madelyn had fallen asleep before they’d really been able to finish whatever they were talking about, but she’d woken up to the text that told her, in not so many words, that Katie still loved her, too. Mad couldn’t even think of a response, because nothing seemed as appropriate as seeing her in person. Nothing she could say via text would be enough. So, Mad had hopped in her car, then made the drive over to Katie’s place, hating the fact that she hoped nobody saw her pulling up there.

ALEXA LOPEZ

Alexa really would consider herself a strong person, but even the strongest of people weren’t built to withstand the kind of thing she’d gone through tonight. A part of her still wondered if it had been a dream, even after she’d crept into the house in the same close she’d been wearing for her escort date. Usually, she was more careful, and made sure to change before she’d gotten home, but not tonight. She was still shaking; she could still feel his hands on her. All she wanted to do was hide out inside of her home, lock the door and curl up into her girlfriend’s arms. What had happened between the time she’d stopped texting Dani and now just made their entire fight seem so insignificant. Lexi hadn’t felt like she’d been in the wrong, but she truly didn’t care anymore. She’d get on her knees and beg for forgiveness if that was what it took; she just needed Dani. She needed that protection.

Just the thought of her girlfriend made Alexa’s eyes fill up with salty tears all over again. She hadn’t cried, not really. She’d been on the verge of it, but she was still too numb to really let herself feel anything. Fortunately for her, it was too late for any of the dogs to care about flipping out like they usually did when she opened the door, and for Dani to be up. Whether she was awake or not was a whole different story, but regardless, Alexa was able to make her way quietly to her room, and then to lock herself in her bathroom without Dani seeing her attire. It was a cocktail dress; something she wouldn’t have been able to explain if she’d been caught. It was after she’d taken it off and climbed into the shower that she’d really let herself break down. No one was supposed to touch her. No one but Dani. Even though what’d happened had been completely against her will, Alexa felt like she’d done something she shouldn’t have. She felt like she’d betrayed her girlfriend, and she felt dirty. No amount of standing under the hot water could make her feel any cleaner.

She was a stripper,  so she’d never been ashamed of her body, but as Alexa climbed out of the shower and caught sight of herself in the mirror, she felt sick. She felt violated, and like her body wasn’t hers anymore. She couldn’t continue to look at herself, so quickly tore her gaze away, and headed back out into her room, tossing everything she’d been wearing into the trashcan. She didn’t want to keep anything he’d touched. In fact, she planned to burn it, but not tonight. Tonight, all she could really manage was to pull on a pair of pajamas and to towel dry some of the water droplets from her hair, then she was done. That was her limit for tonight. That numb feeling came back to her as she quietly left her room, closing the door behind her, then headed for Dani’s instead. Softly, she pushed open the door, tiptoeing inside and ignoring the way her eyes filled up again when she saw her girlfriend. Biting her lip, she walked over to the bed, climbing under the covers and moving closer to her girlfriend.

Cassie felt like she’d been in this hospital bed for days now, and like nothing was actually happening other than her being in more pain with each passing minute. In actuality, the whole thing had been pretty quick as far as childbirth went. She was pretty sure she’d broken both her sisters’ and Patrick’s hands throughout the whole process, but once it was finally all over and done with, she loosened her grip on everyone she was grabbing onto, and with no other plan of what to do, she just fell back and cried. What else was she supposed to do? The sound of the baby—a girl, apparently—crying was really screwing with her head. She wanted to grab her and comfort her, but she wasn’t her baby. She was Laura and Darren’s, who were waiting outside to meet their daughter, and Cassidy really didn’t know how to feel about that. All she knew was that she didn’t want them in here, not yet. After the nurse had gotten the baby cleaned up and brought her back over to her, she asked if Cassie wanted to see her. Quickly, she shook her head, looking for someone to answer for her. Or to talk to her. Or just anything. She was a mess. A very sad, frustrated, exhausted and confused mess with tears rolling down her cheeks. Anything but the person everybody in this room usually saw.

Patrick had little to no feeling in his hand, after Cassie had given birth, but that wasn't what concerned him the most. The most beautiful baby girl was crying her heart out, letting everyone in the room know that she had arrived now and it was glorious. Patrick figured she took after her mom in that sense. He couldn't help but get absolutely lost in the baby as she was being cleaned up, knowing that Laura and Darren would fall in love with her, as much as Patrick had in that moment. It had been a stressful couple of hours, for sure. The guy had texted Dani and Tori, letting them know what was happening and which room they were in, so they could come and be there for their sister. Now, the baby had arrived and Patrick was absolutely taken aback by how much she resembled Cassie. It was then that his thoughts were interrupted, as he heard Cassie crying from her bed. Frowning, Patrick moved over to the girl, leaning down and running his hand over her damp hair. "It's okay," He whispered, kneeling down and kissing the top of her hand. "It's all over now."

Dani had almost ignored the text she had received just a short couple hours ago. The sound of her phone going off in her pocket made her frustrated enough to want to punch someone. If it hadn’t been Patrick telling her about her sister, then she wouldn’t have cared much at all. She was allowed to feel that way, considering what she had been doing. Not that it mattered much now. The second she got there, she was at her sister’s side and hasn’t left since. The idea of being there when here sister was giving birth had been both exciting and terrifying, but there was nowhere else that she would rather be. Especially when the baby had finally arrived. Not only was she happy to see that she was perfect healthy, she was also so relieved that it was all over for her sister. She didn’t know what having a child was like, but if the way Cassie screamed was anything to go by, then it must hurt like a bitch. When the nurse asked if she wanted to see the baby, Dani frowned and took a step back from her sister. She figured that Patrick could try to comfort her, she could talk to the nurse. “Can we please just have a second alone with my sister? She obviously isn’t in the best condition to be holding a baby right now.” She said, giving Cassie a sympathetic look as she watched her cry. It was heartbreaking and she wished that she knew what to do, but she didn’t. She had no fucking clue.

Cassie had thought this was going to be easy. That the hard part was actually being pregnant, and of course the actual childbirth. What she hadn’t expected was to be so heartbroken by the thought of handing over this tiny little human that had spent nine months growing inside of her body. She couldn’t explain how she felt. It was like she was missing her, and she’d only just come out. Cassie didn’t even care who saw her crying at this point, and turned her face towards Patrick as he leaned down beside her. “It’s not okay,” she whispered back. Everybody knew it wasn’t. Fortunately, her sisters knew her better than anyone, and could deal with the nurse who Cassie really had no patience for right now, as well as all of the people waiting outside; the adoptive parents included. Tori quietly left the room to take care of the latter. There was nothing quiet about the screaming baby, though. It wasn’t an annoying kind of screaming. If anything, it just sounded cute, at least to Cassie. Taking a deep breath, she wiped at her eyes, knowing that seeing the baby wasn’t a good idea, but she needed to. She needed to take care of her. She just had this urge to protect her. “Bring her to me. She knows me. I can comfort her.”

Patrick kept his eyes on Cassie as Dani dealt with the nurse, knowing that it was for the best. Cassie seemed like she was in absolute misery about this and it broke Patrick's heart into a million pieces. Seeing her so upset about this absolutely killed him and all he wanted to do was to just wrap his arms around the poor girl and pull her into him and comfort her, but he knew not to do that. She was too fragile for that right now. The screaming continued and Patrick had no idea what to say to what Cassie wanted. All he could do was look up at the nurse who was still holding the crying baby. He had absolutely no idea how it would turn out if Cassie held the girl, but he knew that the girl was stubborn about what she wanted and what was best for her, so he just pulled his hands back and stayed leaning down, by Cassie's bed.

Cassie knew she’d picked the right people to be in here with her. She really couldn’t have done this without them, and the fact that Patrick was right by her side the entire time, just like she’d asked him to be, definitely didn’t go unnoticed. She didn’t need to look at him to know the look he was probably giving her once she’d asked for the baby to be brought to her, but she also didn’t care. She just wanted to hold her baby. …​Laura and Darren’s​ baby. The nurse had no reason to question her, and simply did as Cassidy had requested, carefully carrying the now cleaned up baby over to her. Cassie automatically held out her arms to take her, the nurse placing her gently in her arms, and Cassie instinctively pulling her to her chest, her arms wrapping protectively around her. She then looked down, getting her first glimpse of her. Right from her squishy cheeks to her tiny lashes, to those little things that could barely even be considered fingers, she was perfect. Cassie couldn’t take her eyes off of her, and the tears that began to fall now were happy ones, a smile tugging at her lips. “Do you see her?” she asked Patrick and Dani, though she didn’t look at them. She couldn’t stop looking at the baby. “Hi, beautiful,” she spoke softly, “I’m your—” she paused. She wasn’t anything to her. She’d just carried her. She didn’t want to let go of her now, though.

Patrick felt a lump in his throat, knowing that the sentimental moment was making him tear up a bit. It definitely wasn't Patrick's style to cry, but he couldn't help but just let his eyes swell up a bit, as he noticed how natural it was for Cassie to hold the girl. Standing up so he could get a better view at the baby, Patrick smiled softly to himself, leaning against the bed. He didn't want to say anything to ruin this moment, but he knew that getting attached to the baby wasn't a good idea, since Cassie had to give her away to Laura and Darren. It wasn't going to be easy for her now, but then again, it wasn't easy for her before she had even seen the child. Patrick didn't know what was the best solution to this anymore; he just wanted Cassie to be happy, and having the baby in her arms seemed to do the trick. "She looks just like you." Patrick said quietly, a small smile resting on his lips, as he watched how gentle Cassie was with the baby.

Dani never really knew what to do in situations like this. When it came to being there for her baby sister, she was winging it most of the time. It didn’t help that she knew that her sister had doubts about the whole adoption thing. A decision that she had seemed so sure about before and this was when she had doubts. Dani wanted to be as supportive as she possibly could, which she was. She just didn’t know how. What she did know is that her sister hardly had patience to deal with people to begin with, if this nurse doesn’t have a death wish then she had better stay away. What she hadn’t been expecting was for her sister to ask for her. She turned her head quickly, giving Cassie a look that basically asked what she was doing. That was probably the last thing that she had expected, but she wasn’t going to actually question her. Instead she just walked back over and smiled. “Yeah.” She said softly, her eyes only on the baby in the room. “She’s beautiful.”

Cassie knew this was a bad idea, but she didn’t care. There was nothing bad about the feeling of this perfect baby girl laying in her arms. The way she instantly seemed to calm down once Cassie had pulled her close to her made her feel almost smug, like it was something only she could do. “You think?” she asked, tearing her gaze from the baby for a split second to look at Patrick, her lips still turned up at the corners. She looked back down at her again quickly, though, her gaze still on the baby as her sister spoke. “Yeah, she really is. I can’t believe I made this…” she trailed off, trying not to think about what she was going to have to do soon, but the nurse just had to go ahead and remind her by asking if the baby had a name yet. Cassie let out a soft sigh, shaking her head, her eyes still down on the little girl. “Laura and Darren said if she was a girl, they were going to name her Carolyn,” she frowned, gently brushing her finger over the baby’s chubby little cheek, “But she doesn’t look like a Carolyn. That’s not her name.” Cassie didn’t get to decide that, though. ​That's not what I'm going to name her,​ she thought.

Patrick couldn't get enough of what was going on. He was falling in love with the whole scenario of Cassie having the baby girl in her arms and being so gentle and careful with her. This caring side of Cassie was rare, but when it came out, it was amazing. Nodding, Patrick ran his hair over Cassie's hair softly, humming lightly to himself. "She's got your nose," He told her softly, his gaze shifting between the baby and his housemate. Leaning back down, Patrick rested his arms on the bed before resting his chin on them so he could look at the girl a little better. He couldn't stop the smile that was on lips; it was starting to hurt his cheeks. He just loved this whole scenario, and he honestly wished that Cassie would keep the baby, because she seemed like such a natural with her. Patrick couldn't help but agree with what Cassie said, regarding the baby's name, although he kept it to himself, not wanting to make the situation any worse.

Dani didn’t know how to feel about this situation. Logically, she knew what her sister had decided. The baby’s adoptive parents were there and they were going to take her home. That’s what’s been decided. However, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Cassie had told her before. When she had been questioning her decision. Dani knew her sister and she knew that if she was changing her mind, of course this would be the time she would do it. It’s not like she wanted her to give up the baby. In fact, the thought of her niece being raised by someone else made her skin crawl. That wasn’t her decision to make, though. It was her sister’s and she had already made it. That’s what she’s been telling herself, now it felt like she had to tell her sister that. “Cassie.... That’s not really your call.” She reminded her, feeling that at least one person in that room had to be logical. Who knew it would be her?

Cassie didn’t want this moment to ever end. She had the guy she’d been quietly falling hard for at one side of her, her sister by her other side, and now her baby girl in her arms, and she honestly didn’t know it was possible to love something as much as she already loved her. She would be fine with pretending like this was exactly how it was going to stay, like she didn’t have to hand her child over any minute now. Of course, someone had to be logical, and it pissed her off that it was Dani, but she got it. “No, it is, it’s my call to make,” she said, glancing over at Patrick, as if she was looking for his help. There were fresh tears in her eyes as she looked from him to the baby then up at her sister. Cassie bit down hard onto her lip, holding the baby as closely against her as possible without holding her too tight. “You know how I’ve been feeling, D. I can’t do this. Look at her,” she said, her voice choked up as she looked back down at the baby, who had stopped crying and was just laying peacefully in her arms. “I can’t give her to them,” she whispered, “She’s mine.”

Patrick hated the fact that Cassie had been so stubborn about giving the baby up for adoption. He could understand where she was coming from; she didn't want to be tied down to a child, or so he assumed. It was a hard decision to raise a child when the father didn't want to be involved and it meant that if Cassie had decided to keep the child from the start that she'd have to be a single parent and later on, have to deal with the questions that came with that situation, and it wasn't fair. He knew that Cassie just wanted to give the child a good upbringing, especially since she had experienced what it was like to come from a bad household. Patrick knew all of these things and he could understand them. But to hear her beg the people around her, to keep her child, just broke the guy's heart all over again. "This is a big decision to make, Cas. You're exhausted and you've just given birth. Maybe you should try to sleep a bit before making this decision?" Patrick suggested, hoping that it was the best option.

Dani had a terrible feeling that her sister was going to say what she had just said. Of course this would be the moment that she would make that decision. Dani wanted to get frustrated with her and tell her how she had so much time to think this through, but she wasn’t going to do that. How could she? Her sister literally just gave birth and the last thing she needed was for her big sister for lecture her. Even if that’s what Dani had done best. It just wasn’t the time for it now. “Yes, I agree!” She said, feeling relieved that someone else was finally making sense in the room. “Just rest up a bit and if you feel the same way then we can deal with it then.”

Cassie wasn’t expecting anybody to agree with her here, but she didn’t care. She’d never been the type of person to wait for permission or approval from other people. She’d made up her mind. She had her baby in her arms, and she was absolutely not giving her away. “No, I’ve already decided. I chose adoption because I would never want to have a child that could hate me as much as I hate mom and dad. But I would never treat her the way they treated us,” she said, her voice soft, not wanting to raise it and upset the baby. She looked down at her with a small smile, still brushing her cheek softly with her finger. “I didn’t want to screw her up the way they screwed us up, but do you see her? I could never screw this up. I mean, yeah, it sucks for Laura and Darren, but she’s not their baby. She’s not a Carolyn.” She paused, not wanting to get angry, so instead lifted the baby a little to gently kiss her forehead, instantly feeling calm. “She’s mine.”

Patrick swallowed hard, his jaw clenching softly. It seemed like Cassie really was determined to keep the baby, no matter what sensible thing anybody told her. Letting out a sigh, Patrick nodded, his eyebrows shooting up as he caught Cassie giving the baby a kiss. It was the purest thing in the world, he had to admit. Nothing could ever compare to this moment. "She's yours." Patrick whispered, stating the obvious that anyone in the room could see. Cassie needed that baby, and the baby needed Cassie, it was easy to see. The child had gone quiet in her mom's arms and looked so peaceful. Reaching up, Patrick gently stroked the baby's arm with the back of his little finger, not wanting to hurt her in any way at all. Patrick took in a deep breath after a moment of two, before pulling his hand back to himself, and looking up at Cassie who was so clearly in love with the infant, a small smile growing on his lips. She looked so happy, and that was all that Patrick wanted for his best friend.

Dani couldn’t even act like she was surprised by what her sister was doing. It wasn’t all that surprising that she would just make up her mind right now when they were in the hospital, with that couple waiting for their baby. She sighed loudly and ran her hand through her hair, laughing as if something was funny when really, there was absolutely nothing funny about this. “Of course you’re going to keep the baby. Of course you didn’t consider any of this for the past nine months. Why did I think that you had actually thought this through?” She didn’t know when she started pacing back and forth or if anyone was actually paying attention to her, but she couldn’t’ be the only one thinking that this was the worst possible timing, ever. “I mean...” She trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Of course I think you would be an amazing mom. I’ve only been telling you our entire lives that you’re a better person than they are. Why you decide to believe that right now, I have no idea, but I’ve always known that.”

Cassie didn’t need everybody to be on board, but she liked that they were at least not fighting her on this. She didn’t see what was funny when her sister started to laugh, but she also didn’t care. Her only concern right now was her baby, and the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere. Patrick seemed to be the one who was most on board so far, so Cassie looked towards him, giving him a grateful smile. It was adorable seeing him reaching toward the baby, and watching how gentle he was with her. Cassie’s smile only grew as she watched the small interaction. “I did consider it,” she said, finally looking at her sister. “I did, but I didn’t have her then. She wasn’t right here like she is now. I guess the only response I really have for you right now is that you should just wait until you’re holding your baby, then you tell me why you suddenly believe all of the good things people say about you.” She shrugged a shoulder lightly. “I made up my mind, I’m keeping her. And her name is not Carolyn,” she looked down at the baby again with a soft smile, “It’s Evie. Evie Grace.”

Patrick could understand the absurd reaction that came from Dani and it was completely fair. Throughout nine months, Cassie had been stubborn about her decision and to suddenly turn around and change her mind was a big deal. This was about a child, not some shirt that you could buy in a shop and return if you didn't like it. It wasn't going to be easy. It was going to be eighteen years of providing for a child and bringing them up to be decent human. But Patrick had absolutely no doubt that Cassie had those abilities. He had only seen her with her baby for a few minutes, but even if Patrick himself had been sick, Cassie had been there throughout it, taking care of him. She wasn't as tough as she made herself out to be. She really was a softie, and the baby was bringing it out in her. Watching Dani, Patrick tried to connect his eyes with her, hoping to catch her attention. "I'm sure that Laura and Darren will be very understanding about all of this. They seem like a sensible couple, and I know that it'll be hard for them," Patrick started, looking back at Cassie and the baby, before letting out a sigh and looking back at Dani. "But if she's thought this through and she feels like it's the right thing to do for herself and the baby, then I don't think we have anything to say in this." Honestly, Patrick didn't want to get on anyone's bad side. He just wanted everyone to be happy and he know how happy baby Evie was making Cassie now. What was so wrong with that?

Dani wasn’t telling her sister what to do. She hadn’t like the thought of her niece being raised by anyone else since the very beginning, but it was never her decision to make. It was Cassie’s and only hers. That didn’t mean she had to like it and when Dani didn’t like something, she said so. Especially when it came to her sister. “You are such a little shit.” She said, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest. She when when to fight her sister on something and when not to and when she made up her mind about something, Dani knew that she would just have to accept that. They were alike in that sense. Stubborn, stubborn littler shits. “Hey,” She said, glaring at the guy at the room. “Do me a favor and shut the hell up. I’m not telling her what to do, I’m telling her that the timing fucking sucks. Let me handle my sister and you just sit there and look pretty, okay?”

Cassie was more focused on the baby than on the other two, and was in too much of a state of bliss to really take in anything they were saying. She was appreciative of how understanding Patrick was being, and she laughed softly when Dani called her a little shit. She didn’t care if she was being lighthearted or serious, nothing was going to bring Cassie’s mood down today, especially not now she’d made up her mind. This was going to be the worst day of her life a couple hours ago, now it was the best by a landslide. “Hey,” she finally said, looking from the baby to her sister, “Not in here, okay? Not in front of her. She’s resting,” she said, motioning to the baby whose eyes had fluttered shut. Cassie just leaned over towards Patrick, unsure of where this was coming from, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Maybe she could pass it off as a thank you for being on her side. She then looked over at her sister. “Do you think someone should talk to Laura and Darren?” she asked, the mention of their names making her instinctively pull the baby closer again, “Someone as in my sister, who is very sorry for yelling at my best friend and wants only good things for her little sister and her new niece?”

Patrick felt bad for having said what he had and upsetting Dani, very well aware of the fact that this was all such a weird situation to be in for everyone. He hadn't meant it in a bad way, he was just hoping that it would make Dani see that it would all turn out alright, if she didn't stress so much about everything. Especially not when Cassie had just given birth and probably was exhausted from it, as well as having a tiny human in her arm, going to sleep for the first time after having been born. "I'm sorry, Dani." Patrick said, giving the girl an apologetic look. Before he knew it, he felt a pair of lips on his cheek and it was like his heart was being swallowed and fell to the bottom of his stomach. His face flushed red and his mouth became dry. Wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans, Patrick cleared his throat and looked back at Cassie. It felt like his entire body was burning after that. It was as if he could still feel those soft lips of hers on his cheek, and it was all that Patrick could focus on.

Dani had only dropped the subject because Patrick was smart enough not to fight her. It wasn’t like she wanted to fight with anyone, anyway, but she didn’t give a shit about what was going on when someone pissed her off. And apparently that included her sister just having a baby. She didn’t say anything to her at first, just rolling her eyes when her sister spoke to her. She was going to say that she didn’t yell and that the baby doesn’t know what she’s saying, anyway, but she was too damn tired to even try to argue with her sister. It turns out that after another failed proposal and watching her sister give birth, she didn’t have the energy to deal with people. Then Cassie was speaking to her again and she gave her a look of disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?” She asked, trying to figure out if her sister was being serious or not.

Cassie really didn’t have the energy to deal with Dani fighting anybody today. She was just focused on her baby, but she appreciated Patrick apologizing, even if she didn’t entirely understand what he’d done wrong. Then again, Cassie and her sister were way more alike than either of them would ever admit, so she understood the small things pissing her off. Patrick really had just been great this entire day, right from rushing her in here to how he was acting now, and the soft blush that crept up onto his cheeks definitely didn’t go unnoticed. Cassie just bit her lip to keep from laughing. It didn’t matter what kind of tension was in the room, nothing was going to bring her down. “What?” she asked, looking at her sister with her brow raised. “I’m keeping my baby. Someone should probably tell Mr and Mrs. Stepford out there.” Okay, so maybe calling them that was unfair, but Cassie had thought they were way ​too​ perfect right from the start. Evie would’ve had no fun with them.

Patrick honestly couldn't tell when the day had started, what time it was now and if it was still light outside. All he could focus on was Cassie and her kiss on his cheek, and the little baby in her arms. He had to pull himself together though, because having a face this red was no good and it was embarrassing that it was so obvious what kind of effect Cassie had on the guy. He couldn't help it though! They were living together; he had seen her first thing in the morning and still thought that she looked gorgeous, even with her messy hair and her tired eyes. She was just too good to be true. Clearing his throat, Patrick stood up from where he was kneeling, on the floor. "I'll go and tell them," He said, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the top of Cassie's head, giving the baby one last glance and a smile, before walking out of the door to explain everything to the couple who would have to go home empty-handed.

Dani was absolutely not about to go out there and tell those people they weren’t getting their baby. No fucking way. After the day that she had, she wasn’t going to add that to her plate. She was about to tell her sister just that when Patrick stood up and left, saying that he would be the one to tell them. “Thank you. Now I actually am sorry for getting pissed at you!” She called out as he walked out of the room. Now it was just her, her baby sister, and the baby. It was kinda nice, but she couldn’t deny how incredibly frustrated she was with the other girl right now. She wasn’t going to get mad about it, though. There was really no point in it. “I can’t believe you wanted me to go tell them you’re keeping the baby.” She said, although she wasn’t mad about it. She was actually more shocked than anything, but she didn’t know why. It sounded like something Cassie would ask her to do. “Are you ready for this?”

Cassie didn’t really care who told Laura and Darren what was going on, she just wanted someone to tell them, to make it official that Evie was hers and not theirs. She just didn’t think it was fair to ask Patrick, given all he’d done for her today already. Dani, on the other hand, was Cassie’s sister, and she was sure the older girl was used to being bossed around by her by now. Looking up at Patrick with an appreciative smile as he stood, Cassie nodded, her eyes closing for a second as his lips pressed to the top of her head, then opening again to watch him leave without even thinking about what she was doing. Then, it was just she, Evie and her sister, and Cassie shook her head when she spoke. “Stop. Someone had to tell them,” she said, rolling her eyes, then looking back down at the sleeping baby, her smile coming back naturally once more. “To be a mom?” she asked, gaze flickering to her sister for a second, then back to the baby. “No, not at all. I’ll do it, though. I mean, I don’t have anything for her. I don’t even have an outfit to change her into. I don’t even have a diaper in the bag. But that doesn’t matter, I’ll manage.” She lifted the baby carefully, pressing her lips softly to her forehead again. “Do you want to hold her, Dani?”

Dani rolled her eyes. “Yeah. And it couldn’t be the girl who actually agreed to the adoption in the first place, right? Honestly, I don’t know why you didn’t ask your boy toy in the first place. He seems real eager to please you lately.” She said, raising her eyebrow. Not that she had a problem with it, because she didn’t. She gave the dude a hard time just like she did everyone else, but she actually liked him. She had to admit that he had done a good job of taking care of her sister lately. Not as good as Dani would herself, but pretty damn close. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to do this alone. This baby is going to have an Auntie to spoil the hell out of her, the same way I spoil Samantha. She’s going to have everything she needs and much more. We’ll make sure of it.” She was obviously talking to Cassie, but the entire time she was smiling at the baby. Evie. At first when she asked if Dani wanted to hold her, she wanted to say no. Only because she was so tiny and she was worried that she couldn’t. But she had to admit, she wanted to hold her. “Yes, give her to me.” She smiled, reaching her arms out to take the baby.

Cassie glared at her sister. “Are you serious? I literally just pushed a human out of my body. If you think I’m planning to get up from this bed at any point today, you have some serious issues.” She was trying to ignore whatever Dani had to say about Patrick, mostly because she wasn’t ready to go down that road yet, but she couldn’t deny that she liked hearing him mentioned like that. Like other people were getting the same vibe from him that she was. For now, she’d rather just focus on the tiny baby she’d just brought into the world. When she’d first been swept away and cleaned up by the nurses, they’d told Cassie her measurements. She was just under 19 inches. That was tiny, but looking down at her, Cassie couldn’t believe she even measured that long. Everything about her was just so petite and perfect. Looking up at her sister as she spoke, Cassie gave her an appreciative smile. “I know, I don’t doubt that. She’s gonna be so loved. She’s already so loved,” she said, trying to scoot over a little to make a space on the bed beside her. “You’re not taking her over there. Come sit by me, then you can hold her.”

Dani once again was rolling her eyes as she sat next to her sister. “I didn’t expect you to get out of the bed. I’m not a total asshole. I would have asked them to come in here with you.” Of course, she was mostly joking at that point. Dani didn’t care who told them as long as she didn’t have to. She was probably the last person who should tell them that, anyway. She was an insensitive asshole, so she probably would have done it all wrong. She may not give a shit about people’s feelings most of the time, but she wasn’t a monster. Plus, it would have been awkward as fuck for her. “Do you need me to have some stuff sent to your place? I can make sure a nursery is set up before you even leave the hospital.” She offered, reaching her arms out once again. “Will you just let me hold my niece now, please?”

Cassie just glared at her sister again, not feeling like having this conversation right now. They were both kind of heartless bitches at times, Cassie more so than Dani—Dani had at least had enough of a heart to fall in love with someone and have it actually work out—but she couldn’t help but feel kind of bad for Laura and Darren. They’d come here expecting to leave with their baby, and now they weren’t going to. Selfishly, though, that wasn’t enough to have Cassie change her mind. She was Evie’s mother. They would get another baby, another young, knocked up girl would pick them to raise their child, but Evie was all Cassie’s. She could barely be sorry about it. “No. I don’t know. Maybe just the basics. I kind of want to pick out her things,” she admitted, trying not to cringe as she scooted over. She’d just pushed out a baby, so even slight movements hurt, but she finally positioned herself comfortably enough. “Be careful with her,” she warned, sitting up just slightly and turning her body to carefully place her daughter in her sister’s arms, before very slowly sliding her own arms out from underneath her once she was sure Dani had her.