final chapter. the tears are real. i miss it already. this is also probably the last story I'll write on Wattpad. I am so grateful for the past 5 years writing and growing with this app. thank you to everyone who has supported any one of my stories. so much love for all.
"Li, I love you."
Elliott takes my hand and kisses the back of it. "I love you, Ivy."
"I love you, Jett," my brother says to himself and kisses the back of his own hand. Elliott punches his shoulder lightly before throwing his right arm over his shoulders.
Beth sits next to me and drops her basket on the floor, a few petals falling on the floor. "How much longer, Ivy?"
"I don't know, sweetie. It could be awhile. You might have to go home with your mom and Ethan if it gets too late."
She crosses her arms over her chest. "No fair!"
"Bethany, don't argue with Ivy right now. Today's her day," Jonas says and picks up his little sister in his arms. "If you want to argue with someone, Mom's over there." Jonas points to where Mrs. Kennedy and Mr. and Mrs. McClean are talking. "But I advise you be a big girl. Mom's not in the best mood right now."
Elliott lets out a puff of air through his nose. "I genuinely thought Mom was going to curse out that police officer who pulled us over."
"Dude, she was clutching the steering wheel so tightly. Her knuckles were whiter than you, man."
Elliott laughs and kicks out his foot, aiming to hit his brother. Jonas dodges it and holds Bethany out in his arms as a shield. Elliott chases Jonas throughout the hospital, the two laughing and yelling. That is, until Mrs. Kennedy walks over to separate them and yell at them. They might technically both be adults, but they're definitely still children.
The doors to the operating wing swing open and Flynn rushes out. He's still in a tuxedo, his tie off and shirt disheveled. He's wearing scrubs and a mask. I stand up and rush over to him, my wedding dress dragging behind me. We form a half-circle in front of Flynn.
He smiles, his eyes welled with tears. "It's a boy."
Elliott hugs his best man. Flynn's cheeks are stained with tears, and he holds Elliott tightly.
The doctor lets the McCleans and Vic and Jackie go first. Jett and I are allowed in next. I can't stop from crying when I see my sister holding her baby boy in her arms. Nora looks exhausted, sweaty with her hair matted to her forehead. She has never looked more beautiful.
"Hi," I say, gently taking my nephew from a temporarily reluctant Nora. "Hi, baby. I'm your Aunt Ivy." I move my head down to whisper in his tiny ear, "you are going to be so loved."
I hand him to Jett. "Did you pick a name?"
Flynn and Nora look at each other with beaming smiles. "Gavin Neil McClean."
Our dad's name was Neil. Although he was never the father any of us had hoped for, he's the reason I have my family. My life is everything because of Jett and Nora.
Today is a beautiful day. My family has gotten so much bigger. I have Jett, Nora, Jackie and Vic. I have Addison, Jonas, Crystal, Rosie, Ethan, Bethany, and Mrs. Kennedy. I have Flynn and his family. I have Elliott. And now I have Gavin Neil McClean.
"Hi, Gavin," Jett says and kisses Dean's head. "I'm the superior uncle, Jett. No offense to Charlie."
Flynn's brother nods his head and looks down at Gavin. "Eh, I'm not really a kid person, kid."
The Kennedys walk into the small hospital room. I wrap an arm around Elliott's waist and put my head against his shoulder. He smiles at baby Gavin.
"Nora, Flynn, he's beautiful," Mrs. Kennedy says and pats Nora's shoulder and hugs Flynn.
"He looks like a potato to me," Bethany says, standing on her tiptoes to try and see the baby.
Addison puts her hand over Bethany's mouth and smiles. "A really cute potato, she means."
We get to stay with Nora, Gavin, and Flynn for a few minutes more before the nurses tell us to give Nora time to sleep.
I sit back down in one of the waiting chairs and Elliott joins me. "Hey, babe, you want to head home? We can come visit first thing tomorrow morning. It's really late now, and today has been hectic."
"Yeah, I want to stay. Just in case someone needs something," I say. "I want to be here."
Elliott nods. "Okay, then we'll stay."
"Oh, no. Liott, you go home."
"Oh, no. Ivy, I stay," he says and kisses my cheek. "I'm not not spending the night with my wife the day of our wedding."Â My wife. I'm Elliott's wife. Through better or worse.
"You're my everything, Elliott Kennedy."
"You're my entire life, Ivy Kennedy."
~~~
A few weeks later Nora and Flynn bring Gavin over to our house to meet Elm. Flynn says if Gavin isn't a dog person then they're returning him to the hospital. Nora evidently slapped his chest with more force than expected because of his borderline tasteless joke.
"We're a dog family, Nor," Flynn defends.
Nora rolls her eyes and crouches down with Gavin in her arms. Elm sniffs the baby, and Gavin giggles. Flynn lets out a sigh of relief.
"God bless your dog-loving boy!" Elliott exclaims and claps a hand on Flynn's back.
Nora hands Flynn the baby. "Do not let him ride the dog, okay? He's only a few weeks old, Flynn."
Flynn opens his mouth to argue, but clamps his mouth shut when Nora sends her infamous glare. "Okay, baby. No dog riding. Sounds good."
Nora and I walk into the kitchen. I offer my sister a cup of coffee, which she gratefully takes.
"Have you gotten much sleep lately?" I ask hopefully.
"Not a second." Nora smiles. "It's okay though. I never want to leave Gavin's side. You really don't know how much you can love someone until you have a baby, Ivy. It's insane."
"It's so beautiful, Nora. You're an amazing mother."
She taps her nails against the coffee mug. "Yeah. It'll be quite some time until I think about having another kid. I don't know how Mrs. Kennedy manages taking care of seven kids." She laughs. "You would know. You did it for a whole summer."
I nod. "Yeah, I've done my shadowing of motherhood already."
"So, are you guys thinking about it?" Nora asks with a smirk.
"Oh, we haven't talked about it at all."
Nora takes a sip of her coffee before setting it back on the counter. "But have you been thinking about it?"
I look over to where Elliott is playing peek-a-boo with Gavin while Flynn is playing tug-a-war with Elm. "The thought might have crossed my mind once or twice."
"Well, I don't have to tell you that you'd be an amazing mother, Ivy. You have seven Kennedys that have already told you what kind of mother you'd be."
I smile, knowing she's right. If the love I have for my baby is anything like the love I have for the Kennedys, I know my heart would explode.
Nora leaves the kitchen when Gavin starts crying.
Elliott holds his hands up innocently. "I promise I didn't do anything!"
Nora pats his back. "He just needs a new diaper, Elliott." She turns to Flynn and holds out the baby. "It's your turn, honey."
"If I do all the dishes, would you clean our baby's diapers every time?" Elliott asks to me, placing his hands on either side of my face.
My stomach flips at the thought of us having a baby. It's a good feeling. "Absolutely not, Elliott."
"So, what method would we use?"
"We can flip a coin," I suggest. "I'm heads and you're tails."
"Why am I tails?"
"Fine. You can be heads then."
"No, I want to be tails!"
I poke his stomach and kiss him sweetly. "We'll figure it out. Maybe over a wine night some time"
"You're trying to get me drunk and pick heads! I see your game, Ivy Kennedy. You can't fool me, babe."
I laugh. "We'll see."
"Yeah, we'll see." Elliott laughs a belly laugh and hugs me.
Flynn and Nora leave after lunch. I have a shift at the hospital. During my shift, there are fifteen babies born in the hospital. I call Elliott to tell him about it during my break. He makes a joke about them all being siblings and struggles to come up with a word for fifteen siblings. Fiftoplets, he decides. Maybe we'll have fiftoplets, he says.
Maybe, I say back.
I love you, Ivy Kennedy.
I know you do, Elliott Kennedy.
I know that I'm happier than I have ever been. I know that I'm ready to have a child with Elliott. We already have had a family together. I already watched Beth, Ethan the twins, Jonas, Addison, and Jett become beautiful people. I have been there with them, and will always be with them. I love my family.
I don't often think of my mom, or my dad. I don't think about my childhood and my upbringing. I think about the Kennedys and the Jenkins. I think about my nephew. I think about how I changed their lives, how they changed mine.
I want to have a baby with Elliott.
"Want to watch a movie tonight?" he asks over the phone.
"What movie are you thinking?"
"I thought we could flip a coin."
The End.