Their mother wasn’t the only one sniffling now and when Marnie, the obstetrician who had also delivered Chase and Chloe’s daughter Emma earlier in the year, came out, she graciously accepted their thanks for another delivery gone well.
“Sophie and Jake were the ones doing all the work, but I’d be lying if I said a bottle of bubbly would be refused,” she said with a wink in Marcus’s direction. As everyone laughed, she said, “They’re all cleaned up and ready to meet their aunts and uncles now, although two or three at a time should be more than enough chaos for our nursing staff back here.”
Marcus, the oldest Sullivan, took a silent vote from his siblings before turning to Smith and saying, “Go meet Smith Junior and Jackie. But remember, the rest of us are waiting.”
Smith pulled Valentina through the double doors before she could protest that she wasn’t family. Of course, he’d also been banking on the fact that she clearly had a thing for babies.
There were scrubs and hand sanitizer waiting for them both outside Sophie’s room and he had to press a kiss to the back of Valentina’s neck when she automatically turned to have him tie the cotton strings together in the back. He loved the little shivers that moved through her as she leaned back into his arms for a moment.
But neither of them could wait another second to meet the two new additions to the family, so they quickly broke apart and stepped into Sophie and Jake’s room.
A soft sound of wonder fell from Valentina’s lips as she got her first look at the newborns. It shouldn’t have been easy to tell the little baby girl from the boy, but there was something undoubtedly male about Smith and sweetly female about Jackie.
Smith’s hands were already outstretched by the time he made it across the room to his sister’s side. She didn’t hesitate to place her son into his hands.
“He’s perfect, Sophie.”
Valentina was still standing by the doorway when Jake said, “Would you like to hold Jackie, Valentina?”
She was clearly overwhelmed by the offer. “I would love to,” she said softly, before finally saying, “Congratulations, they’re absolutely beautiful. I’m so happy for both of you.”
Smith could barely take his eyes off his little nephew, but when Jake handed Jackie to Valentina, he was beyond glad he didn’t miss the moment when she smiled down at the baby. She looked as open, as joyous, as she did whenever she was in his arms.
A moment later, she looked up and her gaze connected with his. This time Smith was the one with tremors moving through him.
Some people would say that as a movie star he’d already had everything. But he hadn’t. Not until Valentina. And now, he wanted it all. Not just Valentina’s love, not just a promise of forever in his arms and with her by his side, but family and babies and laughter and tears. He wanted to share every precious moment with her, every single one that really mattered.
Neither of them noticed the look Sophie and Jake gave each other or the pleasure on Sophie’s face at the realization that she was getting to witness her beloved big brother finally giving his heart completely away.
Valentina quickly turned her attention back to the soft little package in her arms and Smith did the same, both of them murmuring how pretty and handsome and strong the babies were.
The obstetrician knocked on the door, and poked her head in with a grin. “Just want to let you know, your other brothers and sister are about to mutiny out there if they don’t get some face time with the little ones soon.”
Smith very reluctantly relinquished the baby boy to his sister. “You’re amazing, Soph. Anything you need,” he looked at Jake, too, “I want you both to call me. Day or night.”
Valentina clearly was having just as hard a time letting go of the sweet little bundle in her arms. “Bye-bye, pretty girl.” Soon, however, she gave the baby back to her father and hugged both Jake and Sophie.
Her eyes still held all of that softness as he put his arm around her and they headed out of the room to let his siblings know Sophie, Jake, Smith, and Jackie were ready for more visitors. Lori went next, along with Marcus and Nicola, and even though Smith loved spending time with his family, he also knew there were other things he needed more right now.
He pulled Valentina toward the exit.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Smith pulled Valentina out of his car and his mouth was on hers less than a heartbeat later and then she was in his arms and he was kicking the car door shut and carrying her into his house, just as he had their first night together after Alcatraz.
His kiss was full of passion, but also something so soft and sweet that she melted in his arms as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately. Every time she’d been with Smith, she’d wanted him, but never more than in this moment.
Want. Need. Desire.
None of those words, none of those emotions, were big enough to hold everything she felt for Smith.
For his family.
For the way they’d included her in one of their most special moments.
And, most of all, for the chance to hold a miracle in her arms.
Smith laid her down on the bed, never breaking their kiss, not even for a second, as his hands found the zipper on her skirt and pulled both the metal teeth and then the fabric from her hips. With only her panties and the thigh-high stockings he’d bought for her covering her lower body, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him in tighter. Moments later, Smith slipped open the buttons on her blouse and pushed the silky fabric open. The front clasp on her bra was next and then her sensitive flesh was in his hands and she was arching into the warm scratch of his palms and fingertips on a gasp of pleasure.
Moment by moment, her skin grew more heated, her bones seeming to liquefy with every kiss, with every caress, with every thrust of his clothed hips into hers. And yet, instead of their kiss growing more out of control, Smith’s mouth gentled on hers.
Amazingly, the whisper of his lips over hers only intensified her emotions, her needs, her passions, so that by the time he finally lifted his head to gaze down at her, she didn’t have a prayer of holding back anything from him, even if she’d wanted to.
“The babies, Smith.” Her mouth felt swollen and hot from his kisses and she sighed at the extreme pleasure of it. “Weren’t they just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
“They were beautiful,” he agreed in a low voice that rumbled over her skin and brought up thrill bumps over every inch of her. He lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed it over her full lower lip, which trembled at his touch. “And so are you.”