Rescued Me Novel – Chapter 22
“You’re hovering.”
Cole froze, his hands gripping the edge of the kitchen counter. He had been pacing for the past ten minutes, sneaking glances at me every few seconds as if I were made of glass.
“I’m not hovering,” he said, even though he absolutely was.
I raised an eyebrow, resting a hand on my growing belly. “Cole, you just made me sit down twice even though I was fine standing.”
“You should be sitting,” he argued. “You’re pregnant, Evelyne. You need rest. You need-”
“I need my husband to stop acting like I’m going to break,” I interrupted, biting back a smile. He sighed dramatically. “I can’t help it. You’re carrying our baby. That’s a big deal!“
I rolled my eyes playfully. “It’s a big deal, but I still have two legs that work just fine, Cole.”
Before he could argue, my mother walked into the room, arms crossed and a knowing smirk on her lips. “Cole, sweetheart, why don’t you let me take over for a while?”
Cole hesitated. “But-”
“No buts,” she cut him off. “Evelyne is my daughter, and I survived taking care of her through her rebellious teenage years.
think I can handle her pregnancy, too.”
I laughed as Cole groaned, rubbing a hand down his face.”
“Fine,” he muttered. “But I’m still keeping an eye on her.”
Course you are,” my mother said, amused.
I just shook my head, feeling warmth spread through my chest. I had spent so much of my life alone, feeling like I had no one to rely on. But now, I had a husband who adored me and a mother who was making up for lost time.
And strangely enough, I had Julienne, too. Taking care of Julienne while dealing with my own pregnancy was not easy. There were moments when I felt resentment creeping in, but I always pushed it away.”
We were healing. Slowly, but surely. Julienne was no longer the manipulative sister who had tried to ruin me. She was quieter now, humbled by everything life had thrown at her,
One afternoon, as I was helping her sort through baby clothes, she spoke hesitantly.
“You don’t have to keep helping me, you know.”
I looked up from where I was folding a tiny onesie. “I want to help you, Julienne.”
She bit her lip, fiddling with the fabric in her hands. “I just. I know I don’t deserve this. You taking care of me after everything I did.“}
I exhaled, placing a hand over hers. “We can’t change the past. But we can do better moving forward.”
She looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes. “Do you think we’ll ever be close again?“
I thought about it. It would take time. Trust wasn’t something that could be rebuilt overnight,
But at that moment, I saw the sister I had once loved. The sister who had played dress–up with me, who had whispered secrets to me late at night.
So I squeezed her hand and gave her the only answer I could.
“We’ll get there.“
She nodded, wiping at her eyes with a shaky laugh. “Thank you, Evelyne. For everything.”
And for the first time in years, I believed we were truly moving forward.
Pregnancy was… an experience. Some days were filled with excitement–feeling the baby kick for the first time, shopping for tiny clothes, planning the nursery.
Other days? I wanted to throw Cole out of the house.
“Did you just hide the coffee from me?” I glared at him from across the room.
Cole crossed his arms, completely unbothered. “Yes.”
I gasped. “Cole, you cannot deprive a pregnant woman of caffeine!”
“You can’t have coffee, Evelyne!” he groaned. “It’s not good for the baby.”
I scowled. “You are lucky I love you.“>
He smirked. “I know.”
Despite the mood swings, the cravings, and the constant exhaustion, Cole made sure I felt loved every single day.” When my feet ached, he massaged them.”
When I couldn’t sleep, he stayed up with me, talking about the future.
When I felt insecure about my growing body, he reminded me how beautiful I was.
“I can’t believe I get to do this with you,” he whispered one night, his hands resting gently over my stomach.
I smiled sleepily. “You’re going to be the best dad, Cole.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “And you’re going to be the best mom.”
And in that moment, I knew-
We were ready for this.
The pain was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I clutched Cole’s hand, breathing through another contraction. “I hate you,” I groaned. “This is your fault.”
Cole winced as I squeezed his hand harder. “You’re doing amazing, love,” he said, ignoring my threat to murder him once this was over.
“Alright, Evelyne,” the doctor said, positioning herself at the foot of the hospital bed. “One more big push.“
i squeezed my eyes shut, gathering every ounce of strength left in me.
And then
A sharp cry filled the room. My body sagged in exhaustion, but the moment they placed our baby in my arms, everything else disappeared.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I stared at the tiny, wriggling bundle wrapped in soft white fabric.
“Cole,” I choked out, looking up at him.
He was crying. Full–on, silent tears streaming down his face crying.
I had never seen him look at anything the way he looked at our child.
Gently, he reached out, brushing a finger over the baby’s tiny hand. “She’s perfect,” he whispered.
I smiled through my tears. “She really is.”
The baby let out a little noise, her tiny fingers curling around Cole’s finger.
My heart swelled.
“Hi, little one,” Cole murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
I pressed my forehead against his, still overwhelmed by everything. “We did it.“
He nodded, his voice thick with emotion. “We did.”
As I cradled our daughter against my chest, feeling the warmth of her tiny body, I knew this was the happiest I had ever been.”
And for the first time, I believed in forever.