All good things must come to an end…and we've reached the end of this story. Thank you for all your reviews, follows, and favorites. I appreciate each and every one of them!

Chapter Eight

"Why are you squirming around like that?" Adrian asked Sydney.

"Because I'm so uncomfortable," Sydney groaned as she tried to stretch out on the couch.

"What hurts?" Adrian asked.

"What doesn't hurt is a better question," Sydney responded. She finally settled down and closed her eyes.

"Just like another week and everything will be over with," Adrian replied.

"I know it's for a good cause…it's just rough," Sydney said with a little pout.

Adrian leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. "You're so strong, sweetheart," he told her.

"Thank you…and thank you for being so patient about it," Sydney said after she kissed back.

Before Adrian could reply Sydney winced a little. "What was that face for?" he asked.

"Just this pain I've been feeling," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "What kind of pain?" he asked her.

"Like a contraction," Sydney explained.

Adrian's eyebrows shot up. "How long?" he asked.

"Since like the middle of last night," Sydney replied.

This got Adrian up and onto his feet in one fell swoop. "And you're just telling me this now?" he asked.

"The baby isn't due for another week," she pointed out, leaning up on her elbows.

"Sydney! The date isn't set in stone!" Adrian exclaimed.

"But the plan…" she protested.

"The plan? Seriously? I thought we were past all of this!" Adrian said. "Shit, where's my cell?" He scrambled to find his phone.

"No…no time for the phone," Sydney said, her face all scrunched up now.

Adrian turned around to look at her. "What do you mean no time for the phone?" he asked.

"The baby is coming…now," Sydney said through gritted teeth.

"Wait…just let me call the doctor…or Eddie…he's good with this baby stuff," Adrian said.

"Building a crib isn't the same thing!" Sydney insisted. Adrian wavered a little bit. "No! You cannot pass out now. You wanted to prove to me you could take care of us…deliver this baby," she instructed him.

xxx

"And then you slipped right into my arms…I know…it's pretty crazy, huh?" Adrian explained to the little bundle of boy in his arms.

Sydney chuckled and rubbed her eyes. "I don't recall the process being quite as smooth as you described," she told her husband.

"Aaron…the first thing you need to know is that your mother is always right," he explained to the baby. "And in the cases she isn't we still let her think she is."

"Sorry, we weren't here sooner," Jill said as she and Eddie walked into the hospital room together. "We left the second Adrian texted, but traffic was like…ahh. Oh my god…let me hold him," she said and reached with grabby hands.

"Where were you?" Sydney asked curiously as Adrian slid Aaron into her arms.

Jill smiled and looked over at Eddie. "Tell them," she prompted the guardian.

"We were getting married," Eddie replied, as if he was talking about something as simple as the weather.

"Wait…what?" Sydney asked in confusion. She looked at Eddie and Jill's left hands and saw matching rings.

"I had been planning a big proposal the whole time…I even got Lissa's blessing…and when Jill beat me to the punch I kind of panicked," Eddie replied.

"My bad…" Jill said sheepishly.

"Anyway we decided just to go for it…we had waited long enough," Eddie said with a smile.

Tears were slipping down Sydney's cheeks as they told the story. "Don't mind me…everything makes me cry," she said.

"We're really happy for you guys," Adrian echoed.

"Now that we got the marriage part out of the way…I want one of these," Jill said to Eddie as she held up Aaron.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Eddie groaned.

"Hello," Mr. Ivashkov said as he walked into the room. "Am interrupting?"

"If you're here to serve us with some kind of court order…" Adrian warned him.

Mr. Ivashkov held up his hands. "I have no agenda. I just wanted to meet the baby," he said.

Adrian looked at Sydney and she nodded her head. Jill stood up and passed the baby into his arms.

"What's his name?" Mr. Ivashkov asked as he looked down at him.

"Aaron," Sydney replied.

"Hi there, Aaron," Mr. Ivashkov said softly.

Adrian swallowed. "Dad, umm…thank you for all your help with…everything," he said to him.

Mr. Ivashkov nodded his head. "It was nothing," he said as he continued to stare at Aaron. "He's part of the family…and we take care of our own."

"Is this really happening?" Adrian whispered to Sydney.

"It's been quite a day, huh?" she replied with a smile.

xxx

"Babe, you have to come to bed," Sydney whispered as she walked into the nursery. "We have to sleep while he sleeps otherwise we'll never get any rest."

"I know," Adrian said, making no attempt to move.

Sydney chuckled and cuddled up next to him. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she said.

Adrian kissed the top of her head. "We did good, huh, Sage?" he said softly. "Especially from where we started."

"I can't imagine life without him," Sydney agreed. "Hey, you know…I was reading …"

"Sydney," Adrian warned her.