Clary barely made into the bathroom and to a stall before her minimal breakfast from the morning made a reappearance. The sound of the door opening again echoed off the walls, and she knew who it was without looking.

"Go away, Jace," she groaned before heaving again.

His dress shoes clicked against the cheap tile floor as he walked toward her. "Not a chance."

He kneeled next to her and used one hand to hold her hair away from her face and the other to rub circles on her back. She threw up a few more times, and Jace didn't even flinch or move away. She knew that as a doctor and father he had seen far worse, but she still didn't like him witnessing it and her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

Once she was done, Jace helped her stand on shaky legs and led her to the sink where she rinsed out her mouth and took a few deep, calming breaths.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind and setting his hands on her protruding stomach.

She met his gaze in the mirror and opened her mouth to tell him she was fine, a blatant lie, but immediately burst into tears instead. He turned her around and pulled her into a hug, his chin resting on her head.

"You know none if it was true, right?" she cried into his chest.

"I know, Clare. As does every other person in that courtroom."

She'd run out of the courtroom the second her testimony was over. She had been prepared to talk about what happened the night CeeCee went missing and then at Sebastian's party. She had even been prepared to talk about her previous relationship with Raphael. What she had not been prepared for, however, was what happened once Sebastian's lawyer got his hands on her.

It had been accusation after accusation. He claimed she'd been working with Raphael and Morgenstern the whole time. She and Raphael had plenty of time to meet up during her shifts at Pandemonium. She'd been the one to give Raphael and Valentine her code to the door. Her and Raphael had rekindled their relationship and the baby she was carrying wasn't even Jace's. The car chase and her "rescuing" CeeCee when she'd been left alone at Kaelie's had all been a ploy to keep anyone from suspecting her.

It had only lasted a minute or so, and Jace's lawyer had been quick to shut down Raphael's. He'd argued that Clary wasn't the one on trial and they had no evidence to prove she had any involvement. The judge had ordered everyone to dismiss the statements they'd heard, but the damage had already been done. She'd seen doubt flash across a few faces and reporters furiously taking notes. The anxiety and nausea had taken over, and as soon as the judge dismissed her from the stand, she took off.

"Y-You don't know that. And what about the people outside of the courtroom? All those reporters are going to include that in their articles. Drama sells, and Raphael and his lawyer just gave them a great story on a silver fucking platter," she said, tightening her hold on him.

He sighed heavily and placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "You're right. But that doesn't matter because we know the truth."

"I hate that he can't just leave me alone."

"I know, baby. But it's only for a little while longer. There's only so much he can do from prison."

She sniffled and pulled back, wiping the tears from under her eyes. "Sorry for breaking down like that."

"Don't apologize for having feelings, Clare. We were all blindsided by what his lawyer pulled. Do you want to try to get in to see Amatis earlier this week?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That might be a good idea."

Following Jace's advice, she'd started seeing a therapist once a week over the past few months. Amatis had been great at helping Clary confront and cope with everything that had happened since her mother's death. She'd also helped Clary prepare emotionally and mentally for the trial. While Clary had made good progress since she started seeing Amatis, she knew she still had a long way to go, and she was afraid of Raphael's accusations setting her back.

"I don't think I can sit through anymore," she admitted. She was exhausted and, being in her third trimester, achy all over. "I'm going to have Jordan take me to the Lightwood's."

Maryse was currently watching CeeCee for them, having picked her up and dropped her off at school. Jace didn't want to let her be a part of the trial. Normally they'd send her off with Kaelie's parents, but they had wanted to attend the trial. Plus, Jace and Kaelie were dealing with some other legal matters, and Jace didn't want to risk anything.

Luckily, Maryse didn't hesitate to agree to watch CeeCee for the day. With Robert out of town, she even offered to keep her overnight if Clary and Jace needed time to decompress. Clary just wanted to hold CeeCee after mentally reliving that horrible night, though.

"I'll go with you," Jace responded.

She shook her head. "No, you can stay. I'll be fine."

She knew Jace wanted to be present for the trial. If the jury deliberated and came to a verdict, he wanted to be there for it. He'd already sat through days of the trial, her testimony being on what would hopefully be the final day, and she wasn't going to keep him from witnessing the verdict.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be alone after that."

"I won't be alone. I'll stay with Maryse until you're ready to go home."

He laced his fingers through hers and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "Okay. But you let me know if you need anything."

"Of course." She squeezed his fingers in reassurance.

She was slightly surprised he didn't push harder, but her starting therapy wasn't the only change over the last few months. They'd been working, really working, on mending their relationship. Jace realized Clary needed to be able to make her own decisions, and Clary realized she needed to compromise sometimes and not fight against Jace's protective nature.

It had been working well for them so far, and Clary had even moved back in with him. And into his room, not her old one, which they were turning into the nursery. Jace had also started bringing up the topic of marriage and convinced Clary to start wearing the promise ring again. Marriage wasn't something she was opposed to, but she wanted to wait until after the baby came.

They left the bathroom together only to find Kaelie pacing in the hallway. Her head snapped up at the sound of their footsteps, and she stopped moving. She looked at Jace, wringing her hands in front of her. Clary had never seen her look so unsure of herself before.

"Can we talk?" she asked Jace.

"We've been over this. Not without our lawyers present."

"But—"

"No, Kaelie," he said curtly.

Along with everything else, Jace had also decided to fight for full custody. After Kaelie had put CeeCee at risk with Raphael, he no longer trusted her to care for their child. He would allow visitation, but it would be supervised in his home only.

Kaelie's shoulders sagged in defeat, and she pushed past them to enter the bathroom they'd just left. Clary couldn't help but feel bad for her. Even after everything Kaelie had done, Clary couldn't imagine what she was feeling. Not only had her boyfriend only been using her to get to someone else, but she was also likely about to lose her child.

Jace walked Clary out front, where Jordan was already waiting for her.

"I'll see you later," he said, kissing her cheek.

"Let me know how it goes," she told him.

When she got to the Lightwood's, CeeCee was just about to take a nap. Clary decided to join her, exhaustion weighing her body down.

She awoke a couple of hours later in the early evening and there was no word from Jace. CeeCee was in the living room watching cartoons, and Clary found Maryse in the kitchen working on dinner. She took a seat at the small kitchen table and Maryse gave her a smile.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

Clary shrugged, mindlessly rubbing her stomach. "Tired. Stressed. Anxious," she answered.

Maryse nodded, going back to stirring something on the stove. "Have you two chosen a name yet?" she asked.

Clary smiled softly as the subject of Maryse's question kicked. "I'm thinking Jonathan. I know it's basically the most common name, but I like it." What she didn't add was that it was also the closest to Jocelyn she could get with a boy's name. She wanted to honor her mother like Jace had with CeeCee.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a simple route. Dinner will be ready if you would like to grab CeeCee."

Clary wrangled the little girl away from the television and to the dining table. CeeCee took control of the dinner conversation, talking aimlessly about her day at school and everything she'd done with Maryse. Clary smiled and nodded along, but her mind was completely elsewhere. She kept going back to that courtroom. Jace was adamant about there being no way Raphael would be found anything other than guilty. But what if he was wrong?

After dinner, Clary helped Maryse clean up and then spent some time with CeeCee. As it got later, she and Maryse decided it would be best to just put CeeCee to bed. Jace and Clary would also spend the night whenever he got out of court.

It wasn't until she was tiptoeing her way out of CeeCee's that she heard from Jace. He sent along a single text letting her know he was on the way. No indication of whether there had been a verdict yet or if the trial was still in progress.

When headlights passed over the windows, Clary rushed outside to meet Jace. His gaze as focused on the ground as he walked up from the car, but he lifted his head when Clary's feet came into view. His face gave nothing away, and Clary was overtaken with impatience when he also didn't make a move to speak.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They found him guilty," he said, his voice breaking. As his eyes became wet, she felt the familiar burn at the back of her own, and she threw her arms around him.

His body shook slightly as he cried, and she held him tighter as her own tears wet his shirt. It felt like she could fully breathe again, and she knew Jace was feeling the same way.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, but Jace eventually pulled away, wiping at his cheeks. "Is she still up?" he asked.

Clary reached up and pushed some of his hair out of his face. "I just tucked her in, but she might still be awake."

He nodded, his eyes moving to the front door.

"Go check on her, Jace."

He placed a quick kiss to her forehead and disappeared inside. She followed a few moments later and headed to the guest room they'd be sharing for the night. Jace would want some alone time with CeeCee, and she didn't want to interrupt.

She was already under the covers when Jace crept into the room. He stripped down to his undershirt and boxer briefs and slid into bed facing her as they both lay on their sides.

"You're still awake?" he whispered.

"Yeah," she responded just as quietly.

He shifted so he was closer and grasped her hand in the dark. "I'm ready for this all to be over."

"When's sentencing?"

"Next week. Between the assault with a deadly weapon charge and the kidnapping charge, we have a good chance of at least a decade. Hopefully more."

"Are you gonna go?"

"I need to see it for myself. Would you like to go with me?"

She debated it for a moment but ultimately said no. "I don't want to be in the same room as him ever again. And being there would just show him I care, and I don't want to give him that satisfaction."

"Soon we won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Until he gets out," she muttered. Ten years didn't sound like enough. CeeCee would still be a minor when he was released.

He released her hand and ran his fingers up her arm to her face, cupping her cheek. "We'll prepare for that when the time comes. For now, let me enjoy the fact you and CeeCee are safe."

He pulled her closer to him so he could bring his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and languid, both of them pouring everything they were feeling into it. Jace rolled over onto his back and brought Clary with him. She straddled him, breaking the kiss as they began to remove their remaining clothes.

A quiet groan came from Jace as she lowered herself onto him, and his hands grasped at her breasts. Their movements were unhurried and their voices quiet as they brought each other toward completion. Clary was the first to fall, clasping a hand over her mouth to muffle her cry, and Jace followed almost immediately after.

"We shouldn't have done that in Maryse's bed," she said after they cleaned up and were back under the covers.

She felt his responding chuckle against her back. "We'll have the bedding washed."

The baby started to kick again, and she brought Jace's hand to her stomach, knowing how much he loved it. She was rewarded with a smile and kiss on her shoulder.

"I still can't believe we're about to have a son," he murmured.

"He'll be here any day, so you better start believing." She paused. "What do you think about the name Jonathan?"

"I think it's a fine name."

"Just fine?"

"We could name our kid Optimus Prime and I wouldn't give a shit. All I care about is that we made him and that he comes out happy and healthy."

"Optimus Prime would be a terrible name," she yawned.

"Go to sleep, Clare." He rubbed the spot on her stomach where a little foot made its appearance. "You, too, Jonathan."

Clary avoided the news channels and internet for the days leading up to Raphael's sentencing. She didn't want to read about the case and she sure as hell didn't want to see what people were speculating after Raphael's accusations. Jace was keeping an eye on things, and she knew he would let her know if anything too troubling was published.

On the day of sentencing, she tried to treat it like a normal Wednesday. She kissed Jace goodbye as he left to go get some work done before the hearing. Having missed a lot of work for the trial, he was working hard to catch back up. She then woke CeeCee and helped her get ready for school. Part of her wanted to call CeeCee out sick and spend the day with her, but that would probably tip her off to something being wrong. Plus, she knew she shouldn't disrupt CeeCee's routine, which the therapist had said was important to her healing.

After watching CeeCee walk through the school doors, she sat in the car, unsure of what to do with herself. With the trial, she had avoided going out much, not wanting to be hounded by reporters. With both Jace and Raphael having such big names in the business world, the case had made it to some national headlines, and Clary had been dragged into that. It was only going to be worse following what happened during the trial.

She had spent so many days at home by herself, especially with CeeCee being in school for a full day instead of half now that she was out of kindergarten. But she had too much nervous energy to sit around alone all day. She hoped that everyone would be waiting around for the sentencing and she wouldn't have to worry about spending some time out and about.

There was a café not that far from home, so she dropped the car off in the parking garage and walked the few blocks, sending Jace a text to let him know. She brought a sketchpad with her, planning to sit for a while and people watch. After ordering a muffin and a decaf iced coffee, she planted herself at a corner table.

The café was fairly empty, most people having already started their work and school days. Her eyes scanned over the other patrons, landing on a couple sitting at a small circular table. They looked young, probably fresh out of high school. Their bodies were angled toward each other, faces close as they laughed and talked. The girl had a hand on the boy's forearm, and he had a hand on her jean-clad knee.

Clary pulled a pencil out of her bag and got to work, sneaking glances at the couple as she drew. They were so lost in their own bubble, though, they probably wouldn't even notice her looking at them.

Close to finishing the sketch, she lifted her head only to be met with a body blocker her line of sight. She raised her eyes to meet a familiar dark park.

"Hey, Cherry," Sebastian said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I saw you sitting here as I walked by. Mind if I sit?"

She nodded before she could even think about it and immediately regretted it. She hadn't seen or interacted with anybody in Raphael's circle since Sebastian's party. She couldn't be sure Sebastian hadn't been aware of Raphael's activities or even that he wasn't involved in some way himself.

Sebastian sat down in the seat across from her. "I've missed seeing you around."

"I'm sure you have," she responded, going back to the sketch.

"Listen, Clary," he began.

Her hand stilled at the use of her actual name, and she looked up at him as she set the sketchpad on the table.

"I had no idea how completely of his rocker Raphael was."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "But you did know he was up to something, didn't you?"

"I actually didn't, I swear. But I could tell something was off with him." He sighed, looking out the café's window. "It was obvious he had some kind of beef with Jace but never elaborated on why. I never asked. When he started to obsess over you and I learned you used to date, I thought he was just jealous despite shacking up with Kaelie." He paused and made eye contact with her. "He was the one who suggested I invite you to my birthday. I thought it was an odd request, but I didn't question. And I am unbelievably sorry, Cherry. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since that night. It would have been all my fault if something had happened to you."

She took a shaky breath. Raphael had been the one to want her at that party. Had he known the cops were closing in? Had he planned on using her to make his getaway the whole time? Or had he just been trying play more games with and the police showing up was just a coincidence?

"Don't do that to yourself, Sebastian." She reached across the table to grab his hand. He looked so torn up and she wanted to offer some level of comfort. "The only person whose fault it would have been is Raphael."

"But I—"

She shook her head. "You didn't know. You couldn't have predicted what happened. I don't blame you, so you shouldn't blame you either."

He gave her a timid smile. "You're amazing, you know? It's a shame Herondale snatched you up before I could."

She laughed, unsure of what to say. She could never tell if he had a crush on her or if he was just a big flirt.

They talked about inconsequential things for a little bit until Sebastian had to get on with his day. She was ready to finish her drawing but frowned when she was the couple had already left. She could finish it from memory, but she had wanted to drop it off at their table on her way out.

She quickly finished it anyway before gathering her things to head out. She was already feeling tired. The farther along she got, the more often she wanted to nap. It also didn't help anything that she hadn't slept well the night before.

Back home, she cozied up on the couch, turning on a mind-numbing sitcom to keep her from thinking about things too hard.

She woke up, not even knowing she'd fallen asleep. A blanket now covered her, and Jace was at the end of the couch with her feet resting in his lap. She stretched a little and his eyes cut to her.

"Is it over?" she asked, struggling into a sitting position.

He helped her and nodded. "Seventeen years."

"Better than ten but still doesn't seem like enough."

He started to play with her hair. "I know. But in reality, it's a good sentence. One of the big factors was that they didn't physically harm CeeCee. She was treated pretty well while they had her. That would have them in the twenty to life category."

"What did Valentine get?"

"He did only get ten with the plea deal and the fact he never raised a weapon to anyone."

She sighed, dropping her head to his shoulder. "That sucks."

He shrugged. "I'm not as worried about him. I don't think he would hurt anyone. He was just a disgruntled employee who thought he was entitled to the research he worked on. Santiago is a completely different story."

It felt weird to know she wouldn't have to work about Raphael for almost two decades. He had weaseled his way into every aspect of her life, always having her looking over her shoulder. But now she could breathe easy and live freely for the first time since she met him.

"I don't want to talk about that anymore," he said. "How was your morning?"

"It was nice. I, um, I saw Sebastian."

She felt him tense. "What did he want?"

"To apologize. Raphael told him to invite me to that party. He went along with it, so he feels like he's to blame."

"So Santiago wanted you there. Do you think he knew?"

"I was wondering the same thing, but I can't say. I don't think we'll ever really know." She threw herself off the couch to stand, stretching her arms above her head. "Are young back to work today?"

"Nah. I might do some work later, but I can't focus on it the way I need to right now. Besides, I feel like a celebration is in order."

"A celebration?"

He reached for her and pulled her back down into his lap. "We're finally done with all that bullshit. I think we need to commemorate the occasion."

"What did you have in mind?" Her breath hitched on the last word as his hand crept up her thigh.

He gave her a devilish grin. "I was thinking lunch, but there's something else I'd like to do first.

They eventually made it to lunch at a little Italian spot Jace raved about. After their meal, they decided to stay out until it was time to pick CeeCee up. They were approached by a few reporters as they window shopped, word of Raphael's and Valentine's sentencings spreading. Jace refused to acknowledge them, turning her into his side when necessary to shield her from the cameras. She couldn't wait for things to go back to normal. Or at least at normal as they could be.

CeeCee was excited to see her father in the pickup line at school. Since Jace was driving, Clary sat in the back so CeeCee could show her the arts and crafts projects she made.

Clary complimented a drawing of Pete the Cat, and CeeCee beamed at her.

"I wanna make pictures like yours, Miss Clary."

"Keep practicing and I'm sure you'll make pictures even better than mine one day."

CeeCee's mouth formed into a little O. "Really?"

"Mhm. You're already so talented. With some hard work, you'll become a great artist." She glanced at the rearview mirror and could see Jace's approving smile.

CeeCee switched gears and talked about the book her teacher read and how she wanted more Pete the Cat books. Jace started to say something about ordering them off Amazon, but Clary shut that down. Instead, she made plans to take CeeCee to the library over the weekend. It would give them a chance to get out of the house. And there was really no point in buying books she would probably read once and forget about.

When they got home, Jace set up CeeCee with a snack and her homework while Clary stepped away to call Isabelle. Having finally set a wedding date with Simon, her best friend was entering wedding planning mode. Which meant Clary had to enter maid of honor mode. With Izzy planning her own wedding, Clary was there to help her make final decisions and talk her back from the ledge when things got too stressful.

Clary and Izzy video chatted for a while, going over potential color schemes, venues, and dresses—both bridal and bridesmaid. As they were setting up a time to go dress shopping, Jace popped his head into the bedroom.

"Dinner's almost ready. Want me to save you a plate?"

She shook her head. "I'll be right there."

She and Izzy settled on a date for her first dress appointment. They were going to stick to wedding gowns for the time being since Clary wouldn't be able to accurately try on bridesmaid dresses quite yet. Clary said her goodbyes and joined everyone at the table.

After dinner, she had CeeCee take a bath and then sat down with her to watch a movie until bedtime. Jace disappeared into his office, saying something about needing to make a few calls.

CeeCee laid her head on Clary's stomach, and Clary ran a hand through her blonde curls as they watched some animated movie. They made it about halfway through before CeeCee tilted her head and looked up at her.

"Miss Clary?"

"Hm?"

"You gonna be Jonathan's mommy?"

"I am," she responded with a small smile.

"Are you gonna be my mommy, too?"

Clary's hand froze in her hair. She knew that topic would come up eventually, but this felt so out of the blue and she hadn't been prepared.

She swallowed thickly. "I would like to be, yes. How would you feel about that?"

"Happy," CeeCee said without hesitation, and her heart constricted.

"It would make me very happy, too, sweet girl."

"Can you be my mommy now?"

She and Jace hadn't talked much about the whole mom thing. They figured if and when they got married, it would naturally happen. But they weren't even engaged yet and her real mommy wasn't fully out of the picture either. If Jace didn't win full custody, they'd have to navigate the mom/stepmom thing and it wouldn't be as simple as calling Clary mommy.

"Let's wait a bit for that, okay?"

"For what?"

Clary knew this was probably a conversation for Jace, but she was already too deep and didn't want to turn CeeCee away now.

"You know your daddy and I love each other very much, right?" CeeCee nodded. "Well, when people love each other like we do, they often get married. Like Cinderella and Prince Charming."

"Are you an' daddy getting married?" she gasped.

"Hopefully one day. And when we do, that's when I can be your mommy. Does that sound good?"

CeeCee frowned, a small pucker forming between her brows. "How long?"

"I don't know. But I promise I'll make the wait worth it."

Clary watched as CeeCee moved between the shelves, Pete the Cat long forgotten. Seeing how many books were offered at the library, she kept finding new ones she wanted. And Clary had to keep reminding her she could only take three home at a time.

As glad as she was to have CeeCee so excited about books and reading, she hoped she'd make her picks soon. She'd been feeling off all morning and kind of crampy. She didn't want to cancel the plans with CeeCee but regretted it as the cramps got worse.

She inhaled sharply as a stabbing pain came from her lower abdomen. She didn't want to panic yet, though. It could be nothing, but she didn't want to stay out long in case it was something.

"You have ten minutes, CeeCee," she called.

CeeCee nodded, continuing to browse the shelves and pull off books. Clary found a chair she could sit in while still keeping an eye on her. The ten minutes passed, but she let CeeCee keep looking. Until she felt another sharp pain.

Once the pain subsided, she pushed herself from the chair and walked over to where the little girl was. She had more than three books at her feet and another open in her hands.

"It's been over ten minutes. We need to go. Choose your top three."

"I'm not done," CeeCee said without looking up.

"Well I am. Please pick three of your books to get today. We can come back later when you're done and get some of the others."

CeeCee ignored her, continuing to flip through the pages. Clary felt her patience thinning. She was trying to keep it together, but frustration was taking over. CeeCee usually wasn't like this, but she still acted out sometimes, which her therapist had said would be normal. Clary couldn't figure out why she was picking now, a time when Clary was trying not to be overcome with fear, to not listen.

"Celine Herondale. You pick three right now or we leave without any."

When CeeCee didn't react, Clary crouched down to pick the books off the floor. She'd drop them off at the circulation desk to be put back in their rightful places.

"No!" CeeCee screeched. "Those are mine!"

"I warned you and you didn't listen. We're leaving."

"No. I don't want to." She stamped her foot and reached out to grab the books back.

Clary went to pull them away but stilled when a rush of warmth traveled down her legs, a loud gasp escaping her.

A librarian appeared next to them, hearing all the commotion. "Is everything okay over here?" he asked.

"I think my water just broke," she whispered, more to herself than to him.

His eyes widened and dropped to her now wet jeans. "Oh! Is there someone I should call? Husband? An ambulance?"

She shook her head, thrusting the picture books at him. "Can you just put these back?"

He took them from her and scurried away, ignoring CeeCee's loud protests. Clary pulled out her phone and dialed Jace. CeeCee continued to whine and complain, and Clary felt something in her snap.

"Shut up," she hissed, harsher than she meant to, causing CeeCee's bottom lip to tremble.

Jace picked up right before it went to voicemail. "Hey. How's the library?" he asked.

"It's happening."

"What's happening?"

"The baby," she said, her voice thick.

She heard something fall in the background. "Are you have contractions?"

"My water broke."

"Shitshitshit. I'll be right there." He hung up without another word.

Clary pulled CeeCee outside to wait, and they were both in tears by time Jace pulled up. CeeCee was crying over Clary snapping at her. Clary was also crying over snapping at her, but there was the added panic she was feeling. She wasn't ready for this.

A very distraught Jace hopped out of the car, and Clary wondered how many traffic laws he had to break to get there as fast as he did.

"How are you doing? How far apart are your contractions? Any other pain?"

She focused on only one of his questions. "About five minutes apart now, but they're short."

"Okay. We still have time. Let's get you to the hospital."

"The hospital!" CeeCee cried. "Why?"

"Because Miss Clary's about to have a baby."

Clary stared in awe at the little bundle in her arms. Closed eyelids covered a pair of gray eyes (she was sure they'd change later) and tiny pink lips were puckered in sleep. She brought her nose down to the smattering of blond hair on Jonathan's head and inhaled that smell only babies had.

After hours of labor, he'd finally decided to make his debut, and Clary was absolutely exhausted. But she hadn't been able to stop looking at him since the nurses cleaned and handed him to her. She was afraid he could just disappear at any moment and all of this would have been some twisted dream. Plus, she knew a parade of visitors would soon show up, and she needed to be awake for that.

She felt the corners of her mouth turn down as she thought of the waiting room full of people wanting to meet Jonathan. The one person she really wanted there was missing.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked from the chair next to her, sensing the shift in her mood.

"I wish my mom could be here," she said quietly, keeping her gaze on her son. Jocelyn would never get to hold Jonathan. Never get to meet Jace. Never get to see her get married.

"I wish she could be, too. Her and my mom are probably watching over us and placing bets on when we'll finally tie the knot."

She snorted a laugh. "They're going to have to wait until after Simon and Izzy's wedding. There's no way I'm helping plan two weddings at the same time."

"Doesn't mean we can't get engaged earlier. There's nothing wrong with a long engagement."

"This better not be a proposal, Jace."

"Why? Are you planning on saying no?"

"I don't want our proposal story to involve me being sweaty in a hospital bed."

"Don't worry. You'll know when I propose, and it will be a great story to tell our kids."

"Nothing public," she warned.

"I can handle that." He glanced at a message on his phone. "Are you ready to show off our newest addition? It appears our guests are getting impatient."

She nodded. The sooner they all met Jonathan, the sooner she could fully rest.

Clary put a smile on her face as their friends walking into the room. Maryse and Izzy fawned over the newborn, and Izzy didn't hesitate to take him from her. Clary shot Simon an apologetic look. This was definitely going to have Iz pushing forward the baby talk.

Robert walked in holding CeeCee's hand. She immediately ripped herself out of his hold and ran over to Clary. Jace had to quickly reach out and grab her before she launched herself on the bed.

"I know you're excited, but you need to be careful while Miss Clary is healing, okay?"

He let go once she nodded her understanding. She was slower as she moved to lay her head next to Clary's arm on the bed.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen," she said, and Clary knew she was referencing the library debacle.

"And I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"S'okay. Daddy said you were scared and didn't mean it."

"I was very scared, but I still shouldn't have done it."

"Can I see Jonathan, now?" she asked, easily changing topics as usual.

Izzy handed him back to Clary so she could present him to his older sister.

"He's so tiny," CeeCee gasped. "Was I tiny?"

"You sure were," Jace said. "And look at how big you've gotten."

"Can I hold him?"

"Not right now, sweetie," Clary answered this time. She wanted to wait until they were alone at home and could take the time to show her how to be extremely careful with him. "But soon. I promise."

CeeCee frowned but knew better than to argue in that moment. Especially after what she pulled earlier.

Everyone hung around for a bit, talking and continue to fawn over Jonathan. When Cary's yawns became more frequent, Jace politely kicked everyone out. Only CeeCee, who was passed out in one of the chairs, was allowed to stay.

Jace went to take Jonathan from Clary, but she shook her head at him and held the baby closer to her chest.

"He's still going to be here when you wake up, Clare," he laughed. "You need to sleep."

"Everything just…feels so perfect right now. I want to make it last as long as possible.

"That doesn't mean you can't sleep. I promise everything will feel just as perfect tomorrow and every day after that."

"You don't know that," she fought back weakly.

"You're right. I don't. But I do know as long as I have you and CeeCee and Jonathan, things will always be perfect."

Sorry for going MIA. Life just kinda got in the way. Thanks to everyone who sent reviews and messages (and sorry for not replying).

The next chapter will likely be the last. I have it mostly written and waited to do that until posting this one so there won't be another almost six month wait. See you in another week or two.