Chapter One-Hundred and Sixty
Claire took little Johanna from her mother, gently bouncing her as she hummed a lullaby to her. She smiled as John's hands rested under her elbows, able to feel his lips on the side of her neck. She closed her eyes, pretending that Johanna was really their daughter and that they were parents in their own home. "She's beautiful." She whispered, letting Frank take the baby from her arms.
Amelia crawled onto the sofa, looking at the little bundle in the young father's arms. "Why'd you name her Johanna?" She asked, stumbling over the name.
Julia chuckled, taking a bite of one of the cupcakes that John and Clarissa had made. "Because John was the one to help bring her into the world. So, we named her after him." She smiled as John's cheeks flushed bright red, his natural tan starting look more like a sunburn. "Didn't you tell them?"
He opened his mouth as if to answer, but lost the words before he could say them. "I… uh…"
Thomas sat forward on his chair, a puzzled look crossing his features. "You mean… John delivered her?" He looked up as John tried to hide his smile, noticing that his face had turned so red he looked like a tomato.
Frank nodded, remembering how calm John had stayed through the entire birth even when his hands had been slick with blood and other fluids from the mess of delivering a baby. "You've got one hell of a kid here, Tom." He patted John on his back, noticing how he hugged Claire close to his side. "He knew exactly what to do, and we couldn't ask for a better godfather for little Johanna. That is, if you're up for it?"
John's head snapped up, his question clear in his eyes. "What?"
"Of course, we'd wait to make everything legal in our will until you and Claire are married. But we were hoping that you two would be her godparents…" Julia smiled, draping a blanket over her chest as she let Johanna breastfeed.
Claire bounced on her toes, hugging John's torso close to her as she watched the reality of the question being processed in his mind. "John?" She grinned when he slowly looked at her, giggling as she saw the wheels turning in his head. "Can we?"
He grabbed a glass of pink Kool-Aid lifting it high above his head. "To being godparents!" He cheered, downing the Kool-Aid like it was a shot of tequila. "Now, who wants to open presents?"