Mate Bond - Finished

Chapter Twenty One - Meet

Luka's POV

I took Ivy and left Serenity to get some rest. I decided to go to my dad's office first to get some advice on how to break it to the moms that they missed the birth of their first grandchild. I knew they'd be sad they missed out, but I also didn't regret respecting Serenity's choice to birth without a bunch of people watching her.

I knocked on my dad's office door and waited for his response. I opened the door slowly, keeping Ivy just out of his view. He tilted his head slightly and smiled, likely thinking I had something to prank him with or something funny to show him.

“Whatcha got for me?” He asked.

“A surprise.” I said. I stepped fully in the door, revealing the tiny infant in my arms. His mouth fell open into a look of shock, and then a bright smile.

“This is her?” My dad whispered.

“My daughter, Ivy. Your granddaughter. She was just born a little over an hour ago. No one knows yet.” I said. His hands reached out and I handed Ivy to him. He cradled her gently to his chest.

“I just barely remember holding you when you were this small. The best moment of my life.” He proudly stated.

“Mine, too. I caught her. I was the first to see her. It was incredible.” I told him.

“You didn't call Seth and Makayla?” My dad asked, referring to Serenity's parents.

“No... Serenity didn't want anyone near her. She labored most of the night without even telling me. When she finally woke me up she asked me not to go get anyone else, she wanted to be left alone. I respected her wishes.” I said.

“Your mother did the same thing with you. It was just the two of us.” He said. “I think your mom, Kya and Makayla are downstairs. Do you want me to go down with you?”

“Please.” I said. He handed Ivy back to me as we walked downstairs. I saw my mom and Serenity's mom talking over coffee in the kitchen, with Kya standing at the counter joining into their conversation. My dad walked ahead of me so that they couldn't immediately see me.

“Good morning.” My dad said.

“Good morning.” Both women replied cheerfully.

“Hi mom, Kya, Makayla. Look who showed up this morning.” I said, stepping out from behind my dad. Gasps filled the kitchen.

“What?” My mom said.

“This is Ivy. She was born a little over an hour ago.” I said proudly. The women surrounded me to look at her.

My moms eyes filled with tears. “She's beautiful, Luka.” She said.

Makayla looked angry. “Where's Serenity? My daughter gave birth and no one had the decency to tell me? Is she alright?”

“She's doing well. She's upstairs resting. I came to tell you all as soon as she was settled.” I explained.

“Serenity asked that no one else be present. She woke Luka up last minute and asked him not to wake anyone else. She wanted to be mostly left alone.” My dad explained with an authoritative tone.

“What if something had happened?” Makayla demanded. “I'm calling Seth.”

She stepped out to go get Seth. My mom and Kya were still staring at Ivy in my arms. I felt guilty. I hadn't thought about if something had gone wrong. We weren't thinking of emergencies but we weren't fully prepared because of that. Things had gone just fine, but I had never considered what would've happened if they didn't and no one was aware or awake to help.

“You did the right thing, Luka. If she didn't want people near her, then you did the right thing by not asking anyone to come.” Kya assured me.

Seth and Makayla came back in. His eyes went immediately to Ivy. He stepped carefully to me. I expected him to yell, or to have to pass Ivy off to go outside. He approached me and looked closer at Ivy.

“Oh, she looks just like Serenity.” He gushed.

“She does.” I agreed.

“Serenity's doing alright?” He asked me.

“She's doing well. She's getting some sleep upstairs.” I said. “Do you want to hold her?”

He nodded and I carefully handed Ivy to him. He immediately broke out into sobs. “When Serenity was born, it was the best day of my life. This is just like holding her for the first time again. I can't believe how much she looks like her.”

Seth and I hugged. We were both in tears. Two fathers in awe of our daughters.

Soon, Makayla and my mom took turns holding Ivy. Everyone loved her and we were so happy to have her here finally.

I went upstairs to check on Serenity who was still sleeping peacefully. I went back downstairs to prepare breakfast.