As Dakota sat with his hands resting on his wife’s’ baby bump, who has bright red hair, brown eyes that one would get lost in-captivating, and adorable freckles all over, he felt his son kick. Suddenly it became so real to him.

  “We’re having a baby,” Dakota whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and disbelief. “After all these years, after all the heartache and hope, it's finally happening.” A single tear rolled down his cheek as he turned to his wife, his eyes searching for her, connecting with the depths of her soul.

  With her hand on her belly bump, she felt each kick a reminder of what their future brought the two of them. Over filled with both joy and anxiety, the joy of their new baby boy finally entering the world very soon took the spotlight.

  Dakota and Dawn had been married for seven years with three miscarriages. The first baby was lost only after a month of seeing the positive results. Dawn had always wanted a big family with several children. She had grown up wanting to give birth at least one biological child, adopt a newborn, adopt siblings that could get separated, and she wanted to travel across the world to adopt a child from a third world country. After the first miscarriage she tried so hard to pretend nothing happened. Denial. She was stuck in denial; however, she was always reminded that she, Harmony, did exist. She felt as if she could not share the burden with her husband the way she needed to, because of Dakota’s circumstances. Not being able to see his three alive children must be way worse than losing a baby that he never met. He has three prior children to Dawn with two baby mammas. At the time both baby mammas refused to let Dakota spend time or talk to them. They both had reasons that were not even correlated. Baby mama number one wanted his daughter, Emma to call him “Uncle Preston” because she left him for his best friend, and she figured it would be easier than explaining dad and stepdad to their daughter. He did not approve but had no choice but to accept those terms if he wanted to spend any time with first born. Eventually she cut him off because she asked him to wait for her and he said he would not wait any longer for her to leave the guy she left him for any longer than he had.

  Baby mamma number two cut him off and stopped answering any phone calls or messages about the two kids, because after their relationship failed, he eventually met Dawn and fell madly in love. Baby mamma number two uses the children as pawns in what she thinks is a game. She says he can’t see or speak to them because they cannot be together and that if he took her back then she would let him see them again.

  In the early days of Dakota and Dawn's relationship, there was a day that changed everything. They were at her mother's house, enjoying the serenity of the outdoors, talking and listening to music, when suddenly, a blue Toyota truck screeched into the driveway. The atmosphere shifted dramatically as a figure emerged from the vehicle—a woman with raven-black hair, a dark complexion, and an imposing presence that cast a shadow over the scene---lumpy and whale shaped. She rolled down the window to reveal a curly-haired child in the back seat, Dakota's son. Dawn's heart raced; her mind flooded with uncertainty about what was about to unfold.

  Baby mama number two started yelling and cursing at them both, her voice rising with each word. "How dare you cheat on me, Dakota! You think you can just replace me with some cheap fling?" Her eyes blazed with fury as she pointed accusingly at Dawn, her face contorted in a mix of rage and jealousy. "You don't deserve to be around him, you homewrecker! Dakota, you promised me you'd come back! You lied to me. You said you loved me.” She knelt to her knees, her wild sobs turning into howls that echoed through the yard, her body shaking with uncontrollable anger.

  Dawn, despite the chaos, focused on the young boy who watched the commotion with wide, frightened eyes. When baby mama number two's screams turned into incoherent babbling, Dawn spoke up in a calm and rational voice, almost impossible if it were not for that baby boy.

  “Look, you need to get up, talk to us at a normal headed level, because the baby looks like he is getting scared. I do not want to be a home wrecker.” Despite the rising anger within her, Dawn knew that the child watching them deserved better. Her love for Dakota was profound, but she understood the importance of his family. Turning to Dakota, she spoke sternly, “I love you so much, but I am not going to be mad at you for choosing your family over something new. This is incredibly hard for me, but I won’t stand in the way of your children’s happiness. I don’t really understand what is going on between you two because you tell me y’all have been split up for over a year, and she is telling me y’all just slept together two months ago---the weekend before you hit on me and kissed me for the first time. You need to choose your family over this. I will not be mad.”

  Her heart ached as she said this with a straight face. She loved Dakota deeply, but she did not want to come between him and his children. She felt the sting of reality, struggling to keep her temper under control. The presence of his son was a constant reminder to stay calm and composed. Dawn knew how much Dakota loved his children, and she did not want to make a scene with the young boy watching them.

  Dakota told them that he chose Dawn. “Our relationship has been over. I want to spend time with my children just not while being in a relationship with you. Now I am going to see hug and kiss my son since you have finally decided to bring him by despite my phone calls and messages. In complete and utter shock, Dawn asked him if, he was sure. She knew what was on the table for him to lose. He took her by the hand and reassured her, then went over to the truck where his son sat in his car seat. His little arms reached out wide and long for his daddy. Dakota could only grin from ear to ear as he got to spend a few minutes with his little boy. He held him in his arms giving him bear hugs---embracing him tightly. You could tell they both didn’t want to let go. They were on cloud nine.

  While Dakota was enjoying the little time he had with his son, Dawn tried to calm things down with baby mamma number two. She was eager for Dakota to co-parent with his son's mother, so she attempted to persuade her that if her presence was problematic, she would be willing to remove herself from the situation entirely. This would allow Dakota and his son's mother to spend time alone with their children without interference. Baby mamma number two did not like that idea at all. There was nothing more she could say to Dawn, so she got up off her knees, wiped her face and stomped to her truck.

  Dawn walked to the front porch to give them their privacy but heard yelling and screaming coming from the annoying voice of baby mamma.

  “Put MY son back in his car seat. We are leaving and you are never to see him again until you get back with me!” Dakota gently put him in his car seat, buckled him in, and gave him a kiss telling him good-bye.” He did not want to say good-bye or let this be the end of it, but the child did not need to see or hear all the drama.

  So, as this one example shows of the many, Dawn felt that it would be unfair to Dakota to talk to him about how hurt she is about the loss of her first child. She felt like nothing could compare and it would be unfair to speak of the loss of one baby who is unborn when he has three, he can’t see that are all very much alive. So, she decided to pretend to the world that those two positive lines never showed up. Though she thought of baby Harmony every day and still does.

  Each day Dawn struggled with the intense pain of losing her unborn child, Harmony. The loss weighed heavily on her heart, a silent sorrow that she carried with her everywhere. She often found herself staring off into space, lost in thoughts of what could have been, imagining the smile, the laughter, and the small feet that would have pitter-pattered around her home.

  Dawn's heartache was compounded by the complexity of Dakota's situation. She knew that he was dealing with his own profound struggles of being separated from his children. The thought of voicing her own loss felt selfish and inconsiderate, as she believed that her grief could never measure up to the tangible absence Dakota felt for his living children. She felt trapped in her silence, unable to share the depth of her sadness with the man she loved.

  Every night, as she lay in bed, Dawn would whisper soft prayers for Harmony, hoping that her baby could somehow feel her love. Tears would slide down her cheeks, wetting her pillow, as she mourned the future she had envisioned for her unborn child. She felt a connection to Harmony that transcended time and space, a bond that was unbreakable, even in loss.

  Despite the emotional turmoil, Dawn put on a brave face for Dakota. She supported him as best as she could, standing by him through the heated confrontations and the heart-wrenching goodbyes. Her resolve to be strong for him was unwavering, even as her own heart shattered in silence.

  The thought of baby Harmony never left her mind. It was a quiet presence, a gentle reminder of the love she had to offer, the love that had been stolen from her. Dawn knew that one day she would find the strength to share her sorrow with Dakota. But for now, she held it close, a sacred piece of her heart that was solely hers.

  Now as they sat in the beautifully decorated nursery they had just finished putting together, Dawn in the white rocking chair and Dakota in his new Lazy Boy sofa, her water broke. The room was a whimsical haven filled with vibrant colors and charming decorations. Brightly painted wall murals depicted happy scenes of cars, tractors, and planes, each meticulously designed to spark joy and imagination. Shelves adorned with plush toys and miniature models of various vehicles added to the playful ambiance. The crib was surrounded by a mobile of colorful hot air balloons and stars that gently swayed, creating a mesmerizing view for the baby. Soft, fluffy clouds hung from the ceiling, casting a dreamy glow over the room. It was a perfect blend of warmth and creativity, making it a cozy and enchanting space for the new arrival.

  “OH MY GOD!!! THE BABY IS COMING. OUR PEANUT IS COMING!!” Dawn was overwhelmed with emotions. Thank goodness they just finished the nursery. As Dakota helped her up and grabbed the already packed hospital labor bag, Dawn heard a faint cry.

  “Oh no! Did the baby already come out? Is his head poking out??”

  Confused, Dakota laid his wife on the floor of the nursery to check the status, but there was no head yet, so there was still time to get to the hospital.

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  “No head yet!! Where were you hearing the cries from?” He picked up his wife whose contractions seem to be closer by the minute and carried her and their unborn baby to the truck.

  Before they exited the nursery she could only point in the direction of the crib. Dakota had no idea what was going on with his wife, but assumed it had to be hormonal. All he knew was his new baby boy was on the way to finally be in their arms and this time, he was sure no matter what happened between the two of them, she would never use their own kids against him and would always make sure to co-parent. But he knew he did not have to worry about co-parenting, because he is madly in love with Dawn and could not be happier to finally be able to raise a child together. Finally. He would not miss a thing.

  Just to be sure of it, despite his wife’s’ wishes, he bought two tiny hidden go pros to video tape this entire beautiful event, just in case of a rare phenomenon and he misses even 0.0001 seconds. The Go Pros he bought came in a set of matching couples’ necklaces. He would only activate the Go Pro cameras to their necklaces when it was time to have the baby. He had a back up plan and a back up plan to the back up plan to make sure he saw the baby’s’ arrival.

  As Dawn's contractions ripped through her, a sudden, sharp cry pierced the night—too distant to be hers, yet unmistakably familiar. Her husband froze for a fraction of a second, heart hammering against his ribs, before tightening his hold and rushing down the stairs. The sound echoed again, thin and warped, threading through the humid air like a whisper from the past. He shook it off—this wasn’t the time—but the sensation clung to him, pricking at the edges of his awareness as he bundled Dawn into the passenger seat. Gravel spat from under the tires as he threw the truck into gear, streetlights streaking past in frantic blurs. Dawn’s labored breathing, her muttered curses between contractions, kept him grounded, but the cry—distant yet pressing—seemed to follow them. His grip tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles white, lungs burning with the weight of something he couldn't explain. A trick of the mind, the exhaustion, the panic. And yet, the sound lingered—like an echo of something unseen, something that had been waiting.

  As Dakota swerved into the hospital entrance, tires screeching against the pavement, the distant cry that had haunted the drive seemed to fade beneath the blaring fluorescent lights. He barely had time to throw the truck into park before he was out, yanking Dawn’s door open as she clutched her belly, breath shallow, skin slick with sweat. The automatic doors whooshed open ahead of them, and the sterile scent of antiseptic and rushing adrenaline swallowed them whole. A nurse at the front desk barely had to ask—one glance at Dawn’s curled form was enough to set the wheels in motion. Dakota's voice wavered between urgent and frantic as he fumbled his phone from his pocket, hands shaking as he dialed her mother.

  Dakota's voice cracked with emotion as he clutched the phone tighter, his breath coming in frantic bursts. “Mom, get ready—your grandbaby is on the way! We just got to the hospital, and it’s happening. This is it!”

  Before her mother could respond, he was already calling Tater Gator, his best friend—the one person who had grounded him through every moment of fear leading up to this night. “I hear you, man. I’ll be there,” Nick said, and somehow, those words anchored Dakota in place just as he was about to unravel. His pulse was pounding, and despite the bright hospital walls and the sterile chatter of nurses, the eerie remnants of the cry still clung to him, lingering like a whisper he couldn’t shake.

  Dakota barely had time to register the blinding fluorescent lights before a nurse gestured him forward, letting him stay by Dawn’s side. His pulse hammered as he clutched her hand, feeling the sheer strength of her grip—the unspoken desperation, the rawness of the moment. Nurses flanked them, guiding them down the halls in a hurried blur, voices weaving instructions he barely heard. He already knew the drill, however this was different. Dawn gritted her teeth through another contraction, her nails digging into his palm, and Dakota’s breath hitched, helpless against the tide of emotions crashing over him.

  The nurses helped Dawn settle into their labor room, meanwhile Dakotas ADHD kicked in and remembered the bag they had prepared for the hospital stay.

  “Baby, did you call our midwife? I did not grab my phone.” Dawn asked her thirty-two-year-old, scruffy, red-bearded, husband.

  “No, but I will. I will be right back; I am going to the truck to get our prepared hospital bags. I kept both of ours in the back of my truck just like you asked.” He kissed her gently on her forehead then leaned down to her belly and kissed it seven times. He whispered to the baby inside his wife, “Don’t make your big debut without me. Daddy will be right back. Pinky promise.”

  Dawn ran her fingers through his hair as he was speaking to their son. She smiled and knew everything was going to be okay. She carried this far this long. She was determined to “keep calm and carry on!”

  Dakota felt a gentle warmth spread through his entire body. For a fleeting moment, he was transported back to 2019, when Dawn first ran her fingers through his hair. They weren’t even together then; Dawn was with someone else. Yet, as her delicate touch grazed his scalp, something shifted. Dawn, cute and frazzled, quickly jerked her hand back, realizing the intimacy of the gesture. She excused herself from the room, a blush coloring her cheeks. What she didn't realize was how much Dakota cherished that moment. Her touch had brought him a sense of peace, a calm that almost lulled him to sleep before she pulled away. That was when Dawn knew she needed to end her previous relationship, their connection was undeniable.

  He was brought back to reality as another contraction hit his wife like a train and she wailed out in pain. He excused himself while pulling his phone out of his pocket. He was walking down the hall scrolling through Facebook Marketplace. He saw a Harley Davidson motorcycle he really wanted, then remembered they had a baby on the way and shouldn’t put his life at risk. He scrolled past a few items and stopped on a set of Ring doorbell cameras.

  “Shit!” He blurted out when he saw a family waiting next to him for the elevators. “I am so sorry.” He apologized to those who seemed to be the young girls’ parents---holding the tall man’s’ hand. He felt horrible because he knew he would not appreciate other people blurting out profanities with such vulgarity in front of his child at such age.

  He remembered the cameras he bought for him and his wife. He scrolled left onto his phone in a rush then right twice to the app on his phone to turn the cameras on so it would start recording both of their experiences, but most importantly to not miss Peanuts’ big debut! He got to the ground floor where the valet parked his car. He did NOT have time to wait on the valet guy to take his sweet time.

  Dakota approached the valet stand, his breath quickening as he tried to remain composed. The valet, a young man with an almost perfectly crisp red and black uniform with an easy smile, looked up from his clipboard.

  “Hey, I need my keys right now. My wife’s in labor, and I must get our hospital bags!” Dakota’s voice was edged with urgency, his words tumbling out in a rush. Cigarette in mouth puffing away.

  The valet raised an eyebrow, sensing the gravity of the situation. “Alright, sir, just a moment,” he replied, flipping through a set of keys hanging neatly on the board.

  “No, you don’t understand. It’s happening fast. I need them now!” Dakota's anxiety was palpable, his eyes darting toward the elevator as if he could will it to ascend faster.

  The valet nodded, his movements becoming brisker. “I’ll get them immediately. Which vehicle is yours?”

  “The Green Chevrolet with black shiny rims and mud tires,” Dakota pointed, his hand trembling slightly. “Back of the lot.”

  Without hesitation, the valet grabbed the keys and handed them to Dakota. “Here you go, sir. Good luck.”

  “Thank you!” Dakota’s relief was almost tangible as he snatched the keys and sprinted toward the parking lot. He glanced back momentarily. “Seriously, thank you!”

  The valet watched him go, a look of understanding on his face. “Hope everything goes well,” he called out, though Dakota was already too far to hear.

  When he got to the back of the lot to his truck, he quickly grabbed their packed bags and Dawns phone. He rushed back to the valet running out of breath, he managed to call out “Heads up bubba!” as he tossed the keys to the young man working the valet station.

  When he got back to the delivery room, he did not see their midwife. He also expected to see his wife screaming out in pain with a roomful of doctors, nurses, and CNA’s---like his wife. Instead, he saw his beautiful, calm, and very pregnant wife lying in the hospital bed clutching her bible in hand and sitting on her belly praying. Dawn wasn’t due for another 21 days, and he remembered their midwife was on vacation for another three days---halfway across the world!

  With his past experiences with Dawn, he learned she was quick tempered when things did not go as planned. She HATED things being off sequence. Though overtime she became more of a go with the flow type of person, when it comes to their child, he just knew he was in for it. He was not ready to face her. “She’s going to go red in face then argue with me until I give in, because I can’t win one argument…even when I am right. Plus, she is extremely hormonal right now.” He thought to himself.

  Dakota drew a deep breath as he walked towards his wife, “Baby, I know you told me to call the midwife, but she is on vacation in Cape Town, South Africa.” He began unpacking their bags avoiding face to face contact.

  “I know. I remembered after the last labor contraction stopped. I will do without. It is you and me against the world protecting this innocent little peanut. We will do without her. I do want our money back, though.” Dawn gave a little chuckle.

  Dakota spun around in such shock that she had not “spazzed” on him. He rested his hand on her forehead, “Uh, do you have a fever? This is totally the time to spazz out.”

  Dawn laughed at him. “No, I have a plan B. When it comes to our child, I can not be foolish and freak out like a psycho. If we want to raise this baby right, we will both have to keep our calm and eye on the prize.”

  “Yeah right. You? Calm? This is some backwards hormonal crap! I give it a few hours.”

  Dawn was now starting to become agitated but tried to make a joke out of it.

  “Wanna make a bet?”

  “You’re on, baby!” He kissed her on the lips soft and gently.

  Dawn pressed her lips deeply upon him and pick pocketed him for her cellphone. She was good at that. He never knew when she was going to snag a lighter, his phone, wallet, keys, or cigarettes, but he did not care, because the love and trust between them was beyond comprehensible to the average person. Besides, after seven years, he still feels butterflies in his stomach when she kisses him.

  He pulled away but holding onto the moment. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” She said back smiling and already dialing her best friend. They had been friends since they were in high school. Oh the memories they had shared with each other. The “tea” spilled over the years. My, my, had fourteen years passed already? She thought to herself as she was dialing the number.

  After four phone calls she finally answers “Uhh…Hellooo?” Mariyah hated phone calls, and Dawn agreed with her.

  Dawn knew she hated phone calls, but this wasn’t the time for a text message. “Your God son is about to bless us with his face and little cries. Midwife is unavailable.”

  “I am riding my unicycle on the trails. I am on my way to you. Which hospital are you at?” Mariyah replied with enthusiasm. She did not think that she would be able to participate as the step-in midwife if anything happened. Dawn and she talked several times before about the things she needed her to be able to do in place of the midwife.

  Dawn gave Mariyah the details of the hospital “Mercy Crossfade General. Room 707.” Feeling a wave of relief wash over her.

  She knew that Mariyah would get there as fast as she could, she’d ride her unicycle to her Honda, load up, and haul butt!

  Dawn's partner stood by, rubbing her back gently, trying to soothe her nerves.