<h4>Chapter 121: Chapter 121 : Sweet Sweet Dahlia</h4>


    James.


    Four months of being in Japan had taught me many things, and one of those things was that even the smallest of jobs can make you important to the people around you. I had taken on the maintenance job that Sue’s father once had with ease, and because I had, the tenants in the building were forever grateful.


    Which meant they were constantly trying to feed me, and with my understanding of thenguage being minimal, I epted so that I wasn’t rude.


    Thest thing I expected after a long day of work, though, was to have my phone ring in the wee hours of the morning with Neal’s voice on the other end.


    “A daughter?” I whispered softly as the news slowly woke me up.


    “Yeah, she just had her. We didn’t think she would have the baby till next week, but her water broke a few hours ago, and then it was a mad rush to the hospital.”


    I was overjoyed to hear the news, but still hesitant on the situation between Neal and I. We weren’t exactly on good terms. Neal still didn’t like me, and honestly, I didn’t care for him either. The only reason why we spoke was because of Ba.


    “I don’t even know what to say.”


    Neal scoffed withughter, and I could almost picture him rolling his eyes at myment. “Look, I didn’t mean to wake you, but I figured you should know you’re a father again.”


    “I’m not though.” I sighed. “I’m not the one that’s there.”


    “Stop the bullshit, James. We already talked about this, and I’m not going to keep up this shit with you if you’re not going to put forth the effort to appreciate me keeping this secret. I already don’t like lying to her.”


    Annoyance filled me with his shittyment, but in the end, he was right again. I needed to appreciate what he was doing, and more than anything, I wished I could trade ces with him. “I’m sorry. Thank you for calling me.”


    “Holy shit, this is a good day. Not only did the babye, and everyone’s safe, but you’re apologizing too. Perhaps I should try my luck at the lottery.”


    “No need to be a smartass,” I snapped at him as I slowly slid from the bed. “What does the baby look like?”


    He was quiet for a moment, and with the silence, I pulled the phone from my ear to make sure we hadn’t got disconnected. Yet, he was there just obviously trying to think of what to say.


    “She looks like you. Jet ck hair, cute chubby cheeks. She honestly looks like the baby photos of Tally. Ba found them the other day in the boxes from your house.”


    The boxes from my house? Neal had told me they had sold it to someone, but wouldn’t say who. In the end, I hadn’t thought they would have taken any of that stuff with them. I had expected Ba to walk away from it all.


    “I didn’t realize that she took stuff from the house.”


    “Yeah.” Heughed. “She took quite a bit, honestly. The furniture and that she left for the buyer at their request.”


    “The buyer wanted my stuff?” Iughed in reply, finding the notion to be amusing. “That’s a first, I guess. For someone to have that kind of money to buy the ce I hadn’t expected for them to want my shit.”


    “Well, it’s not actually your shit anymore. You’re dead, remember?”


    He wasn’t wrong, and throwing that in my face was like being dosed with cold water. I was always reminded that I was dead, and nothing I did could or would ever change that. I would forever have to live with the fact that I couldn’t be with the others again.


    I can’t ever exist in the world as James Valentino, but I could exist in the world as Les.


    “I’m aware, Neal. You don’t need to remind me.” I sighed running my hand through my hair. “I’d like to give my child something. Can you do that for me?”


    “How the hell do you think that can be managed?”


    Rolling my eyes, I set the small coffee pot in my kitchen and sighed. “I don’t know, but let me think about it. I will contact you in a few days.”


    “Look, I know you want to do things for them, but you can’t, James. How would any of that be exined?” Neal asked with the sound of irritation and disbelief in his tone.


    “Like I said... I’ll contact you in a few days.”


    My reply sent him scoffing, and after a moment, a heavy breath escaped him. “Fine.”


    He didn’t wait to end the call, and with our conversation over, I was left with more questions than answers. I wanted to send something to my daughter. Something for her to always have to remember me by.


    Even if the thought was hard to aplish.


    Ba.


    The moment Allegra set her eyes on the baby, she cried, and I couldn’t help butugh because the state of her was something that I had never seen before.


    “You can stop crying,” Iughed. “This is supposed to be a happy moment.”


    “I am happy,” sheughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Can I hold her?”


    Nodding my head, I let her take the baby from my arms. The nurse came in at the exact same moment to help me get into the shower. “Oh, wonderful is this your sister?” the nurse asked Allegra.


    “Something like that,” she muttered as she gushed over my daughter in her arms.


    I slid from the bed to my feet, and with the nurses help, made my way towards the shower to get cleaned up. The cool water was refreshing against my skin, and enjoying the moment to myself let me reflect on what I had just done.


    No longer was the babe I had grown within me just a waiting game that I had been ying. She was here, and from the first moment I held her in my arms, I knew without a doubt that my life had changed.


    As soon as I was clean and dressed once more, Allegra, the baby, and I were ushered towards a more private room they had prepared for me. It looked almost like amon bedroom, and as I made my way inside and was quickly tucked into bed, my sweet daughter was once again ced within my arms.


    “I will need the child’s name to ce on the birth certificate, my dear.”


    I had thought for a long time about what I wanted to name my child, and everytime I tried to pick a name, I couldn’t. Nothing ever seemed as if it would fit her, and so I waited. I waited until my eyes set upon her to pick a name that would best suit her.


    “Dahlia Taliana Valentino,” I whispered softly as I stared down at my daughter’s face.


    “Taliana?” Allegra echoed as she sat on the edge of the bed. “I think that’s a beautiful idea.”


    d that Allegra liked the idea as well, I continued gushing over my child until the door opened, and Neal walked in. He hadn’t been able to spend much time with her, but as soon as he made his way into my room, he didn’t waste a moment.


    “How is our girl doing?” he whispered as he came to my side, squeezing into the bed next to me.


    “She’s strong–and sleepy,” I giggled as I turned my nce up at him from my daughter. His lips didn’t waste a moment of gently iming mine, and as they did, I relished in his touch.


    Our rtionship had been strained during the moving process, but I was d that I had him with me. Everyday spent with him made things easier, and even though Dahlia wasn’t biologically his, I knew for fact that he saw her as his own.


    “How is my girl doing?” he whispered against my lips as his thumb brushed against my cheek.


    “Sore, but overall great. I chose her name.”


    “Oh, did you?” he replied, perking a brow. “May I know her name?”


    Chuckling, I rolled my eyes leaning into him. “Dahlia.”


    ncing down at Dahlia he smiled. “It’s beautiful... just like her.”


    “I can’t wait to finally be able to go home, but unfortunately, I have to stay here for forty-eight hours. Why don’t you both head home and get some rest? You have been here so long already and you both need your sleep.”


    My words seemed to make both Allegra and Neal hesitate before Allegra let out a yawn that quickly caused both Neal and me to yawn as well. “I don’t want to leave you.”


    “Technically, you’re not leaving me. You’re going home to get rest, and thening back here once you’re well rested,” I teased as he nodded and then slowly stood.


    “Okay, okay. I’d know that well pointed look anywhere. I will force Allegra to follow me to the car so I can take her home to rest,” heughed as Allegra crossed her arms over her chest shaking her head.


    “I have no problem sleeping here—”


    “Absolutely not!” I chuckled, pointing towards Neal. “He is taking you home. I know what you’re like when you have not had enough sleep.”


    Myment caused both Neal and I to break into a fit ofughter that caused Allegra to re at us disapprovingly. I knew she didn’t like being made fun of, and giving her my best frown, she finally caved in with a smile and rolled her eyes.


    “Okay, okay. I will go, but I will be back first thing after I wake up.”


    “That’s fine, but go now. Get some rest, and I will see you then.” I smiled watching as she made her way towards the door with Neal.


    It was sweet to see them so concerned about how I was doing, and how the baby was. They had taken Dahlia and I in as their own blood and never turned their back on me even when they could have.


    As soon as they were gone, and Dahlia was fed, I settled her in the cot and snuggled down into the bed. My eyes couldn’t leave her tiny figure, and when my lids were finally too heavy to hold open any longer, I let them close and dreamed of the future.


    A future that would be full of nothing but love and life.