To be perfectly honest, that kid could have had face tentacles and a spiked tail and I’d have deemed her the most precious thing who’d ever precioused. She was mine, I’d grown her and everyone who didn’t like her weirdly shaped head or excessive monkey fur could bite me. She was perfect. I would fight them.

...when I could feel my legs again.

“That happens,” Dr. Cardiff said, ridding herself of her fluid-stained coverings with the help of my delivery nurses. “Your birth canal squishes her head. It’ll even out over the first few weeks. The body hair will fall out, too. That grows inside the womb.”

“Weird. Womb fur,” Mom said.

“...thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome. She’s gorgeous, kiddo. Absolutely gorgeous.”

“She has her father’s nose,” Mormor said. “But the rest of her is all Larssen.”

“Does she?” I peered down at the tiny little face—at the angry tiny face, because apparently Cass had opinions about the indignities of moving out of my womb. There was a heart-shaped face with a pointy chin and big eyes under dark arches of eyebrows. There was a tiny bump at the end of her nose that wasn’t mine, but definitely Jack’s, though his was at an angle thanks to being broken.

If Nimrod Father wanted to insist on the DNA test, I’d do it, but he’d have to be pretty ignorant not to recognize his son’s schnoz.

Dr. Cardiff congratulated us again and made a swift, albeit warm, exit. She looked tired, but to her credit, she’d been there for a long, long time and deserved sleep. I was wheeled out of the delivery room and into a regular recovery room. The nurses continued to fuss awhile, checking vitals on me and on the baby, and eventually taking an ink footprint of the baby. They kept one for the hospital, but the other one could go home with me.

Baby’s first refrigerator art.

Cass finished nursing on what little milk I had to offer. One of the nurses, a nice woman named Vikki, assured me my milk would be far more plentiful over the next few days, but that the baby didn’t need so much at first because her stomach was so tiny. That was reassuring, and I stroked my hand over Cass’s back, marveling in the softness of her skin.

“You did great,” Devi said with a soft, tired sigh. Somehow, despite hanging out with me all night and most of the day, the witch still looked gorgeous. It wasn’t fair. “I’m gonna go get Jack, if that’s cool? And I’ll call Leaf to let him know. And my parents. They’re gonna want to come get me soon. Mom’s freaking out that I haven’t slept in thirty hours.”

“Thanks. Thank you,” I said. “You were the best coach. I love you so much.”