A doctor and more nurses came in on cue. I guess she was really close. I just wanted this to be over for her.
“Are you ready, Dad?” The doctor asked, and I looked at him. Ready for what?
S.hit.
Wait. We were going to have another kid. A baby. I didn’t think about that part. I forgot what all of this was for, I was so focused on helping Willa through the anger, the pain, and the slight resentment of me impregnating her that I would ignore in the future, I forgot what we were doing.
We were having another baby.
A baby.
What if I broke it?
s**t.
My heart started to race.
“Are you okay, Alpha?” The doctor’s brows tugged together.
“Y-yes,” I swallowed.
I was not fucking okay, but I had to pretend until Willa could regain her senses. We couldn’t both panic. I could wait until she was okay again so that it would be my turn.
“Luna, I’m going to need you to push on your next contraction, do you hear me?” The doctor asked and Willa nodded slightly, it sent relief washing through me, she was in there.
She moved to sit up, and the doctor tried to stop her.
“I’m not giving birth laying on my f*g back.” She spat, her voice raspy.
I shrugged at the doctor, and he was smart enough not to say anything to her. I helped her position herself on her hands and knees. She told me before that she wanted to squat, that it would help, but she seemed too weak, so this would be an okay compromise.. I hoped, at least.
“Ahhhhh.” She cried, her beautiful face contorting, at least some of the color returned to it. I would take flushed and red over the deathly pale.
I stood and tried to collect her hair, tying it up again in another bun. I kept re-doing it. I didn’t know how many hair ties were stuck in there at this point. I moved to massage her lower back; she leaned down, her teeth clenched. “Breathe.” The doctor said, and she shot him a look over her shoulder.
“When you have a baby crawling out of your d**k hole you can tell me what to do.” She seethed, “I’m in charge.”
The doctor looked to me, and I shrugged, not bothering to hide my smile.
“She’s in charge,” I said, and the doctor nodded.
“Okay, here we go.” The nurse said, still smiling. I was glad Willa was facing away from her.
Willa cried out again, and her head fell to the pillow. I grabbed another cold compress and patted it against her face.
“I love you; this is almost over. You are doing amazing,” I whispered, hoping none of those things set her off. She nodded once into the pillow.
“One more time,” The peppy nurse said, and I grasped Willa’s hand. She squeezed so tight it hurt, but I let her, I would do anything to ease this pain, even a fraction.
A cry pierced the room, and my heart stopped. Willa smiled and settled onto the bed, breathing deeply for the first time in hours.
“Congrats, Alpha, Luna.” The doctor held up a pink blob with a mass of black hair, “It’s a girl.”
We knew that for months, but the confirmation…
Holy s**t, I had a girl. A boy was one thing, but-a girl.
I felt nauseous. The room spun, and the only thing tethering me here was Willa’s damp almost limp hand to mine.
“Are you okay?” I asked her, a smile spread across her face, her eyes were still closed, but she seemed content.
“Help me flip over,” Her voice was so low I barely heard it.
I helped her adjust herself on her back with the help of a few nurses. They changed the sheets somehow or part of them. It was magic.
“Are you ready to meet her?” Someone came up holding a bundle.
That’s right, the baby.
The baby. Our baby. A baby.
I swallowed. Willa grabbed my hand and squeezed it, “You first,” Her voice was calm and reassuring.
The nurse placed the tiny bundle into my arms. She was barely bigger than my hand.
My entire world shifted again. It grew and expanded and made room for this little thing. She scrunched up her nose and opened her mouth, and my heart shattered. It was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen. Willa sat up and winced. I couldn’t look up, though. Everything I belonged to this tiny red blob.
“She’s adorable,” Willa said from far away. I moved the baby towards Willa so she could see. She ran the back of her finger down the baby’s cheek.
I knew she was pregnant. Goddess did I know. I prepared for this mentally, but nothing could actually prepare me for this moment. This was real, this baby was tangible, our family was growing, and my heart expanded with it. “You did well,” Willa whispered. It didn’t escape me that she was comforting me even though I had never seen someone in so much pain as when she gave birth to our perfect daughter. I couldn’t speak though, I had no words. The baby squirmed, and my stomach dropped. I had never seen anything so fragile.
What if I broke her?
We won’t, I think it’s called instincts or something – Atlas said
Shut up
She’s perfect, we have another pup
I can’t argue with that
That’s a first
She blinked once. Bright blue eyes peered out under thick lashes. She closed them shut against the light.
I tentatively put our baby in Willa’s arms. She snuggled up onto her mother’s chest, and my mate rubbed her back. I leaned forward and put my arm around Willa, my other hand resting on her chest over her steady heartbeat. Our baby reached for my finger and wrapped her tiny hands around it.
Tears pricked my eyes. I had never been part of anything so innocent. This was pure love.
“Welcome to the world, Princess,” I whispered, and Willa blinked back tears.
(Willa)
I knew that Caspien would be a great dad. He already was to Emmett. I hated to compare, I really did since I’ve come so far, but there was a part of me that couldn’t shake it.
The comparisons were good, though. They always were. Caspien made me realize from the first day that not everyone that promised love and affection because of the mate bond would leave me. Rachel showed me that not every ex was against me; she ended up being someone I could rely on and trust. Having Caspien by my side during the pregnancy and labor was shattering in the best possible way.
Once Emmett was born, I thought of nothing but him until I needed to decide on my future, and even that was based on his needs. I never let myself think of a second chance or a chosen mate, and that’s why Caspien so thoroughly shocked me when I saw him in the diner.
Part of me always yearned for a doting person by my side. My parents helped a lot, more than they needed to when I was pregnant, of course. But it was so different having Caspien there. He was my partner; he was what Nolan should have been. The complete lack of support the first time around only made me appreciate Caspien more.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.