Another

“Nah. If you don’t get to eat, then neither do I. Solidarity and all that.”

“Okay, but when this is all over, bring us both cheeseburgers.”

“Deal.”

He dimmed the lights, and I was soon passed out. I wasn’t sure for how long, but I woke up when a contraction wracked my body. It wasn’t as painful as before I got my epidural, but I was still very aware of it.

“Good, you’re awake,” a new nurse said. “I’m Angie. I’ll be taking Mary’s place. And I might be the nurse to help deliver your baby. Your contractions are pretty close. I’m going to examine you and see how far along you are.”

Scanning the room, I found Ian passed out on the tiny chair, his head falling forward over his arms, crossed on his chest. He looked ridiculously uncomfortable.

But I would have given anything to be uncomfortable like that a few hours later when I was hunched over my bent legs, pushing for all I was worth.

“You’re doing great,” Ian kept saying. He had one arm over my shoulders and a hand in mine, cringing when I squeezed. “You’re a goddess, Carina. Isn’t she a goddess?” he asked the doctors and nurses in the room.

They all eagerly nodded, half mooning over the sexy Ian Bergamo. I didn’t blame them. I was a sweaty mess, my makeup all gone, and hair in a messy bun, while he looked devastating in his white button-up with the tie gone and the sleeves rolled up.

I went to go push again, the nurse counting down for me. When she said one, I fell back on the bed, breathing hard.

Ian took a cold washcloth and wiped my forehead. I’d only been pushing for a little while, but it’d been a long day, and I was so tired.

“Come on, Carina. You can push harder than that,” he joked.

“I will murder you,” I growled out through clenched teeth.

“Totally kidding. That was sufficient pushing.” When I continued to glare, he rushed to correct again. “It was the best pushing I’ve ever seen. You’re the pushing queen.”

The nurse told me it was time to push again, and the doctor announced the baby was crowning. Only a few more pushes. In the middle of a push, I saw Ian trying to look past my legs, and I released a hand to slap it over his eyes.

“Don’t you dare look down there,” I almost shouted.

His eyes shot to the ceiling, but a smile stretched his lips, distracting me from the pain. The epidural dulled the pain but didn’t make it magically disappear.

After one more push—Ian’s head pressed to mine, both our eyes squeezed shut—the most beautiful sound in the world filled the room.

Our baby’s first cry.

“It’s a girl!” Dr. Sawyer proudly announced.

A sob broke free, and I relaxed back against the pillows.

“You did it. Damn, woman. You fucking did it.” Ian brushed my hair back and kissed my forehead.

He stood tall when Angie stepped forward with our baby girl, laying her to rest on my chest. She screamed for all she was worth, and I shushed her and held her close, taking in her scrunched up tiny nose, and tiny mouth stretched wide.

Holy shit.

I was sure in my twenty-five years I could have said I’d felt every emotion possible, but nothing prepared me for this. No book, no class, no anything could prepare me for the overwhelming flood of love consuming me. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I looked down at my baby girl. Mine.

My whole world shifted like it clicked perfectly into place and if I thought I’d been grateful before for having Ian there, nothing compared to how perfect it was to have him by my side, watching him experience the same emotion.

“Dad? You want to cut the cord?”

Ian blinked a few times, brushing his watery eyes. “Yeah. Definitely.” The nurse passed the scissors and directed him what to do. Before he cut, he looked to our little girl. “Sorry, if this hurts, Peanut.”

The nurse laughed and assured him Peanut couldn’t feel that. It was kind of adorable that he thought it would and cared so much.

“Okay, let me take her and get her cleaned up and checked out. We’ll be right here the whole time,” the nurse explained, pointing over to a baby station across from me.

My heavy lids slid closed, and I took a deep breath, letting myself relax a moment. One of Ian’s large hands wrapped around mine while the other brushed strands back from my face. I couldn’t have imagined this moment alone—without him by my side. Opening my eyes to find his silver ones looking back at me, grounded me, and let me know I wasn’t alone.

“Thank you for being here, Ian.”

“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

The nurse came back and placed our tiny bundle back in my arms. “Hey, Peanut.”