“Here comes another one.” Phoebe gritted her teeth.
“Look at me,” Ryan demanded.
She did.
“Now, let’s breathe together.”
Phoebe followed his lead.
With the contraction over, Ryan lightly trailed his fingers over her middle until the tension left her and she lay back.
“I need to get a few things out of the bathroom and find something soft to swaddle the baby in. You should have let me know you were planning this tonight and I could have been better prepared.”
“You’re a funny man, Ryan Matthews.”
“I thought you could use some humor right about now.” He found the things he needed and placed them at the foot of the bed within arm’s length.
Another pain took Phoebe and she met his look. They went through it together. This was one time he didn’t mind looking into the pain in someone’s eyes.
“I feel pressure. I need to push.”
“Hold on just a second.”
“This baby isn’t waiting for you,” she growled.
Ryan examined her. “The head has crowned.” He moved to the end of the bed and leaned over the footboard. “Phoebe—” his voice was low “—I want you to look at me. On the next contraction I want you to push.”
Her gaze met his between her knees. They didn’t have to wait long. “Push.”
Ryan reached for the baby’s head and supported it. His look went to Phoebe again. “You’re doing beautifully.”
Another contraction hit. His gaze held hers. He wished he could hold her hand and comfort her but he couldn’t be at two places at once. “Push, honey.”
Ryan glanced down. The baby’s shoulders slid out and the rest of the tiny human followed. He saw birth all the time but none had been more amazing.
Exhausted, Phoebe fall back on the bed.
“It’s a boy,” Ryan announced. He tied off the umbilical cord before cutting it and laid the baby on Phoebe’s stomach.
She reached a hand up to touch the tiny head.
At the baby’s squeaking sound, Ryan came around to the bedside table and reached for the suction bubble. He cleaned the air passages and mouth. Grabbing a clean towel, he wiped the newborn.
The sight before him was more beautiful than any he’d ever witnessed. His heart swelled. For once he could understand the feeling new parents had when their child was born.
“He’s perfect, Phoebe.” Ryan couldn’t keep the reverence out of his voice.
She looked at him with a tired smile. “He is, isn’t he?”
Ryan leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “No more perfect than you. I’m going to lay him beside you and go get a washcloth and finish washing him up. You and I still have some work to do.” He took a towel from the end of the bed. Wrapping the baby in it, he placed him beside her.
Phoebe secured him with her arm.
“Don’t move.” Quickly he went to the bathroom and prepared a warm washcloth. Returning to Phoebe, he cleaned the baby boy, swaddled him in a sheet and placed him in the cradle.
Going to the end of the bed, Ryan said, “Okay, Phoebe, I need a couple of big pushes and we’ll be done here. Then you can rest.”
Half an hour later Ryan had Phoebe settled with the baby at her breast. He stood at the end of the bed and watched them. He was so full of emotion all he could do was stare. It had been an honor to be a part of such a special event. Phoebe’s eyelids lifted.
They were full of love that extended to him.
“What’s your middle name?”
“James.”
Phoebe looked down at the baby. “Joshua James Taylor.” She looked back at Ryan. “We’ll call him JJ.”
Ryan’s eyes watered.
“Why don’t you join us and get to know your namesake?”
Ryan didn’t hesitate to join them on the bed. Phoebe lifted her head and he slipped an arm under her neck. JJ mewed as if he wished the two adults would stop interrupting his sleep. He soon quieted. Ryan ran his palm over JJ’s silky head. Despite having delivered hundreds of babies, Ryan had never spent any time enjoying the touch and feel of a newborn. He picked up the tiny hand and JJ wrapped it around Ryan’s finger. His heart was captured.
Ryan had spent so much of his life alone and now he wanted more. He would never go back to living closed off from people. His world was right here in his arms and he was going to hold on to it tight.
He looked at Phoebe. Her eyes were clear and confident. “We are yours. All you have to do is accept us.”
“I love you, Phoebe. And I love JJ. I want to be a part of your lives if you will let me.”
“And we love you. We are family now.”
Ryan kissed her tenderly on the lips. When he lifted his mouth from hers Phoebe’s eyelids had already closed. He shut his, releasing a sigh of contentment. He’d gone from being a man alone and caring nothing about the future to a man who had everything he could hope for, including a bright future. Life was worth living.