Savage (Wolf Ranch 4)

“Slow dance?” I asked with a wry smile. He lurched to tuck his arms under mine and hold me up, and I rested my head against his chest, swaying slowly and imagining the head of our sweet baby girl melting my cervix open with each slow figure eight of my hips.

Clint’s hold was gentle, almost reverent. He’d been attentive and protective every day. I was thankful for being a labor and delivery nurse, and I knew what to expect; otherwise, he’d have panicked… okay, panicked less and run roughshod over the entire floor. My big guardian with a tender heart.

Time disappeared. I cocooned myself in the love of my mate and everyone else around me-—his family—mine now, our friends, my co-workers. I’d wanted a real family my whole life, and I’d found my partner in Clint. Our family would grow by one soon. She would be loved completely, unconditionally. She already was.

“It’s time,” I murmured to Theresa, who had accepted my refusal to have my dilation checked since I entered transition. “Get Audrey.”

While Dr. Seymour had seen me all through my pregnancy, she was out of town for spring break with her family. Audrey was working although she’d only been back from her own maternity leave a few weeks. Boyd had insisted she cut her workload in half, and she didn’t mind, content to stay home with their baby as much as possible. We’d both laughed about it when I first arrived on the floor, my contractions ten minutes apart, but in the end, I was glad it would be her to help me bring my daughter into the world.

“What?” Clint yelped. “How do you know that?” He glanced down as if he could see through the hospital gown a head popping out of my crotch.

“Shh.” I tightened my grip on him. My last contraction had become a push. “Put me down on my side and catch your baby.”

“What?” I have to hand it to Clint. He may have been freaked out, but his movements were quick, strong and sure. He gently lifted me into his arms and laid me carefully on my side in the bed. Janet watched, but she stood out of the way, silent, letting this moment be ours.

I wanted to speak, to tell him to get ready because she was coming, but forming words became an impossibility. My body was doing what it had been made to do. There was no practice for such a thing. No way to prepare. As much as we humans wanted to control, in the end, our biology knew better—same as shifters finding their mates. Clint had been so sure I was the one for him, that we would be together forever. I was sure about this, about our growing family. My body took over and pushed out our sweet baby.

Clint gulped back a sob. “Her head is out!”

With the next push the rest of her emerged, and Clint caught her in his large hands just as Audrey and Theresa rushed in the room.

“She’s here.” My big strong mate was weeping. “You did it, sugar. Our baby is here.”

“Oh wow, she’s here!” Audrey entered swiftly but didn’t take over. She stood at Clint’s shoulder and let us have our moment.

I met her gaze over Clint’s arm. “Is she okay? Is everything all right?”

Audrey gently put a stethoscope to our baby’s heart. “She sounds perfect, Becky. Congratulations, mama.”

Theresa slipped in to wipe the blood off her and slip a cap on her head before easing her from Clint’s ginger grip and placing her in my arms. Clint shifted to my side, sitting on the bed and wrapping a strong arm around my shoulders as I stared down at our miracle.

I didn’t have the urge to cry. Maybe I was too stunned. Maybe my body was in shock. Not until I put my baby’s mouth to my breast and she latched right on and started sucking did I burst into tears.

“She’s so smart,” I wept, looking up through my tears at Janet. “Look at her.”

Janet also burst into tears. “Yes, look at her. Strong and smart like her mama.”

Even Audrey blinked back tears as she helped deliver the afterbirth, cut the cord and stitched me up. Of course, she still had raging hormones going, too, having given birth to her daughter seven weeks ago.

“Happy birthday, Lily,” I said, naming her after my favorite flower. I turned questioning eyes on Clint because the name hadn’t even been on our shortlist. I hadn’t even thought of it before I looked at her beautiful little face.

Clint kissed my temple. “Lily. I love it. Sweet Lily. Happy birthday, precious flower.”

I watched, mesmerized by her suckling. “Look at her tiny lips,” I breathed, starting to tremble from the shock.

Clint tightened his arm around my shoulders. “Look at her tiny fingers.”