Friends to Lovers (Heart of Hope 6)

“You’re scaring her mom,” he said, taking my hand. “Come on. We’re here.”

He hung up with his mom and then helped me out of the car after I finished having another contraction.

Once I was upright, he held my face in his hands. “I love you.” Then he grinned. “Jesus fucking Christ, Petal, we’re going to be parents.”

I wanted to share his enthusiasm, but the idea of enduring these contractions for thirty hours put a damper on it. Still I managed a smile, then I took a seat in the wheelchair an attendant brought and was rolled into labor and delivery.

The last eight months were one perfect day after another. Well almost. Cy and his mother remained in Chicago until March, and then they sold her home and moved her here. She had a lovely little condo in the same community that August did. My parents bought one there as well, and had come home in May and planned to stay until mid-October. Luckily for Cy and me, our parents got along.

The highlight of the year, so far, was when Cy and I got married in April. We had a small ceremony along the river behind April and Jude’s house. Afterwards, I moved into Cy’s home which he’d already childproofed. He was even starting to build a swing set even though it would be a long time before our child could swing.

The cupcake business was doing well, and I was able to hire another staff person and this fall I planned to have an intern from the culinary department of the community college. I hoped it would allow me to take some time off when the baby came.

If the baby ever came, I thought as I pushed yet again. It was now dark outside after being in the hospital for ten hours, and I was exhausted.

“You’re doing great, Petal.” Cy kissed my head. I loved this man more than anything, but he was really starting to annoy me with his encouragement.

“Another push, Petal,” my doctor said.

How was it possible that it could take so long and be so hard to push six or seven pounds of baby out of my body?

But I was nothing if not determined. I gathered my strength and pushed.

“That’s right…the baby is crowning. Can you hold right for a minute?”

What? Hold? No, I wanted to have this baby. But I was also someone who followed the rules. So I did my best to hold enough push pressure to keep the baby there.

“Okay, this is it Petal. Let’s have this baby,” the doctor said looking up at me from between my thighs.

“Jesus,” Cy said next to me.

The moment was momentous, poignant, but I was too lost in the effort to really savor it. I was ready to be done. To meet this little person Cy and I had made. I bore down, pushing with all my might.

“Yes, yes, yes…here it comes…” the doctor said.

I felt like my pussy was on fire and then the baby moved through me, and was out.

He held the baby up. “It’s a girl.”

At that moment, all the emotion that had been kept at bay during labor washed through me. “Oh…” Tears welled in my eyes.

“She’s so beautiful,” Cy’s voice caught.

I looked at him, and saw tears on his cheeks, which made me cry.

He looked at me. “We made her.”

I laughed, loving the awe in his voice. “Trick or treat. Turns out we got a treat.”

He laughed and kissed me. “The best treat ever.”

The baby was wrapped up and then handed to me. “Hello sweetheart. Your daddy is right. You’re so beautiful.”

“Daddy. I’m a daddy.” He said it like he’d only just realized it.

I took his hand. “Cy, she’s perfect.”

“She is. You are too. You’re fucking amazing.”