She winked at me while I tried to keep myself in control of every sexual instinct I had when it came to her smooth skin.
“All right,” Sergio was all business as he lifted the blanket, “I need you to pull your knees up a bit to your chest, yup just like that,” He ducked his head, and I literally saw his blood on my hands, wanted to end his life while I waited. He reached. She moved and hissed out a harsh breath.
His expression went from calm to something I couldn’t really identify. “Chase,” he said in a low voice. “The hospital, her doctor, it’s a thirty-minute drive in early morning traffic.”
“I know this. Why are you telling me this?”
He eyed me and then her. “She’s dilated to a nine.”
“Really?” She perked up like she was proud of herself while I was ready to slam my face and his through a wall. “See I really am mafia.”
I gave her a pleading look and then waited for Sergio’s next words.
“I’ll deliver her.”
Yeah, knew it was coming.
“Her?” I repeated. “It could be a he?”
“You’re right, but I keep praying God curses you with a girl who drives you insane and tries to sneak out on her sixteenth birthday, he owes me one so fingers crossed.”
“As long as the baby’s healthy,” Luc said in a dreamy voice while I made a mental calculation of all the things that could go wrong.
“Grab one of the med boxes.” Sergio quickly stood and went over to the bathroom to wash his hands.
I grabbed a med box from the closet and propped her up on a few pillows. “Are you okay? Do you need anything right now?”
Luc’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you remember our wedding?”
I sighed touching my forehead to hers as Sergio grabbed the box and moved around the room, I heard the sound of metal supplies, the ripping open of packaging that I knew he’d use to make an IV for her, all the things I didn’t want to happen were happening. And I had no control over it.
“Of course I do,” I whispered, trying to keep the fear out of my voice even though I knew she could see it in my eyes. I was supposed to be strong. But it was a lie. She was my strength, and now she was going to be in pain and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I gripped her hand so tight she winced, then relented. “It was perfect.”
“You cried.”
Sergio snickered.
I gave him the finger with my free hand and then kissed her forehead. “I thought you looked like an angel, and I was ninety-nine percent sure you were going to run the other direction when you saw the devil at the end of the aisle.”
“I second that,” Sergio whispered under his breath.
I ignored him. “I couldn’t believe that you kept walking, all I could focus on was the silk fabric wrapping around your legs with each step, kissing your skin, the plunging neckline of your dress,” I touched the middle of her chest with my finger and drew it down the front of her tank top. “The way your smile lit up the church,” I swallowed, then touched her stomach. “And the fact that our little baby was already making an appearance. I didn’t think you could get more beautiful. Clearly, I was wrong.” I kissed her belly.
Tears streamed down her face. “Chase…”
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad I married the monster — I love him so much more than I could ever love the prince….”
“The story’s backward.”
“It’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.” She wrapped one arm around my neck while Sergio grabbed the other and told her to hold still as he put in an IV.
He worked fast.
“I didn’t mean to step on your dress.” I kept trying to distract her, “But it was so long, and then all I could think about was getting you out of it.”
“Which you did in the bathroom before the rehearsal dinner.” She pointed out.
Sergio coughed.
I just grinned and said, “Twice.”
Her laugh was like music to my ears.
“Oh, and before I forget, Vic found the bagels.”
She paled and then burst out laughing. “You mean the bagel bagels?”
“I think he ate one.” I wiped a tear from her eye.
“Chase!”
“What? When you’re hungry, you’re hungry,” I pressed a kiss to her neck. “Am I right?”
“Never eating a fucking bagel again,” Sergio said under his breath and then Luc nearly came off the bed as she gripped my hand, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“That was a big one,” Sergio said casually.
“You think!” I roared at him, gripping her hand while she tightly gripped mine right back.
“I see a head.”
I wanted to look.
I really wanted to look.
I wanted to see life.
I’d already seen so much death in my years on this earth. I didn’t mean to release her hand. She nodded to me though, and it was all I needed to squat down by Sergio.
The baby’s head was crowning.
I was used to blood, gore. I expected the same.
Not this.
Just not this perfection.
“All right,” Sergio looked up at her. “I need you to push once you feel the tightening of the contraction again okay?”
“Got it.” She nodded and then. “I’m pushing.”
“We know,” I whispered as baby’s head popped through, the crying was immediate.
“Two more pushes and this is going to be the easiest labor I’ve ever seen,” Sergio said encouragingly.
She pushed again.
And again.
And then suddenly I was moving Sergio out of the way, gently of course, and holding the baby, my baby girl.
I laughed.
Sergio joined in as he took the baby from me wrapped her up in a towel then handed me scissors, I cut the cord, she had lungs on her, shit did she have lungs on her.
Sergio handed her to Luc she burst into tears immediately.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
It was probably the first time I’d smiled longer than ten minutes since Mil’s death, the first time I literally wasn’t sure I would ever be able to wipe the smile from my face.
It felt damn good.
“Life.” I croaked.
“Life.” She repeated. “She’s so beautiful.”
She had inky black hair and a wail fit for a queen. Perfect.
“What are you guys going to name her?” Sergio was still working on Luc, cleaning up and because I read all the manuals I could I knew what came next as she kissed our girl one more time and handed her over to me.
“Violet.” I whispered, “We said Violet for a girl.”
Sergio pressed down on Luc’s stomach as the rest of the embryonic sac came out along with enough fluid to make a lesser man pale.
Luc winced and then said through clenched teeth. “Violet Emiliana Abandonato.”
Stunned, I just stared at her.
Luc, with tears streaming down her cheeks, looked over at me and smiled. “I can’t hate the woman who gave me you. And you shouldn’t hate the woman that gave you this.”
And just like that, the final piece of my hatred dissipated as I looked down at my daughter and for the first time in a year whispered a thank you, and a prayer for my dead wife.
Maybe, just maybe, there was room for her in Heaven after all.
And I could have sworn in that moment I heard her laugh
Not one of mocking.
One of pure, joy.
And the first tear fell from my eyes onto my daughter’s ruddy cheeks.
And I knew…
I knew.
I would protect this love, this very real love, with my life.
And I would kill endless people to keep it safe.
“I love you Violet.”
Chase
My hands shook as I held my baby girl in my arms. It had been six weeks of pure hell, of being so paranoid of something happening to my child, my wife, that I decided it was in everyone’s best interest for me to stay awake and watch everyone in my house sleep. Gun in hand, cocked, ready to go.
I had a hard time eating and my eyes burned.
The floor creaked near the door.
I held up my gun and pointed it just as Sergio walked in, hands in the air. “It’s just me.”
I lowered my gun and wiped my face with my left hand. “What the hell do you want?”
“I’m doing great thanks for asking.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door. “You need a break.”
“Don’t tell me what I need.” I rasped.
“Fuck you’re even more miserable to be around, and you have every reason in the world to be happy,” Sergio muttered and looked into the crib and smiled. “You’re lucky she looks like Luc.”