Graham flinched as Rowan’s grip approached finger-breaking strength. He looked over at Zach and noted the pained expression on his face. After delivering the baby, Beau might be setting and taping fingers.
“I see the head,” said Beau. “Give me another push, Ro. You can do it.”
“Come on, baby. You’ve got this.” Graham adjusted the pillows behind her with his free hand.
“Fuck you, you don’t know what I’ve got. Holy shit, that hurts!”
“Breathe, baby. Just breathe,” Zach said.
Ro breathed, and Graham’s stomach knotted at the agony twisting her features.
A cry cut through the sound of Ro’s panting breaths, and Graham’s zeroed in on Beau … who was holding a white-faced infant streaked with blood. Holy shit. We have a baby.
“Congratulations. It’s a girl.”
Beau immediately moved to lay the baby on Ro’s bare stomach, drying her off and covering her with a blanket.
Graham marveled at their tiny, squirming daughter. Holy shit. We have a daughter. He leaned down to kiss Ro’s hair as Zach kissed her cheek. Graham focused on the baby and her thick black hair. Holy shit. That’s my daughter. Our daughter.
Beau clamped the umbilical cord and cut it. Ro moved the baby up to find the nipple she was already rooting for.
“Wow,” Zach said. “Just … wow.”
“What are we going to name her?” Graham asked.
They’d been arguing for months, but had narrowed it down to two girl names and two boy names.
Ro glanced up, eyes bright with tears. “Mira. I want to name her Mira.”
It wasn’t a name that Ro had ever mentioned. Zach shrugged. After watching her go through labor … “Whatever you want, Ro. I think it’s perfect.” Graham leaned closer. “Welcome to the world, Mira.”
They watched their tiny daughter until Beau eased her from Ro’s chest and sponged her clean. After she was dried and swaddled, he asked, “Which of her daddies wants to hold her first?”
Zach reached out, and Beau settled the baby—Mira—into his arms. “Holy shit, she’s so little.”
A light tap on the door stole Graham’s attention. He walked over and opened it a crack, revealing a concerned Jonah. “We’re a little busy at the moment.”
“I know, I know. I’m so sorry, man. The timing sucks, but the sensors triggered about ten minutes ago, and now we’ve got someone at the gate wearing a uniform. Travis seems to think you might know him from your last tour. We haven’t engaged. Wanted your input first.”
Graham glanced at Ro, Zach, and Mira. Keeping them safe was his first priority, regardless of the shitty timing. Rumors had been swirling over the ham radio waves. The military was reportedly out rounding up every able-bodied person to work as a laborer in the New Hope For America Work Corps camps. Small militia groups had formed and were engaged in guerilla warfare, ambushing them repeatedly. Whichever way Graham figured it, someone showing up at their gate in a uniform could only mean bad things.
“Give me a minute. I’ll be right there.”
Graham returned to Ro’s side, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
“What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got to go check on something. I’ll be back to hold my baby girl in a little bit. I love you.” He nodded to Zach before grabbing the M4 propped next to the door and heading out to deal with whoever was interrupting the most important moment of his life. Friend or enemy, the first thing they’d be getting was a fist to the jaw.
Thank you for taking the time to read Flash Bang. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, or wherever you purchased it. Your reviews are invaluable to indie authors in helping other readers find our books! If you write a review, shoot me an email at [email protected]. I’d love to thank you with a personal note. Also, the lending feature is enabled for this book, so please share it if you’d like. Finally, if you’d like to know what’s next for the crew at Castle Creek Whitetail Ranch, check out my website: www.meghanmarch.com and sign up for my newsletter. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all that good stuff.
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