She glared again. “You can’t leave me.”
“Nope, not leaving. I’m right here.” I answered the call while she crushed my hand through another wave of pain. “Hey.” I didn’t dare say his name.
“What’s going on?” Will’s voice sounded like a distant echo.
“She’s in labor. Seven centimeters dilated. Where the fuck are you?” I said lightly, trying to keep my tone friendly even if my words weren’t.
“I’m at the airport. Just landed. How long do I have?”
I glanced up at the nurse and tapped my watch. “How long?”
“Maybe an hour or so. She’s progressing quickly.”
“You’ve got an hour. Book it.”
“I’m on my way,” he said gruffly before hanging up.
Olivia’s eyes were wide and glossy like she might cry. “Is he going to make it?”
“Yeah, baby. He’s almost here. You just concentrate on your breathing.”
She nodded again and took a series of short breaths that seemed to give her some relief until the next contraction arrived.
“Oh, fuck. Oh, no. Ow, ow, ow, ow.”
I hushed her and held her through the longest contraction yet. The next few were consistently intense, and I got the strong sense that we were running out of time.
Then Liv’s eyes took on a wild look. “Ian, I have to push. I think I have to push.”
The nurse rushed over, and together we lifted her from the tub, dried her off, and brought her to the bed.
The nursed quickly checked her. “Oh, yeah. She’s ready. I’ll go get the doctor.”
“What about Will?” Her voice was frantic.
“He’ll be here. I promise.” Lies, because I had no idea if he’d make it, but I had to try to make her happy one minute to the next. Thank God I was here.
The doctor strolled in like there was all the time in the world, all the while Liv was groaning. All the blood had been crushed from my hand, and the nurse was showing me the baby’s head crowning. Dark-brown hair.
Liv’s baby. Will’s baby. Our baby. He or she was nearly here, and my stomach was about to drop out.
The doctor got comfortable where the action was about to happen, and the nurse talked Liv through the first push.
One contraction seemed to blend into the others, but the nurse assured us progress was being made. Just as I was about to give up hope that Will would make it, he slid in the door, out of breath and grinning from ear to ear.
“Olivia!” He rushed over to her other side.
“I hate you,” she snapped, grabbing his hand and squeezing through the next contraction.
He winced, but then his broad smile returned. “That’s okay, because I love you. You’re beautiful and amazing, and we’re about to have a baby.”
I winked at him. “Don’t worry. She’s been telling me the same thing since we got here.”
“Hate you both.” She breathed out and into the next push that brought the baby’s head farther into view.
Two more pushes and the baby came. A girl.
They placed her on Liv’s chest and cleaned her. Liv held her, tears in her eyes and an exhausted, contented smile on her face. My heart exploded with happiness and more love than I knew I was capable of. Somehow, the love I’d carried for Liv these many months had instantly multiplied and spread to include the incredible little human she’d just given birth to.
Will cut the cord, and the nurses took the baby to weigh her and check her vitals. Liv wilted back into the bed, glowing with energy and happiness.
Leaning down, I kissed the beautiful warrior woman who’d given us the greatest gift.
“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered.
OLIVIA
The second my parents walked into the penthouse, my mother’s countenance tightened with concern. While Will greeted my dad, my mother walked over to where I sat on the couch and put her hand on my cheek.
“Olivia, you look exhausted. Are you getting enough sleep?”
I laughed and leaned in to hug her. “I have a newborn, Mom. Sleep isn’t really happening a lot right now.”
“Are the boys helping you?”
I smiled because she routinely referred to the two men in my life as boys. The term made Ian roll his eyes. If Will cared, he didn’t show it, but he had more experience schooling his features in mixed company. Neither would complain though, as both my parents had mercifully avoided discussing our relationship or living arrangements since Darren had taken the opportunity to explain it to them, in no uncertain terms.
“Yes, they’re definitely helping,” I reassured her, “but I’m the one nursing, so they can only do so much.”
A small cry came from the nursery.
“Oh! There she is. She must know I’m here.” My mom’s eyes lit up. I’d never seen her so happy as when she held Amelia.