Tyler sits in the waiting room chair looking so ready for the next few hours to be over with. Crouching in front of him, I rest my hands on both sides of his huge belly, pressing a lingering kiss near his navel.
“I still can’t believe this is about to happen,” Ty says. His voice shakes a little as he covers one of my hands with his.
I lift my gaze to his. I know he’s nervous about the whole C-section delivery, but it’s apparently the only way. Lydia says Dr. Lowe is the best, and she should know since she’s the one in charge around here. Only not today. Today, Dad and Lydia are here for both of us and more than ready to meet their first grandbaby.
“You’re amazing,” I say. “You know that?”
Ty half smiles, unable to hide his anxiety. “I never thought we’d actually be here. Even waking up this morning, it still feels like a dream.”
“Tyler Greene.”
We both look toward the nurse that just called his name. We’re prepped for surgery and before I know it, Ty is on the table in the operating room with a sheet blocking his view of the lower half of his body as I sit right next to his head.
Everything moves so fast that it’s almost a blur until I hear it. Our daughter, screaming her way into the world. Moments later, the nurse lays a swaddled tiny little human being in my arms.
I freeze, unsure how to hold her, but the nurse reassures me. I’m lost in how absolutely beautiful she is. I glance at Ty. He can barely turn his head to see her, and without his glasses, she’s probably a bit of a blur. Of course, the tears streaming from the corners of his eyes down his temples probably don’t help either.
“She’s perfect, babe, just like her dad, and by that I mean you.”
Ty gives me a heartfelt smile.
“Okay, dad, I need you to come with me,” says one of the nurses.
I look up. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Just routine newborn procedures we need to take care of while Dr. Lowe finishes with your husband.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be back together in no time.”
The nurse was wrong. The thirty minutes I was away from Ty felt like an eternity. When I finally get back to him, he is all patched up and resting in one of the labor recovery rooms talking with Dad and Lydia.
Ty’s face lights up the moment he sees me.
“There they are,” Dad beams.
“Let me hold my grandbaby,” Lydia says.
“Uh-uh. Her dad gets her first.” With Mirielle in my arms, I make a beeline straight for Ty. His eyes are locked on mine until I pass Mirielle to him. Then his attention shifts. He’s entranced, just as I was.
“So, have you picked a name yet?” Lydia asks.
Tyler looks up at me, the most brilliant, content smile on his face that I’ve ever seen.
“Ty had it picked out months ago but wanted to keep it a secret. I’ll let him tell you.”
“Mirielle Elizabeth Caldwell,” he says.
I’m taken aback. “I thought we were hyphenating?”
“I changed my mind. Too complicated. Besides, I was thinking of changing my name to yours anyway being it’s somewhat of a tradition for mated couples to use the alpha’s name. Unless you don’t want to.”
“I’m all for anything that shows the rest of the world that your mine.”
“You alphas. So possessive.”
The four of us turn our attention to the jovial, teasing voice. Jordan lingers in the doorway with one arm behind his back.
