A shock of pain hit me. I gasped and gritted my teeth.
Contractions starting.
My mind ran through my years of training and experience with the omega brothers. Something clicked in my head. I knew how to do this--all I had to do was, ironically, turn my brain off and justfeelmy way through it.
Just breathe and get ready to push. The baby will do the rest of the work.
I arranged myself on the clinic bed, undressing the necessary items and letting myself get into the proper medical mindset. As I let my emotions take the back seat, everything became easier. My anxiety lessened, and I was no longer panicked. All I focused on was my knowledge.
“All right,” I said with a sigh. “Let’s do this.”
The pain came in waves. It was bursts of agony unlike anything I’d experienced before, but I weathered them. Benji and Caleb encouraged me, telling me I was doing great. I appreciated their support immensely.
If I helped them through their own labor, then I can definitely get through this, too,I thought.
Theo sat closest to me. I clutched his arm through the contractions, digging my nails in and gritting my teeth through the pain. If he was a human and not a vampire, I probably would’ve left bleeding marks in his skin. But Theo was just happy to be there for me.
“You can do it, Maxwell,” he said. “I know that baby’s gonna be out of you soon. Just keep pushing.”
I turned to face Theo. His gaze pierced mine, and I felt it in my soul. He would always be there for me, to protect me--and protect our family. Whatever we faced, we would do it together.
This was just one more hurdle.
The next wave of pain loomed, and I braced myself for it.
* * *
I learned laterthat the entire ordeal lasted only a couple of hours, though to me it all felt like one painful and chaotic blur. But it was forgotten when our baby girl came into the world.
“Three girls in a row,” Pierce murmured happily. Benji stood next to him, holding their daughter’s hand. Lark eagerly grinned at the new baby. “What are the chances?”
“One quarter, or twenty-five percent chances,” I told him. “Theoretically, at least.”
“Hey, genius,” Theo teased. “Are you gonna stop doing mental math long enough to name our baby?”
I was exhausted after the labor, but seeing the face of my newborn brightened my spirits and filled me with love and hope. The rest of the family gathered in the room, all brimming with excitement to see the latest addition.
“She’s so sweet, Maxwell,” Caleb murmured, his face full of joy. Luna peered curiously at the new baby, not quite understanding the commotion yet.
“Well?” Adriel prompted. “Are you going to keep us waiting any longer? Or is your nine-month long surprise just going to continue?”
I chuckled. “Theo, you tell them.”
He smiled and took the bundled-up newborn from me, giving her a little kiss on the forehead. “Sorry to break the long standing tradition of names starting with L, but we thought of something a little different.” He grinned. “Say hello to Peach.”
“Theo and I had our first kiss under the peach blossoms in the greenhouse, so… we thought it’d be a cute name,” I said shyly.
“Aw, I love that,” Caleb said.
“Lark, Luna and Peach,” Benji said with a smile. “That’s the cutest damn trio of names I’ve heard.”
“Indeed,” Adriel agreed, smiling sweetly. It was interesting to see him mellow out the instant a newborn came into the picture. I couldn’t help smiling, too. Underneath his cold exterior, he really was a great alpha, and I was excited to see him be an uncle to our baby.
Pierce put his hand on Theo’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Theo. You’ve proven yourself to be an amazing brother, a powerful vampire, and now… a wonderful father.”
If Theo could’ve blushed, he definitely would have been doing so. He shyly swatted Pierce’s hand away. “Yeah, yeah… “
The rest of the family slowly filed out to give us time to rest. Theo helped me carry Peach to our bedroom, where a crib stood in the corner temporarily. Since Luna was old enough to leave the nursery, it was ours to use if we wished, but for now, I wanted Peach in our bedroom.
