I was about to run to the front desk and ask when the front doors opened and a gaggle of omegas--plus one toddler and a single alpha--came hurrying in. My eyes snapped open wide when I saw Skylar and I dashed over to him.
“Sky!” I hugged him, careful of his belly.
“Raf,” Skylar said, his voice a little weak but full of relief. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I told you I’d get here first,” I teased.
A nurse was already being called over to help him into a wheelchair, since he was breathless and weak on his feet. Kaden and Jake were beside him, making sure he was comfortable. Finn was in Jake’s arms, giggling as his dad held him sideways like a football so he could tend to Skylar.
“I’m fine, you guys,” Skylar said, sighing. But then he cringed, as if in pain, and my heart clenched. I took Skylar’s hand, ready for him to squeeze the life out of me like I was a stress ball.
“You’ll do great, Skylar,” Cash said, handing him over to the nurse like they were familiar with each other.
The nurse double-checked I was the baby’s alpha father, then wheeled Skylar away as I followed, still holding his hand like we were stuck together. She asked the others to stay behind, and Kaden and Jake pouted like a couple of kids.
“This is a lot scarier now that it’s actually happening,” Skylar mumbled under his breath.
“You’ll do great, baby.”
“Uh, speaking ofbaby,” he said, shooting me a glance. “We never settled on a name, did we?”
I snorted. There was a shortlist we both agreed on but nothing was decided yet. “I guess we have something to do during labor, then.”
Skylar groaned. “Hooray.”
* * *
Labor wasa lot more boring than I expected.
Maybe that was selfish to say, since Skylar experienced waves of pain coming and going, but the baby didn’t pop out right away like it on TV. It was about an hour later when Skylar was all settled in and wearing the extremely sexy hospital gown when I pulled out the birthing bag that I thankfully remembered to grab when Griffin and I left the house. I removed a little notebook and pen, opening it to the page with the list of names.
“All right, we only have a couple hours to decide,” I said with a grin. “So organize these in order of favorite to most hated.”
Skylar snorted. “I don’thateany of these. That’s why they’re on the list.”
Regardless, he took the list and furrowed his brow as he scribbled something down. He handed me the notebook and I scanned it with a nod.
“All right,” I said gently. “We’ll go with your name for a boy, and mine for a girl. Is that good?”
Skylar nodded, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Then the pain hit him again.
His head rolled back as he groaned. He bit his lip, his eyes screwed shut as sweat trickled down his brow from pain and exertion. A nurse was by his side, coaching him through the pain instantly. She checked beneath the gown. His contractions were still far apart. Finally, the wave seemed to pass and Skylar exhaled a sigh.
I hoped for Skylar’s sake the labor wasn’t a long one.
* * *
It was,of course. Skylar didn’t take the epidural Cash had apparently suggested.
But nine hours of screaming and straining and crying and sweating later, we welcomed a new baby boy into the world.
Er, well, Skylar did most of the work.
But I was there to support and comfort him the entire time, and I definitely had a few new bruises to show for it for all the squeezing I sustained.
Now that our son was here, though, all memories of the pain and discomfort seemed to vanish from Skylar’s mind. His eyes went wide and full of awe as the doctor handed him our baby, who was stupidly small and vulnerable. I’d been there when Jake and Griff’s son Finn was born, so I’d seen a newborn before, but this… This felt different. It hit me in my core. It felt like a part of my heart and soul was taken from me and mixed together with the same pieces from Skylar to create a tiny little person.
