She reaches back, finds my hands, and threads her fingers through mine.
Jan’s voice cuts gently through the room. “Okay, mums, imagine a contraction starting to build. Partners, this is where you come in.”
Eden shifts slightly against me, her shoulders tensing.
“We’re going to practise breathing techniques,” Jan continues. “Slow, controlled breathing. Partners, you’ll help regulate it. Stay calm. Steady. You set the pace.”
I swallow.Me. Setting the pace.
Jan demonstrates first—long inhale through the nose, slow exhale through the mouth. “Count if it helps. In for four, out for six. Longer exhale helps the body release tension.”
Eden’s hand tightens around mine.
I lean forward slightly, careful not to crowd her. “Okay,” I murmur near her ear. “We’ll do it together.”
She nods once.
“In,” I say quietly. “Two . . . three . . . four.”
I feel her chest rise against mine.
“And out,” I continue, lowering my voice. “Two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six.”
Her shoulders drop a fraction.
“Again,” Jan says.
We breathe again. And again.
With each breath, Eden relaxes more, her back moulding into my chest like it remembers how to be there. Her grip loosens, fingers resting instead of clutching, and something unravels inside me.
“You’re doing great,” I murmur. “Just like that.”
She lets out a soft huff of a laugh. “You sound very confident for someone who panics over paper cuts.”
I smile against her hair. “Fake it ‘til you make it.”
Jan walks past us, pausing briefly. “Good pacing,” she says. “Partners, keep your voices low and steady. You’re grounding them.”
I’m grounding her.
Eden’s breathing falters for half a second, and instinct kicks in before thought. I tighten my arms slightly around her, anchoring her without trapping her.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper. “Breathe with me.”
She does.
In. Out. In. Out.
Her head tips back just enough to rest against my shoulder, and I freeze, every nerve ending lit up, but she doesn’t pull away.
Instead, she smiles at me.
And as we breathe together, surrounded by strangers on cheap mats in a community hall, I’ve never felt so happy.
EDEN
I can’t describe the feeling I have as I sit against Kade. My back pressed to his front, our fingers laced together, our breathing matching. It’s like every single cell in my body is calling to him, begging him.
