I kiss the top of her hand. “Push, baby. You can doit.”
She takes a deep breath, and her face turns every shade of red when she pushes for the final time. I hear a gush of fluid and then a piercing cry—our baby’s firstsound.
“Emma Lia wins. It’s aboy.”
I thought he was a girl, but now that I see him, I can’t imagine a world where he doesn’texist.
I wipe Emma Lia’s wet hair away from her forehead and place a kiss there. “A boy, mon bien-aimé. We have a son. I can’t believe how much I already lovehim.”
Our crying son is placed on Emma Lia’s chest. “Hello, my sweetRomaric.”
“He’s okay,Cat?”
“Looks healthy as can be.” ThankGod.
Oh fuck. The heaviness of the reality hits me—I am afather.
This moment could be so different right now. Emma Lia could have hated me for pulling her IUD and getting her pregnant. She could have withheld her forgiveness. She could have aborted Romaric and walked out of my life for good. And she had every reason to, but thank fuck, she didn’t. I’m looking at everything that I love righthere.
When I saw this beautiful woman, all I wanted was her submission… until that wasn’t enough and I wanted so much more. I had no idea that she’d become myworld.
She is mylife.
She is mylove.
She is myeverything.
TheEnd
