Chapter Thirty
Greer
“It’s coming. It’s coming. It’s coming…” I said that over and over again for nearly two minutes at a rapid pace until Tenn wrapped his arms around me and hushed me into a calm—well, calmer, state.
“Everything is going to be okay, love. This is all the natural process. Now, are you in—” Before he finished his sentence, the first pain shot through my back, placing it in an invisible vise. “I see that’s our first one? Let’s get you up and into the shower before the hospital time comes. I know how you are about being clean.”
The man was right. I did take a lot of showers. I was a clean person. Sue me.
“I can shower on my own,” I said, putting my hand on his still-bare chest to make sure my words didn’t sting. “What I want you—what I need you to do is pack up the car with the bags, call Jarmin to see if he can watch Shrimp and Grits, and get dressed yourself. The bags, the baby bags, it all needs to be ready.”
“One kiss, and I’ll do whatever you command me, Papa Bear.”
I giggled, and he helped me from the soaked sheets. I was squishy—ick. I kissed him once, long and hard as a thank you for all the sexy ways he’d taken me before, successfully making this babe come out.
“Get it in gear, Daddy. We’ve got a babe coming,” I said and slapped his ass hard before going to get into the shower. I took my time under the warm spray, knowing it might be the last time I took a shower without worrying about a crying babe in the other room or being in a hurry.
I also may or may not have done a little dance at the thought of being a dad and our baby and how she would look and, also, trying not to focus on the coming out of my parts—part.
After getting out and drying off, I went against my first thought of jeans and opted for jogging pants and an oversized hoodie Tenn got me from his alma mater.
I loved that man so much.
“Whoa, there’s another one,” I yelled downstairs, not knowing if Tenn was inside or not.
“That’s twelve minutes, unless you had more you didn’t tell me about,” he said, breathless, as he bounded up the stairs.
“Nope, no more…” And then another one hit me.
“Okay. That wasn’t even two minutes. My love, I am taking your sweet ass to the hospital. No argument.”
I wasn’t even going to try.
We got to the hospital, and I was wheeled to the paternity ward where a room awaited me along with doctors and nurses asking three million questions and all wanting to stick their gloved hands up my orifices.
Perfect.
“Well, it looks like we are ready to go. You are fully dilated.”
I wouldn’t admit my utter panic at the words fully dilated and couldn’t. No, our babe didn’t have time for my fear. He needed my strength. Just then, Tenn leaned down and, while he’d held my hand the whole time, he took both my hands and whispered, “Greer, my love, you’ve got this. I’ve never known a stronger, braver man. Breathe and do your thing, Papa. I can’t wait to see our babe.”
His sweet, sincere words were all I needed to hear. The doctor came in and after thirty-one—yes, I counted—great pushes, our son was born.
“It’s a boy. A healthy, ten toes and fingers, baby boy.”
The ultrasound had been wrong. Our daughter was our son. But we didn’t mind. The tears from both Tenn and I started immediately. Our babe was placed on my chest and then he stilled like he knew that on my chest was where he belonged.
“He’s stunning, Greer. Look what you made.”
I laughed, the sort of laugh that combines relief and joy in one ridiculous sound. “Look what we made, my love. You had a little something to do with it. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. What should we name him?”
Just then the nurse told me he needed to be cleaned and checked, and reluctantly I agreed. I wanted him clean and warm and back into my arms as soon as possible.
“We should name him Elijah. We can call him Eli,” Tenn suggested and then looked at me, swiping away some sweaty strands of hair from my face. “What do you think?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “He looks like an Eli.”
“Yes, yes he does.”