Kenzie

 

Kenzie smiled as she walked in the front door. For the first few months, she had thought of the place they lived as being Xavier’s house. It was the home he had owned when they met, and it was filled with the furniture he had picked out. But there had been numerous shopping trips since then, during which he constantly encouraged her to get whatever she wanted. If Kenzie thought fluffy pink bath towels would be nice on her side of the linen closet, then Xavier would stock them. If she wanted to change the comforter on their bed, so be it. “I want you to feel at home,” he had told her.

 

And then, of course, there had been the baby’s room. The guest room closest to the master bedroom had been easily converted to a nursery. Several big, tattooed men whom Kenzie now knew by name had come to help move out the grown-up furniture and stayed to paint the place a warm, comforting shade of yellow. It was funny to see a bunch of bikers hang pictures of pink flowers and stencil butterflies onto the wall, but it was also very endearing.

 

“They’re your family now as much as they are mine,” Xavier had whispered to her when the nursery was finished. The big windows let in the morning sun as Kenzie had gazed at the white crib and matching changing table and imagined how wonderful it would be when she could finally hold her baby in her arms.

 

Yes, this was definitely their home now, and she liked it that way. Kenzie could do as she wanted, without worrying about someone trying to control her, and Xavier was always so kind and considerate.

 

He stepped out of the kitchen as she was taking off her jacket. “Hello, gorgeous. I’ve just about got dinner ready to go.”

 

She smiled at him. “If I had known you were such a good cook when we first met, I would have just run away with you right there and then.”

 

Xavier shrugged as he went back into the kitchen. “I don’t know. I did burn the roast that one time.”

 

“That wasn’t your fault and you know it.” She had come home while the roast was in the oven, and the two of them had wound up making love on the kitchen floor. It wasn’t until they had smelled the burning meat that they had both come to their senses and jumped up to put out the flames. In the end, they had ordered a pizza and sat in front of the TV, just as content.

 

“I’d be happy to burn this chicken for you,” he replied, a devilish look on his face.

 

She moved into his arms, glad for his heat as he wrapped himself around her. There was always something so comforting about being with him, and she wished she had found him sooner. “As much as I would like that, I’m not so sure.”

 

He eyed her belly, which was now so round and hard she didn’t think it could grow any bigger. “Is it getting too close?”

 

“Dr. Girtman said it should be fine, but I’m just not feeling quite right today.” It had been a long day working dispatch. Kenzie had finished her degree, but she knew she would never be able to safely pass the physical fitness test while pregnant. Her dream of being an officer might be on hold for the moment, but not her dream of working with the department. They had hired her almost on the spot, and she had been gaining experience in the law enforcement world even if she couldn’t be out in the field yet.

 

Xavier yanked a dining chair out from under the table and spun it around with one hand. “Sit down. Are you dizzy? Nauseous?”

 

She sank down into the seat but shook her head. “No, it’s none of the normal stuff. I just feel so … heavy. Like the baby suddenly weighs a lot more than she used to. I know, that sounds silly.”

 

He raised his hands in the air in surrender. “Not to me. I don’t know anything about this stuff.”

 

“Maybe it’s just that I—Oh!” Pain surrounded her lower abdomen, yanking and pulling at her.

 

“What? What’s wrong?” Poor Xavier hovered around her, not knowing what to do.

 

Kenzie smiled despite herself as the pain subsided. She glanced at the clock and took note of the time. It could just be a false alarm, but she was only a week away from her due date. “I don’t think anything is wrong. There was just some pain, but it’s gone now.” She rubbed one hand over her bulging belly, wondering if her little one was ready to come out and greet the world.

 

“Pain? Isn’t that a bad thing?”

 

She had never seen Xavier look so scared. He had helped blow up buildings and dealt with the meanest, baddest people of the streets. He had fought the entire mafia just to get to her. But his pregnant girlfriend was the most terrifying thing of all, and she had to laugh.

 

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.

 

“I’m sure. It’s just that you … there it is again.” Kenzie checked the time. It had only been a few minutes. If this was for real, then she wouldn’t be pregnant much longer. “I need you to do me a favor and turn off the oven. I think it’s time to go to the hospital.”

 

Xavier moved like lightning as he shut down the kitchen and ran upstairs to grab her bag. He helped her into the front seat of their new sedan. When he had gone around and gotten behind the wheel, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and poked at the screen.

 

“What are you doing?” The contractions were coming again, and they were starting to get painful.

 

He grinned. “You’ll see.”

 

As they headed out onto the main road, a roar sounded behind them. A swarm of bikes appeared off a side street and surrounded them. Big men in leather vests rode ahead and behind them, some of them screaming and shouting as they went.

 

“An escort of the Reaper’s Hearts to help welcome our new one into the world,” Xavier said with a grin.

 

Kenzie couldn’t help but be touched. She spun the old dented ring on her finger, which now barely fit her. Maybe she didn’t need anyone else, but she certainly had them. It was nice to know that she and Xavier would never be alone in this, no matter what happened.

 

Once at the hospital, she was rushed straight up to the maternity ward. A nurse put monitors around her belly, an IV in her arm, a blood pressure cuff on her other arm, and an oxygen monitor on her finger. The contractions increased, and the pain was almost unbearable. She gritted her teeth and twisted the sheets of the hospital bed in her fists.

 

As the pain subsided for the moment and she lay back on the pillow, she looked to Xavier. “I love you.”

 

His eyes were soft, and he reached out to touch her arm. “I love you, too. Which is why I brought you something.” He produced a small black box from the pocket of his vest and got down on one knee. “I know we haven’t really taken the time to talk about our future together. We’ve been too busy decorating the house and planning for the baby. You’ve got your job with the police department, and I’ve been working with the Reapers to find legal sources of income. It’s been crazy. But despite all that, we still fall into bed in each other’s arms every night, and I never want that to stop.” He opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. It sparkled even in the sickly fluorescent light of the hospital room. “Kenzie, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

 

Her lungs squeezed as tears blurred her eyes. She could no longer see the ring or the man who held it, but she knew they were both there. Unfortunately, her abdominal muscles began squeezing, too. This contraction was bigger than any that she had felt yet, and she reeled against the bed with the pain.

 

The door burst open, admitting two nurses and Dr. Girtman. The old man grinned with excitement, but the women were all business as they got things set up for labor. They removed the end of the bed and put Kenzie’s feet up in stirrups, moving quickly and efficiently as they set out everything the doctor might need. “It’s time to start pushing!” the doctor announced.

 

Kenzie had never felt such pain in her life, but Xavier was right there holding her hand through the entire ordeal. At one point, she thought she might break his fingers, but he never complained. He encouraged her to push and fed her ice chips between contractions.

 

An hour later, Kenzie held her baby girl in her arms. Her fringe of red hair against her pink skin was the most perfect thing she had ever seen, and Kenzie cried once again to see that she and Xavier had made such a flawless human being together. “She’s so beautiful.”

 

“Just like you,” Xavier assured her.

 

“What’s the name?” the nurse asked, her pen poised over a sheet of paper.

 

Kenzie looked to Xavier, who nodded. “Sophia Grace, after my great-grandmother.”

 

The nurse smiled as she wrote it down. “That’s very pretty.”

 

The baby had been bathed and swaddled, the hospital bed had been reassembled, and the general chaos that had come with delivering a baby had finally settled down. Sophia lay sleeping in a clear-sided bassinet right next to the hospital bed. Kenzie was hungry and tired, but she could think about nothing but her new child. “I just can’t stop looking at her. She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

Xavier took her hand in his. “I agree. It’s going to be hell keeping the boys away.” He leaned down and kissed Kenzie on the forehead. “You did a great job. I’m so proud of you.”

 

“It’s only the beginning.”

 

“Speaking of beginnings.” There was something about the way he said it that made Kenzie finally tear her eyes away from the sleeping infant. “You never did answer my question.” He took the ring box out of his pocket once again and smiled.

 

“You know, I did get a little distracted there for a minute,” Kenzie laughed. She held out her left hand to him. “Yes, Xavier. Absolutely yes.”

 

THE END

 

 

***

 

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