I was dripping in sweat, my contractions slowing for the time-being but I knew we didn’t have much longer.

The door opened and Silas stared at me, his face pale.

“Christ, what happened?” he demanded as Dr. Patel followed him inside.

“Put this mask on, please,” my doctor ordered and I watched as he threw it on his face while rushing to my side.

“The baby’s coming,” I told him weakly. “I thought you should be here.”

The expression of surprise on his face almost broke my heart and I realized that the past month had probably been excruciating for him.

No matter how mad I had been, I shouldn’t have cut him out completely. Like it or not, we were bound together for at least eighteen years.

The past four weeks had given me time to think about what he had done and as the days past and the baby grew, I wondered why I had been so mad at him.

In his mind, he probably had believed, no matter how misguided, that he was doing the right thing.

Even our most business savvy friends had been taken by Zenocore. Silas didn’t stand a chance.

The fact that he had hidden it from me bothered me less than it had initially and I realized that had a lot to do with the fact that he had given me time to process what had happened instead of being his usual aggressive self and insisting he was right.

There were so many subtle changes in him over the past months that I would have to be a real bitch to ignore them.

You can focus on the bad or you can see that since he learned about the baby, since he came back from rehab, he’s a better version of the man who almost gambled away your lives.

It seemed so trivial in that moment, with another contraction wracking my body.

At the end of the day, when Dr. Patel had asked me who I wanted at my side for the delivery, there had been no question.

I wanted Silas and no one else.

I had envisioned a lot of cursing during labor but it seemed like my breath had been knocked from me as I struggled through the agony.

“You don’t have to stay here for this,” I told him when I could find my voice. “It’s probably going to be really gross.”

He snickered.

“I saw you through the stomach flu of 2001, remember? I doubt much could be worse than that.”

Our eyes met and I could see the naked pain in his expression.

“It’s so early,” I muttered, blinking back the sudden onset of tears in my eyes. “She’s too small.”

“She has to come now,” Dr. Patel said gently. “She’s ready, Maggie. You have to get ready too.”

I nodded but I wasn’t ready. There was so much that still needed to be done. The crib wasn’t set up and the place wasn’t babyproofed.

I’d thought I’d have time to do all that but here I was.

Silas seemed to read my mind.

“Whatever it is you’re panicking about, forget it,” he told me gruffly, seizing my hand. “No one is ever fully ready for the arrival of their first child.”

I gazed at him, wondering when he had become the voice of reason in our relationship.

Our relationship.

“Okay, Maggie, your contractions are about two minutes apart now. I need you to listen to me now, all right?”

Gulping back my fear, my fingers entwined with my husband’s, I waited for instructions as blood rushed into my ears.

Silas’ free hand slid over my forehead as Dr. Patel adjusted the dressing gown around my hips, giving me directions but her voice seemed to be floating all around me.

My birthing partner tipped my head toward him.

“Stay with me, Mags,” he said gruffly. “Our baby needs you. I need you.”

“I’m scared,” I breathed but Silas shook his head.

“You are fearless,” he insisted. “You are Maggie O’Dowd and you will get through this.”

“Silas – “

“I am right here,” he promised. “I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

The words filled me with the comfort I needed and almost instantly, the fear slid away.

“Come on, Mags,” he whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Let’s have this baby.”

Our eyes locked and I tried to nod but I was wracked with another spasm and I knew it was time.

“Okay, Maggie. Deep breath and push!”

* * *

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Silas asleep in the chair by the bed.

“Silas!” I cried, my brain feeling muddled. “Where is the baby?”

Instantly, he sat up, blinking rapidly.

“It’s okay, Maggie,” he replied without skipping a beat. “She’s in the NICU. She’s just under five pounds but she’s fairly well developed and strong. There’s nothing wrong with her. She just needs time to grow.”

“I want to see her!” I choked. “I need to see her!”

“You will,” he promised, perching on the edge of the bed. “You’re going to stay here for a few days and bond with her.”

His words put me at ease and I exhaled slowly.

“She’s okay? For sure?”

“Dr. Patel was just in here about an hour ago. She said when you wake up, you can visit her in the NICU.”

“I want to see her,” I said again and he nodded.

“I’ll go find the doctor.”

He rose immediately and I stared after him, my heart thudding in my chest.

“Silas?”

He glanced at me over his shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

His brow furrowed.

“For what? She’s my daughter too and no matter what, Maggie, I will always care about you. No matter how you feel about me or how much of a fuck up you think I am, I will be here for you and our daughter.”

I shook my head, a wry smile on my face.

“You don’t understand,” I sighed and he cocked his head, turning to look at me.

“What?”

“I’m thanking you in advance,” I replied.

Genuine confusion colored his face.

“I don’t understand.”

I leaned over to the bedside table and reached inside the drawers, pulling out the keys to the loft. “I’m thanking you for setting up the crib and taking care of the restaurant until I get home,” I replied, tossing the ring at him.

He nodded, shrugging nonchalantly as if he had expected to be unloaded on with the responsibility, despite me cutting him off for almost a month.

“Anything else you need?”

“Yes.”

I could see he was waiting but I wanted to be absolutely sure of my answer before I said it aloud.

“Mags?”

Clearing my throat, I made my decision.

“I need you.”

His mouth parted in surprise and I sighed, lowering my gaze.

“I need you to be there for us, Silas. I can’t do this alone and you have proven yourself over these last months. If you’ll have us, I would like you to move in with us.”

His face exploded into a wide, ecstatic smile and he rushed back toward me, embracing me with a giddiness I had not seen in him since high school.

“Oh, I’ll have you,” he replied, squeezing me hard enough to make me groan. “I’ll have you every way you’ll let me.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I muttered but the idea of being in his arms again filled me with longing.

Maybe there was hope for Silas after all.

Maybe there was hope for both of us.