“It had to be one of the caterers from the baby shower,” I say, moving the glass far away from me so I don’t throw it across the room. My blood feels like it’s boiling in my veins. “They’re the only strangers, outside of family, who’ve been here.”

“Don’t forget your cleaning lady, and, of course, there’s also Ben,” Calder says.

“Enough snarking on Ben.” Talia furrows her brow at Calder as she steps into place beside him. “Didn’t spending time with your brother today teach you anything about learning to work together? I’ll bet you two are more alike than you realize.”

“Half brother,” Calder grumbles in a low tone, folding his arms. “I learned he knows a hell of a lot more about guns than I thought he would.”

“See, that’s great.” Just as Talia turns toward Calder, she sucks in a gasp and locks her wide eyes with me across the island. “Sebastian…I think my—”

“Her water just broke! Wow, that was a gusher!” Cass squeals excitedly before running off to our bedroom.

Rounding the island, my chest tight with worry, I watch as Talia suddenly grabs the counter. Concern knotting my stomach, I rest my hand on the small of her back as she bends her head forward and takes several deep breaths. “Isn’t it too early?”

Talia shakes her head and grabs her belly, taking another deep breath. “The doctor said the timing could be off by a week. I was just hoping he was wrong, considering everything that’s been going on.”

“Don’t worry about any of that,” I say in a firm tone. “Right now focus on you and the baby.”

I look up to see Cass setting our baby bag by the elevator door, then she runs back to the kitchen and grabs the roll of paper towels. Unwinding it quickly, she hands a massive wad of paper to Calder and says breathlessly, “Get to cleaning, Calder. I’m going to help Talia change clothes.”

Calder and I look at each other, then I frown. “We should just go to the hospital.”

“Not like this—” Talia says, then stops to breathe in through her nose.

I rub her back, hating that I can’t take away the discomfort she’s feeling.

“It’ll just take a few seconds to help her change. She’s soaked and will freeze once we walk outside.” Taking a breath, Cass shuts off the running water and looks at me impatiently. “Go get the car ready, Sebastian. You’re about to be parents!”

And with her last statement, all thoughts of illegal surveillance devices, threats and other outside world bullshit suddenly fade in the background, paling in comparison to life happening, right here, right now.

As Cass and Talia disappear into our bedroom, I walk over and open the safe in the credenza, then strap my gun against my back.

“You’re going into the delivery room strapped?” Calder asks, his brow furrowed as he tosses the towels in the trash and washes his hands in the sink.

“I’m getting my wife into that hospital and keeping her safe,” I say as I pick up the baby’s car seat by the door and step into the elevator. “Escort Cass and Talia down to the parking lot. I’ll pull right up to the door.”

The elevator doors close and I pull out my phone to text Den.

I need you to be me for the next twenty-four hours. We’re on our way to the hospital. Talia’s water just broke right after we found a bug in our apartment. A sweep needs to happen before we get back. Make sure hospital security is a fucking fortress, no matter the cost. I don’t want to have to think about anything but Talia.

Is Calder still with you?

Calder and Cass will be with us for the duration.

Be there for Talia. Leave the rest to me.

Thanks, Den. Keep me posted on all critical matters.

Putting my phone away, I double check my gun, re-holster it, then step off the elevator with the baby’s car seat and head for my car.

By the time we reach the hospital, I’m so tense I’m pretty sure I’ve permanently bent the steering wheel. Den must’ve broken several speeding laws because the guy is already at the hospital parking lot.

The second I pull the car up to the main door, Den opens the passenger door and holds his hand out to Talia. “Ready for an experience of a lifetime?”

Talia smiles as she takes his hand, then tenses as she’s getting out of the car.

“I’ll stay with her until you’re inside,” Den says once Cass joins them, hauling the baby’s hospital bag onto her shoulder.

“Meet me just inside, Cald,” I say, then wait for Calder to follow them in the main door before I pull away.

It takes ten fucking minutes to find a parking spot, and I’m so wound up by the time I finally park in the next to the last row, I could bite a nail in half with the tension between my teeth.

Calder’s talking to the hospital’s head of security along with Trevor and Elijah—fuck yeah, I’m glad Elijah came too.

Elijah looks up and sees me approaching them; he shakes his head and meets me instead. “Your father didn’t kick me out of Blake Industries for you to be involved in security tonight. Go be with Talia. We’ve got this, Bash.”

I frown, surprised. “How’d you even know?”

“Den texted your father and probably Talia’s dad too.”

My phone pings with a text from Detective Danvers.

Our people went through the footage. This guy seemed to know all the camera angles. We never saw him on any of them beyond the hall where he attacked your employee.

Setting my jaw, I reply my thanks to him for following up, then forward the message to Den. Just as I hit send, I get a text from my sister.

I’m so sad that I’m sick. I want to be there for you and Talia. I hope everything turned out okay for her aunt and that the birth goes smoothly. Tell Talia I’m sending major good vibes her way and once I’m fully well, I’ll come see that sweet baby. I want pictures!

Thanks, Mina. We’ll keep you updated. Feel better.

Shit…that reminds me. “Elijah, I need you to swing by and check on Talia’s aunt and also on Theo. Then report back.”

Another text comes through. This one from Den.

If you’re downstairs talking about security stuff, you’re going to find out the answer to whether MI6 can beat a SEAL. Get to Room 752 so I can do my job and you can do yours.

Chuckling, I send Calder the room number, then text Den back.

On my way.

Once I reach the room, I say to Den, “Touch base with Calder and Elijah,” as Talia reaches for my hand. Lying on the bed in a hospital gown with beeping monitors around her, some kind of belt around her belly and an IV in her hand, she looks surprisingly calm.

Smiling at Talia, Den turns to me, “As of now, I’m you, which means I’d better not see you asking anything security related or I’ll block your phone.”

Before I can respond, he walks out. Talia’s snicker draws my gaze and I give a crooked smile. “Apparently he’s taking my orders seriously. Speaking of people giving orders, I’m surprised Cass isn’t hovering like a mother hen. Where is she?”

“She went to see how my aunt and Theo are doing. I’m so glad we’re in the same hospital. It makes it easier to keep tabs.”

I brush her hair back from her forehead. “For now, you need to focus on you, Little Red. What did the doctor say?”

Talia’s face suddenly tenses and her fingers squeeze mine. My heart pumping hard, I fold my other hand over hers and jerk my gaze to the doorway, snapping, “Where’s the nurse or a doctor?” Fuck, I’m completely out of my element here, unsure what to do.

After a couple of seconds, her expression eases and she smiles. “It’s fine, Sebastian. It was just a contraction. They’ve called Doctor Chabra. He’s on his way and I’m sure the nurse will be in here in a little bit to check on me.”

“He’d better get here soon,” I grumble.

A half hour and a nurse visit later, Talia’s doctor shows up. “How’s my favorite mama-to-be?” he announces, walking in with a tablet and a wide smile. Looking at me, he holds his hand out. “Ready to be a dad?”

“I’m ready for my wife to not be in pain,” I grate.

After he shakes my hand, the doctor nods his understanding. “Unfortunately in childbirth, Mother Nature doesn’t give without taking her payment in return. We’ll do our best to make your wife as comfortable as possible.” Shifting his gaze to Talia, he continues, “According to your record of admission, you’re here for the night.”

“Yep, this baby’s coming whether I’m ready or not,” Talia jokes, then gasps and grips my fingers so tight that I can’t feel them.

The doctor’s eyes light up, his silver hair shining against his dark skin under the florescent light as he pulls a rolling chair up beside Talia and sits. Checking the monitor, he slides his hands over her belly. “Ah, that’s a good one. The good news is that the baby’s in the right position and your body’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to.”

“Good to know, considering I feel like I have absolutely no control right now,” she pants, using the breathing exercises she learned from her pregnancy class.

Snapping on a pair of gloves, Doctor Chabra nods to the nurse who comes in to assist him, then says, “Let’s check and see how far you’ve dilated.”

As the doctor slides to the end of the bed to do his thing, you would think after attending each of Talia’s prenatal appointments with this man that I would have grown a thicker skin about him staring at my wife’s private parts, but heat still crawls up my neck and my whole back stiffens.

Taking a breath, I shift my gaze to Talia’s and lift her hand. Kissing her knuckles, I pretend we’re the only ones in the room and the man’s not-fucking-touching-her.

Oblivious to the possessive thoughts echoing in my head, the doctor looks up over the sheet and says, “You’re progressing nicely, but if you’re going to want an epidural, you’ll need to decide soon or you’ll progress too far and we won’t be able to do one.”

“I won’t be getting an epidural.”

My eyebrows hike. “Are you sure? I know we discussed it.”

“Yes, I want to experience it all. The good and the bad.”

“You’ve got a little bit more time to decide. The contractions you’ve experienced so far have been muffled and slowed down some, so I’m going to break your water to get things moving along.”

Talia and I look at each other. “Her water has already broken, Doctor Chabra. That should be in her medical record.”

Just as I speak the doctor does something and a shit ton of water comes flooding out. The nurse is ready, using medical cloths to scoop up every bit with expert efficiency.

I wince, a finger or two cracking when Talia cinches my hand as she arches off the table and cries out, “Holy shit!” moaning at the intense pain. I move to touch her rock-hard stomach and she looks at me and growls. “Don’t touch me.”

I gesture to the doctor. “But—”

“He has to, not you,” she hisses, cutting me off.

I swear I saw Doctor Chabra smirk as he snaps his gloves off. “That should get things progressing.” Looking at me, he continues, “It’s noted in the records that her water broke, but the baby’s head has descended far enough to act like a cork. Even after the water breaks, amniotic fluid continues to produce and if the head is in just the right position it can close the hole. The refilled fluid was creating a buffer to the pain Talia would normally feel with her contractions.”

Talia pants through the pain, and another finger cracks inside her death grip. I shift a worried gaze her way. “Are you sure you don’t want that epidural now?”

Her tight hold finally loosens and she releases me to lie back down on the pillow with an exhausted sigh. “No epidural.”

Patting Talia’s foot, the doctor says, “You’re doing great. Just keep breathing through the contractions. Right now you’re halfway. The nurse will be in and out to check on you and will call me when you’re fully dilated. If you suddenly feel the need to push, don’t. Call the nurse to get me.”

As soon as the doctor walks out, she looks at me, her face relaxed, angelic. She lifts my hand and moves it to her belly. “Want to feel it?”

I chuckle inwardly at the one-eighty her personality just took, now that pain doesn’t have her in its tight grip, but I know better than to let my brief amusement show. I really do want to live to see our child born, so I let her fold my hand over her stomach and marvel in the wonder of life, while hoping like hell I don’t lose my shit as the contractions get progressively stronger and longer. Nothing will torture me more than seeing the woman who owns my heart and soul have to go through crushing pain and not being able to do a damn thing to help her through it. I want to argue with her about the epidural, but I know once Talia sets her mind to something, she’s committed.

Taking a long breath, I exhale slowly, preparing myself. If Talia can go through hell and back to have our child, I’ll manage to keep my shit together and be the strongest supporter she’s ever had.

During the next four hours, we saw Cass once when she stopped by to tell us that Theo was fine, but Aunt Vanessa was being seen by her doctor, so she couldn’t be disturbed. Talia never asked where Cass ran off to. Then again, I’m sure preparing for the next upcoming wave of excruciating pain with each new contraction growing closer and closer together consumed every second of her thoughts.

As the shift changes and the nurse brings a nursing student in to show her how to work with a pregnant patient, I look up to see Cass miming to me from the doorway. While Talia’s gritting her teeth as the nurse touches her belly and tells the student, “Feel that. That’s not near as hard as the contractions will get,” I step to the doorway, knowing Talia’s just barely holding back from yelling at them to stop touching her.

“Why are you lurking in the doorway?” I say to Cass in a low tone. “Talia won’t bite. Just don’t attempt to touch her during a contraction and you should keep all your limbs.”

Cass doesn’t laugh, but instead grabs my arm and pulls me out into the hall. I instantly tense, my gaze scanning past our guard, up and down the hall. “What’s wrong?”

“Vanessa had a heart attack and she’s in emergency surgery right now. The truth is that I never got to see her aunt earlier, because it turns out she was already on her way to surgery. It’s been three hours since they took her in, Sebastian. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not. I had to threaten Charlie within an inch of his life to get him to tell me what he knows. Apparently Vanessa was referred to a heart doctor, but was attacked before she could have her appointment. She expressly forbade him from telling Talia. She didn’t want her to know about her condition.” Her brown gaze full of worry, Cass wraps her arms around herself. “If Talia asks about her aunt, I can’t lie about something so important.”

“Yes, you will.” I hold her gaze, giving her a cold look she’s never seen from me before. “Under no circumstances are you to tell Talia. The last thing she needs is to worry about her aunt while her pain levels are spiking and only going up.”

Cass’s eyes fill with unshed tears. “Sebastian. She should know—”

“No, Cass. If you want to walk back in that room and spend time with your friend, supporting her during this birth, you’ll lie through your teeth and smile doing it. I won’t put Talia or our child at risk with additional stress and worry. If it makes you feel better to believe that I’m threatening you into silence, then tell yourself that, because it won’t be a fucking lie.”

Cass’s eyes widen and she swallows. “Okay, I get it.”

Touching her shoulder, I work to soften my tone. “She needs your support right now. The rest can wait.”

She nods and squeezes my hand. “I know, Sebastian. Thanks for um…making me see reason.”

Straightening her spine, Cass steps into the room. I exhale and follow, hoping like hell Vanessa’s surgery goes well. Otherwise, my wife may never forgive me for not telling her.

Ten minutes after Cass and I return to the room and the nurses have gone, Talia grabs my hand in a crushing hold, her gaze glazed with pain. “I need to push.”

“Don’t,” I say, then jerk my gaze to Cass, who’s already at the door. “Tell the nurse what Talia said and have her call the doctor right now.”

Holding Talia’s hand, I push her damp hair back from her forehead. “You’re doing great, sweetheart. Just hold on a little bit longer. They’re getting the doctor.”

As she screams through a hard contraction, I remind her not to push. My insides feel like they’re being churned into mush. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. Watching the pain shudder through her is so hard to swallow. I want to roar and punch a wall, but I know that won’t go over well.

The contraction subsides and the pitiful, exhausted look on Talia’s face rips at my heart. She shakes her head, her whole body shivering. “I—I don’t think I was made to have babies. I can’t do this, Sebastian. Make it stop. God, just make it stop!”

I swallow the guilt down and tell myself no more kids. Not if this is the result. “The doctor’s coming. Our baby will be here soon. I’m so sorry. If I could take your pain, I would, but the baby needs you to keep going.”

“All right then, I heard you’re wanting to push.” Doctor Chabra breezes in, all smiles as he snaps his gloves on. “Let’s check and see how you’ve progressed.”

I want to punch his face in. Instead, I clamp my jaw shut so I don’t say something offensive to the person who’s delivering our child.

The second he lifts the sheet, he quickly cuts his gaze to the two nurses who followed in behind him. “Let’s go. This baby’s coming.”

Looking up at Talia, he says, “Talia, I need you to lean back for a second and don’t bear down, okay?”

She does as he instructs, panting lightly. I’m tempted to look, but like Cass, I stay with Talia and gently rub her shoulder. The last thing I want to see is the baby in distress.

A couple seconds pass and the doctor says, “Okay, another contraction is coming. When it does, I want you to lean forward, put your chin to your chest and push down as hard as you can.”

“I feel the wave.” Talia moans and breathes through the pain as she leans up. Cass and I support her shoulders, helping her as best we can as she screams through the contraction.

“That’s it. Good job, now keep doing that, and your little one will be here before you know it.”

A few contractions and pushes later, the doctor smiles and looks up at me. “The baby’s crowning, would you like to see, Dad?”

I don’t get a chance to before Cass peeks around. “Look at all that hair!” She says, her face bright with excitement. “Oh my gosh, Talia. So much!”

Cass moves back to support Talia so I can look. I’m in awe of the miracle of it all. Grinning like crazy, I return to Talia’s side and whisper, “Yep, lots of hair. Let’s welcome our kid into this world.”

Several more pushes later, Talia screams through an extra hard contraction, then yells, “My back feels like it’s breaking!” The doctor doesn’t speak for a second, his expression focused and intense as he moves efficiently, then loud baby wails fill the room. Dark eyes full of happy pride, Doctor Chabra lifts the baby for us to see. “Congratulations and welcome to the world, Baby Blake! Would you like to cut the cord, Dad?”

“It’s a girl!” Cass is laughing and crying as she looks at Talia. “I knew it. God, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to tell Calder.”

Once I cut our baby girl’s cord, the nurses weigh her, then rub her down with a cloth and put a stocking cap on her head, before setting her on Talia’s chest.

Talia weeps as she folds shaky arms around our baby. Big fat tears streak down her face. My wife looks up at me and says, “Look at that, little one, you’ve made your papa cry.”

Laughing, I scrub the tears from my jaw. Papa. I fucking love it! “That’s because her mama’s a hero.”

“Do you see it? The baby’s hair is red. The cuteness is killing me!” Cass says as she snaps a ton more pictures.

Cass’s innocent comment slices right through me like a hot spear. I swallow the bitter anger that bubbles to the surface, hating that I can’t see the fucking color of my own child’s hair. My gaze lands on Talia and I feel my lips tilt upward. I’ll hold onto the memory of her mother’s vivid red hair. At least then, I can imagine thick fiery hair framing her tiny face.

The nurses take the baby, and while they’re doing all the tests they need to do on her, she begins to wail. I hear one of the nurses say, “I don’t like the sound of that scream. It seems too high. Test her blood sugar level.”

Talia grips my arm tight and I realize she’s heard what they’re saying. “Go over there and find out what’s going on.”

I’m torn. I don’t want to leave Talia’s side, but the doctor’s with her, taking care of the afterbirth and stuff. Cass nods to me and I move over to watch the nurses, my heart jerking when one of them shakes her head after taking a blood test.

“What’s wrong?”

The round-faced nurse with kind eyes smiles as she swaddles our child in a blanket. “We’re just going to give her a bottle of glucose water. Her sugar levels were a bit low.”

My whole world narrows as I stare down at our baby’s face as she sucks hard on the bottle the nurse is holding for her. I’ve never felt more knocked-in-the-gut protective, but also clueless in how to take care of this tiny, helpless person. “Will she be okay?”

The nurse looks up. “She should be. We’ll have to check her blood every four hours to test that her blood sugar levels remain elevated for at least twelve hours.”

The baby sucked down the bottle in no time. She’s still mewling a little, but much quieter as the nurse hands her to me. “Here you go, Dad. Take her back to her mom so they can bond.”

“Hey, little one,” I say, bending my knees a couple of times. The baby immediately quiets and stares up at me. She’s so tiny in my arms, but so perfect, I can’t help but smile. “So you like to bounce, huh? Welcome to the big bad world, a place your Papa will always protect you from. Want to go see your mom?”

“Everyone is asking when they can come see mini Talia,” Cass says, looking up from her phone. I give Cass a look, and she bites her lip, mumbling, “Okaaay then. Tomorrow, it is.”

Talia’s already holding her arms out for the baby as I reach her bedside. I hand our little girl over and whisper, “She’ll be fine. They just want to watch her sugar level.” It doesn’t matter that I can only see them in shades of gray. Watching Talia push her nose against the baby’s and then seeing her laugh as the little one responds, is its own special form of pleasurable entertainment. I’m so enthralled by them, I don’t think about color at all.

“What are you going to name her?” Cass asks, her gaze pinging between Talia and me.

“Her name is Jocelyn.”

My gaze slides to Talia’s. She and I still hadn’t discussed names, but the fact she chose my mother’s name for our child puts a hard lump in my throat. I smile, my gaze never leaving hers. “Yes, Jocelyn.”

“Ooh, Jocelyn. It’s so pretty and unique,” Cass says as she touches the cap on the baby’s head.

“And since we already have a Josi in the family…” Eyes sparkling, Talia continues, “I’ll leave it to her father to come up with a nickname that suits her. Preferably one that’s not in the food category.”

Laughing, I nod. “It’ll come to me.”