“Thank God you are here, man. They just took Zoe to the birthing room.” John’s hands are on my shoulder, and he looks frantic.

“Why are you out here and not with her?” I growl.

“Because the nurse said she had to get her ready. And, you know…” He lowers his voice. “I didn’t want to see her naked.”

“For God’s sake, John, they don’t strip you naked to have a baby.” Brooklyn laughs.

“You had all kinds of parts showing when you had Jack. I don’t need to see Zoe’s bits.”

“I don’t think Jake was thrilled about seeing me either when I had L.J.,” she snorts.

“That’s enough about who has seen whose bits. Show me where they took her.” I squint my eyes at John.

He points to a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. I move past him and push the doors open to be met with a woman in scrubs raising her voice at me. “You are not allowed back here without scrubs on,” she says.

“My wife is back here somewhere,” I tell her.

“Here, go in there and put these on and we’ll find your wife,” she says, opening a changing room door. I don’t even bother taking off my clothes; I pull them up and over my jeans and dirty shirt.

“What’s your name?” She is scrolling through the computer.

“Jake Remington.”

She runs her fingers over the names showing. “I don’t have anyone listed under the name Remington?”

“Sorry, we’re not married yet. It’s Zoe Blake.”

She cuts her gaze at me. “She’s down the hall, room 205.”

I jog past her and find her room on the left. As I open the door, I hear a bloodcurdling scream. Zoe has her legs in stirrups with a blue cloth blanket draped over her. There is a woman gowned up with a white paper hat on, sitting on a stool at Zoe’s feet.

“Don’t push yet, Zoe,” she says.

Zoe’s eyes pop open and land on me. “Jake! You made it!” she all but screams with sweat rolling down her face.

Taking her face in my hands, I kiss her all over. “I’m here, baby, I’m here.”

“Is he gone?”

“I’ll catch you up later. I want you to focus only on the baby.”

“With the next contraction, I need you to push, Zoe,” the lady at her feet says.

“Jake, this is Dr. Sands.”

I automatically hold out my hand to shake and then draw it back. “Sorry. I’m the dad,” I say and can’t stop the smile that spreads over my face. I place my hand on Zoe’s belly for support, and I feel it tightening. Zoe starts her breathing.

“Okay, push with this one,” Dr. Sands says.

Zoe leans up, and I support her head and shoulders with my hand, something Brook taught me during her delivery. She bears down and keeps a scream locked behind her teeth. When the contraction finally eases, she lets out an audible moan and relaxes back.

I wipe the hair out of her face and place a soft kiss on her lips. “I want to marry you…today.”

“I think I’m a little busy today.” She laughs through the tears that are streaming down her face.

“Then as soon as we can. I don’t want one more day to go by that you aren’t my wife. I love you, Zoe.”

Another contraction starts. “You sure as hell better!” She lets out a scream and pushes again.

“Would you like to see the baby crowning?” the doctor asks.

I think about passing out after Brooklyn’s baby was delivered. Hell no I don’t want to see it. Zoe must have read my mind, and her eyes bore into me. I look over her head and see the ammonia inhalant taped to the wall. Reaching above her, I take it down and hand it to her.

“Hold this, Doc. He might need it.” I reluctantly walk and kneel behind the doctor. My face feels warm.

“Breathe, Jake,” I hear from Zoe.

I stand up straight and head back over to Zoe. “I’ve seen enough,” I say, trying not to hyperventilate.

“This next push and your baby will be out,” the doctor exclaims.

“Are you ready for this?” Zoe asks me.

“More than ready,” I tell her and kiss her one last time before her contraction comes on full force.

She’s squeezing my hand, and I’m helping her to breathe through it. Then I hear the most beautiful sound—our daughter taking her first breath. The doctor reaches over the blue cover and lays her on Zoe’s stomach.

“Do you want to cut the cord, Jake?”

I wave her off with a shake of my head. The doc cuts the cord, and one of the nurses cradles the baby into her arms. “I’m going to check her out, and you can have her right back.”

I’m mesmerized by the baby’s big blue, round eyes. I follow the nurse to the warm cart she lays my baby in. I start counting fingers and toes. “They are all there,” I yell over to Zoe.

I watch as the nurse wipes down the baby and takes her vitals. “She’s beautiful,” I say as the nurse swaddles her and hands her to me. When I turn around, Zoe has her arms outstretched.

“Let me see her.” She’s smiling through her tears. Stepping up next to her, I turn the baby where she can see her as the doctor finishes up working on Zoe. “She has your chin,” she says through sobs.

“She has your gorgeous eyes.” I plant a gentle kiss on top our daughter’s little head.

Handing her over to Zoe, I find a small spot on the bed next to her and sit beside her. “She needs a name.”

“I know we had a few picked out, but now that she’s here, none of them to seem to fit her.” She’s unwrapping her and checking out every inch of the baby.

“I have an idea for a name,” I say, touching her tiny fingers. I place my thumb in her hand, and she grips it.

“What are you thinking?”

“Well, you’re changing your name to Remington the minute we get married. How about we name her Blake, so your name stays with her?”

“Blake Remington,” she says. “I love it, Jake.”

I get down on one knee next to the bed. “Will you marry me today, Zoe?” I ask while kissing the back of her hand.

“Yes. I don’t want to wait a minute longer either.”

I get off my knee and hold both of my girls close. “I love you both, so much.” My own tears drip down and drop on Zoe’s shoulder.

She wipes a tear from my face, then gently swaddles the baby. “Why don’t you take your daughter out to the waiting room to meet her aunt and uncle?”

“You don’t want to wait and do that together?”

“I think if you don’t do it soon, Brook and John will shoot their way in here.” She laughs as she hands me the baby.

I can’t help the smile that’s on my face when I step out into the waiting room. John and Brook are immediately on their feet, swarming around me.

“Oh, Jake, she’s beautiful,” Brooklyn coos.

“Congratulations, man.” John slaps me on the shoulder.

“I want you to meet your niece, Blake Remington.”

“I bet you won some brownie points with that name,” Brooklyn says, taking Blake out of my arms.

“How is Zoe?” my brother asks.

“She’s good.” I pull him over to the side. “I need you to do me a favor.”

“Anything, man.”

“I want to marry Zoe today. Do you think you could find someone to hitch us?”

“Are you sure that is what Zoe wants?”

“There is no doubt in my mind. I’ve already asked her.”

“I’ll need to make some phone calls.” I stop him before he walks away.

“Did Brooklyn get you up to speed on Knox?”

“Yeah, and I’m kind of glad you didn’t kill him. He’s going to get exactly what he deserves in prison.”

Brooklyn hands the baby back to me. “Thanks to Knox, Zoe and I have found the cure for Alzheimer’s. Too bad he will never get his hands on it.”