Page 88 of Irresistibly Dangerous

“I… I don’t know.”

“Okay. You’re doing great. Hum for me.” I have the doppler still on the baby because I want to make sure his heart rate doesn’t go low during the contractions. “The moment the contraction is over, I’m going to check your cervix.”

I continue to monitor her and the baby as best as I can through the contraction, and the moment it’s over, I reach my lubed and gloved hand inside her, wishing I had sterile gloves.

I don’t get far. I don’t even reach her cervix because there is something blocking it.

“You’re fully dilated because I’ve got the top of your little man’s head on my fingers.”

“That explains the pressure.”

“It most certainly does. I don’t have anything to give you for pain. We’re doing this au naturel.”

“Fabulous. Good thing I pierce people for a living and can handle pain. But I need to push.”

“Wait for the contraction to come and start pushing. Max!” I yell, and both he and Lenox come tumbling out of the nearby kitchen as if they were waiting by the entrance. “She’s ready,” I tell him, and I swear, the poor guy is about to pass out. “So, this is what I need.” I hold up the probe. “I would really love you to keep this on the heartbeat as much as you can. While she’s contracting and pushing, it will flutter out most likely, and you might lose it the farther south he goes, but as much as we can, I want to monitor him.”

Max shakes his head as if English is far from his first or even second language.

Lenox comes in and takes the probe from my hand. “I’ve got it.”

I blink at him. Holy shit. Lenox is kneeling beside Brooklynn, pressing the probe right above her pubic bone.

“Lenox, if you look at my?—”

“Brooklynn, that is the last place I ever want to look.” He shifts so that his back is to the birthing field, his eyes trained only on her stomach.

“Brilliant. Now that that’s sorted, Max, you have two choices. Either you’re up by her head as her birthing coach or down here assisting. But I cannot have you passing out on me.”

“Birthing coach,” he says without missing a beat and climbs on the sofa, crouching by her head and holding her hand as he speaks in a low soft tone by her ear.

“Like this?” Lenox asks, pressing the probe in and moving it a little when he loses it for a moment. I didn’t think I could ever be more in love with him than I already was, but I was wrong. Because I just fell so in love with him all over again. Harder than ever. He’s a nervous wreck, same as Max, and Brooklynn, and even me, only he’s even more out of his depth here since he’s not the dad.

“That’s perfect.”

He gives me a wink. “So are you.”

Oh God. My ovaries are overfiring right now, but I manage to bring myself back to the task.

Brooklynn lets out a scream of pain, her body tensing up once more. “I have to push!”

“Push, Brooklynn. Push for a long three-count and break for one and start again until the contraction subsides. That’s it. Keep going. Add to it. Max, help her count. Keep her focused.”

“Ah!” Brooklyn screams. “It hurts. Fuck!” But she’s pushing like a champ, and when the contraction subsides, I tell her to rest. We do this three more times. Each time the baby is progressing nicely, and then on the sixth go, I manage to get my hands on his head, helping to position him as he moves and then his shoulders.

“Stop pushing,” I command. “Max, I need the towel. Bring me the towel.” Max rushes over with a pile of clean towels, and I pull the baby out and immediately cradle him with one. A wet, high-pitched wail hits the air and talk about a sound that never gets old.

I’m all breathless smiles as I place the baby on Brooklynn’s chest so she can hold him against her and keep him warm.

“Congrats, Mom and Dad. He looks great.”

Max is up by Brooklynn’s head, holding her, speaking to her as they both stare in wonder at their newborn son with his dark eyes and dark hair that so closely match his mother’s.

“Thank you,” Brooklynn cries. “Oh God, Georgia. Thank you so much.”

I suck in a shaky breath, overwhelmed. I don’t usually cry during deliveries, though the magic of bringing new life into this world is never lost me, but tonight I’m crying. I’m crying hard because everything turned out okay. Against all odds, we brought this baby into the world, and he’s perfect.

I deliver her placenta, putting it into a trash bag, and clamp off the umbilical cord, and when I hand Max the scissors, he passes them to Lenox. “You do it.”

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