Page 23 of The Secrets that Surround Us

I suck in a breath. My brain seems to be unable to process what he’s saying. “In an hour,” I choke out.

Grinning at me, he shakes his head. “Yep.” He pats my leg. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you,” he reassures me as he gestures toward Alex.

Alex grips my shoulders, pulling me in close. “That’s right, love. I’m here for you and our little angel.” Melting into his body, I try to relax, but I get only a little reprieve before another contraction hits me. “Ugh.” Grunting out, I close my eyes, trying to breathe.

“That’s it, baby. You’ve got this,” Alex coos next to me.

When I look up, the doctor seemed to have disappeared. “Where did the doctor go?”

“He went to the bathroom. Buthe’ll be right back. He was worried that he wouldn’t have time, because this little one is coming fast,” the nurse explains from the crib area in the room.

“Shit,” I groan as I seek out Alex’s hand. More tears are streaming down my face. Right as the last contraction starts to relax I feel another one coming on. Thankfully the doctor walks back in at that moment. “I’m feeling pressure down there.”

“Okay. Let me see.” Then he drops into his seat and pulls my gown up to get a look. “Well, that might be because she’s crowning. Wow, she surely doesn’t want to wait. Okay, Fiona, it’s time. I need you to push with your next contraction.”

Suddenly, fear grips me even harder than before. I’m not ready to be a mom. Alex and I don’t even know what we are. He said he loved me but I haven’t been able to say it back. Is something wrong with me? What if I’m not enough for him? How did this happen so fast? It feels like just yesterday I was just trying to figure out how to advertise my business.

I look up at Alex, leaning into him as all my fears run through my mind. The flow of my tears has seemed to pick up, and I shake my head. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m not strong enough.”

He grips my chin with one hand as the other remains on my shoulder. “Listen here, Fiona. You are the strongest person I know. You can do this.”

“I can do this,” I whisper out loud, but to myself mostly. His confidence somehow transfers to me at least for now. Giving me the strength to grit my teeth and push.

What feels like an eternity but is really only a few minutes passes, and I hear the best sound I’ve ever heard.

Lighting up, I squeeze the hand that is in Alex’s. “Is that her?”

“It’s her,” the doctor confirms as he pulls her up to see me, laying her on my chest as the nurse cleans her up.

Tears stream down my face again, but this time for a different reason. “Hey, baby girl. I’m your mommy. And I love you.” I introduce myself to our newest edition as I rub my fingertips softly against her fresh skin.

Alex and I stare at her while everyone around us continues to do their job, finishing up the delivery. My gaze leaves her for a little and now I know what I’m feeling. With the delivery and everything we’ve been through; I know that I’m in love with Alex. He has been the most surprising gift in this entire ordeal. Not wanting to hold back anymore, I grab his hand and pull it to my chest. “I love you, Alex. I have for a while now. I was just too scared to tell you.”

He pulls our intertwined hands toward his lips and kisses my fingers. “I love you too. You and our angel Callie Rose Hernandez.”

Epilogue

Alex

Ihaven’t been able to stop grinning since yesterday. After dealing with Fiona being in labor but not wanting to go to the hospital, it finally hit me I was going to be a dad. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I was going to be a dad all along, but it became real in that moment. Driving through our town and to the hospital, I was more scared that she might have our baby in the car. And if I wasn’t sure I was ready to be a dad, I knew I wasn’t ready to deliver a freaking baby. Thankfully, we made it just in time.

Walking back into the hospital room, I make a beeline for Fiona. The woman I’m going to marry one day. But for now, we’re going to take it slow. Neither of us wants to go faster than necessary. We already have a baby together. Last night we agreed we would hold off on making anymore big decisions. Enjoy our lives as is.

“Here you go, love.” Giving her a chaste kiss, I hand over the coffee. I went out and grabbed after she begged me. And I could never say no to her.

“Thank you,” she mutters against the disposable cup as she takes a huge gulp. “Mmm, that tastes good.”

“How is our angel?” I ask as I place my cup down on the table next to the bed, then go in and take Callie from her. When I get her into my arms, the smile on my face grows bigger. I’m not sure when I’ve ever felt this happy. As soon as little Callie was born, I knew being her dad was always going to be my destiny. Yes, being a realtor is fun, challenging, and I always thought that’s where I was successful, but looking into these little gray eyes, I know that’s not true.

Giving the baby a small kiss on her head, I breathe in her scent. She’s a mixture of milk, her mom, and me. The smell of our family.

Glancing up at Fiona, I see her staring at us with starry eyes. She must feel it too. That this was always meant to be. Now that the baby is here and well, I’m ready to get my family home. “Did the doctor say when we can go home?”

“Yeah. He said if everything is still looking good for me in a few hours they’ll release me. Which I hope happens because I’m ready to get her home.”

“Me too. I talked with Dexter and Mateo. They’re all going to meet us at the house. Hazel yelled something in the background about bringing food.”

“Oh, thank god. I’m ready for something other than hospital food. I can’t imagine staying here even longer. You would be sneaking food in for me.”

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