Page 127 of Billionaire Lumberjack's Bargain

Because he’salwayshere.

By my side.

Since the moment he stared down the barrel of my shotgun.

Tears shimmer across his eyes, and he blinks rapidly to clear them. “I know you wish Dave were here.”

The emotions I’ve been trying to keep at bay since the birthday celebration about the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with burst through the wall I created around them, and I fight back a sob that lodges in my throat.

Dalton’s hand tightens on mine, and his other palm drifts over my stomach in the water.

“Of course I do…” Hot tears slowly slide down my cheeks. “He’s this little girl’s father.”

“He’s the love of your life.”

There isn’t any resentment or animosity in Dalton’s statement—just the level sound of him speaking something he knows is the truth.

I press my lips together to keep from sobbing, not wanting to give in to the utter despair threatening to overwhelm me. “But I love you, too.”

His mouth curls up, and he leans in and kisses my temple. “I know you do. I love you, too, and Davey, and I’m going to make sure this baby knows how much her father loved her even before she was here.”

The sob finally slips free, but it’s cut short when another contraction slams into me.

This time, the pain is so intense that my body demands I push. I grit my teeth and crush Dalton’s fingers in my own.

“Don’t hold your breath. In. Out. Long and slow.”

He repeats the instructions I told him to drill into me because I remember what it was like last time and how hard it was for me to remember to do something so damn simple.

I open my mouth and force myself to take a long inhale, then exhale. Then again. And again.

Until the contraction finally ebbs.

“How far apart are they now?”

Dalton asks over his shoulder, and Pops steps in from the hallway, where he’s been trying to keep an eye on Davey in his room and an ear out for anything we might need.

“Under two minutes.”

I sag against the cast iron, releasing a groan. “I’m going to have to start pushing. I’m fully dilated, and the contractions are coming harder and faster. My body feels like it needs to push, like itwantsto. Exactly how I felt right before I delivered Davey.”

Dalton brushes sweaty hair back from my face.

Holding his gaze, I slide my dry hand across his stubbled cheek.

He wraps his fingers around my wrist, holding me in place, and turns in my hold and kisses my palm, letting his lips linger there. “I know whatI have to do. You just worry about what you have to, and let us handle everything else.”

“Now look who’s being the calm and rational one.”

He laughs and kisses me hard squarely on my palm before releasing his hold.

Less than two minutes.

The next one will come at any moment.

And it’s time to bring this little girl into the world.

I glance over Dalton’s shoulder at Pops. “Davey?”

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