Page 89 of Hale's Pawn
I place my hands on my waist, moving back and forth first, then in circular motion. Oran decides to walk back in the house from walking our husky, Bumblebee, that I got him last month. She’s still a baby. “What the hell are you doing?” he asks, trying to stifle a laugh.
I turn to face him, still doing the moves. “I was told this will get your baby out of me.”
Oran loses it when I double up on the thrusts. He throws his head back, laughing hard. I love that I can make him laugh. He’s so beautiful when he does. It’s like he’s free from all worries and that’s how I want him to be.
“I don’t appreciate being laughed at, sir. You think you can do better?”
“Worst hip thrusts ever,” he comments. He walks down the hall a little, then he faces me knowing the camera can’t capture this. He places his hands on his waist and copies what I was doing. He even adds a bit of shoulders and then wiggles his eyebrows at me. I laugh so hard that I feel the moment I pee on myself. My eyes widen as I stop and look down, but it's not pee... Holy shit.
“Babeeee!” I say, not sure why it comes out as a panic when I’m excited.
“Is this like a false alarm or…” Oran says.
I glare at him as the pain shoots through me. Shit, contractions. “It’s time,” I announce and giggle after the contraction goes away. “Finally! Yes! Yes!” I exclaim as I walk towards the room to change.
“I guess we don’t even need Bee because you’ll pee all over the floors,” he teases.
“I swear...if I wasn’t having your baby right now...” I don’t even bother finishing my sentence. I kiss my teeth and smile at him. I go to the room and change.
After four hours,our baby girl came into the world. Aurora-Jagger Hale. She cried for everyone in the hospital to hear her and the second they put her in Oran’s arms he was in love. I held her for a bit but I was tired. Apparently, I overexerted myself too much.
When I come to, Oran is quietly talking to everyone while they wait for me to wake up. “Hi guys.” I wave.
Karessa is the first one by my side. “Ainslee!” She hugs me. “She’s so beautiful. Rory is gorgeous.”
“It’s Mick, actually,” Jagger interrupts.
“Wait, what?” I say, trying to understand.
“Like Mick Jagger? Did they drop you on the head in there?” he jokes.
I smirk. “You did that all on your own, jackass.”
“You drop a baby one time...” he says.
I chuckle. I look at my dad as he coos over the baby that I’m sure Oran has held hostage in his arms. I shake my head but can’t help the smile on my face. My dad winks at me. Markos wiggles his brows and when I look at Mikonos, he tells me with no words that he’ll love his goddaughter with his life. I smile at him and he smiles back. He looks at Aurora-Jagger lovingly and finally I look at the man of my dreams. He’s looking at me with such adoration and admiration in his eyes. He walks over to me with the baby in his arms. “You ready to meet her again?”
I nod, sitting up a little bit. Oran slowly hands me my daughter. I look at her. She’s swaddled tightly like a little burrito. She has her eyes shut, sleeping peacefully. I can’t help but know that I will do my best for her. Anything I can give her, I will. “Babe, look at our precious little bald baby,” I say to Oran.
He lightly laughs. He sits on the bed near my legs. “Mom always told me I was born without a single hair on my head, but she’ll grow into that baldness. Cute little self. She looks like you, you know?”
“Yeah?” I say, looking up at him.
He nods. “She has your big-ass Dumbo ears.”
Everyone in the room laughs along with me. I roll my eyes. “You’re annoying.” When I look down, Aurora-Jagger opens her eyes. I’m in love. She has our gray eye color with her own little flecks of brownish-green. She looks like Oran. Spitting image and I don’t even hate it. I love her even more. “I love you, Rory. I love you so much.”
Aurora-Jagger gives me a smile with her little reddened face and she shuts her eyes again, going back to sleep. Oran scoots closer and places his forehead on mine. “We’re parents, Ains… can you believe it?”
I shake my head “No, I can’t, but I love it. I love her and I love you so much, Oran. Thank you.”
“For what?” he whispers.
“For loving me enough to care for me. You don’t know how much you mean to me,” I say.
Oran smiles. “But I do, and that’s why you mean even more to me. I love you, Ainslee Hale.”
“I love you even more, Oran Hale. My pawn.” I wink at him. Oran smirks as he pulls me for a kiss. A tender one. One that reminds me of me walking into his office the first time, checking for our chemistry. He’ll always have me.
