Page 121 of Wylder Ranch
My hand’s rubbing in circles on her back, and I’m glaring at the receptionist to hurry when Dr. Arnett pushes through the double doors and strides straight over to us. Her smile is as wide, if not wider than the receptionist’s.
It’s annoying.
“Haven, how’re we doing here?”
“Contractions are now five minutes apart. Her water broke around thirty minutes ago. She’s been in labor since this morning,” I tell her, fully prepared to throw Haven under the bus and addI didn’t knowif Dr. Arnett chides me for not bringing her in earlier.
“How’s the pain threshold?” she asks, only for Haven to grunt her response. “Okay, let’s get you to your room.”
The receptionist brings around a wheelchair, which Haven sits in, and I push her along the corridor until we reach Haven’s room.
“The nurse will be in to help you gown up, then we can see how long you have. Does that sound okay?”
Haven nods and takes my hand to let me pull her up from the chair, and then she walks over to the bed where I left her bag. She’s already started unpacking when the nurse walks in.
“Babe, I’m going to check and make sure Clementine’s found us, okay? I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” I press a kiss to her head.
I make it to the bathroom before the suffocating weight of anxiety pressing on my chest bursts out in a loud sob that echoes off the tiled walls.
Holy shit. My second child will be arriving at somepoint in the next few hours, and the magnitude of it has finally hit.
I didn’t think I’d become a father again quite so soon, but I honestly couldn’t be happier that we’re adding to our family. This year, I got to experience everything Haven went through with Everly. I watched her body change. I was there when the baby moved for the first time, and I got to talk to it morning, noon, and night. I ran out for ice cream in the middle of the night, and had air con installed in the cottage when the heat got too much over the summer.
And I’ve loved every single second.
I’ve been an emotional wreck because we’re sharing a new experience, the two of us. It hasn’t always been easy, and during the harder days, all I’ve thought about is Haven doing it alone the last time, but there haven’t been many moments to dwell on the past.
Haven and I have been busy, to say the least.
While our base is currently in England, we’ve traveled to Aspen once a month to check on the renovations at Wylder Ranch, and for Haven to catch up with Saylor. On occasion, Miles has joined us so he can spend time at the polo club.
Wylder Ranch will soon be big enough to house the whole family and more because once we decided to start it, it was alarming how many more things we wanted to add—mostly from Haven. But we figured that expanding now would mean we wouldn’t have to make any more renovations in the future as our family got bigger.
And we’re planning to spend New Year’s there with everyone again, something we hope will become an annual tradition.
The ranch itself is still thriving. Burlington Estatesnow has a team working full-time harvesting the trees and replanting as part of a sustainability structure we developed. We’ve incorporated Haven’s store, so it’s open seven days a week and business is booming again.
My life’s changed so much for the better, I can hardly remember what it was like before Haven and Everly came along. And now we have the new baby joining us, which means I need to stop crying in the men’s bathroom.
Swiping my eyes, I blow my nose and wash my hands, then sprint back to Haven.
She’s in bed and wired up to machines monitoring her heart and the baby’s heart. Her legs are in stirrups, and Dr. Arnett is examining her. I try not to flinch every time Haven winces, but her bright green eyes widen every couple of seconds, so I drag a chair over to the side of the bed and take her hand.
Her dark-blond hair is pulled away from her face, and there’s a glow of sweat coating her forehead. Her cheeks are dusty pink, and all I know is that she’s never looked more beautiful.
“Okay, Haven. You’re progressing rapidly. I think we’ll be seeing your baby in the next hour or so.” Dr. Arnett moves over to the sink, knocking the faucet with her elbow so the water flows, then she snaps off her gloves and washes her hands vigorously. “Get as much rest as you can for now. Your pain meds should kick in soon.”
My spare hand runs over Haven’s swollen belly. “Are you okay?”
“Alex . . .” She pulls me into her as much as she’s able, her eyes glistening. “Our baby’s coming. I’m scared.”
I’m grateful I had my meltdown in the bathroom because my head’s back and fully screwed on.
“It’s not going to be like last time. I’m here, Hayve. I’mhere with you. You’re not alone now. And when we leave with our baby, there will be four of us: you, me, Everly, and the spud.”
“Our baby’s not a potato,” she wails. “Stop calling it that.”
I laugh, though it doesn’t last long because another wave of contractions begins, and Haven squeezes my hand so hard I think she might break my fingers.
