Page 134 of Love Me Again

“Honey, as sexy and irresistible as you are, hearing the words ‘Fuck me, or I’ll kill you’ makes it really difficult to get a hard-on. You’re petrifying when you’re hormonal and angry.” I snicker and kiss his fingers gently.

“I just want him out already.” I sigh sullenly, and Cole rubs my stomach before he rolls me onto my back and shuffles down to my bump.

“He’s going to come out soon,” Cole says reassuringly, and I sigh, watching him while he kisses my stomach. “Isn’t that right Rome, you’re going to come out real soon because we can’t wait to meet you, son.” I smile and brush my fingers through his hair while he talks to my belly.

After a hot shower, I hug my body pillow and finally get some sleep.

An ache in my stomach stirred me from my slumber. I roll onto my back and hiss when the pain gets stronger. I look over at Cole sleeping beside me and shift to get out of bed when I feel my pyjama bottoms were wet. My membranes must have ruptured while I was asleep. I reach over and gently shake Cole awake. “Hm.” He lifts his head in the dark. “What’s wrong, baby?”

I exhale slowly, and Cole sits up and turns the night light on, blinking a couple of times till his eyes adjust to the light. “My water broke,” I tell him, and he shifts and pushes the covers off himself and gets out of bed. I watch him walk around the bed to my side, and he takes hold of my hand to help me sit up.

“Are you having contractions?” He questions, brushing my hair away from my face, and I nod. “What do you need me to do?”

I exhale slowly when another contraction comes. I wait for it to pass before I speak. “Call my midwife, then my mum. Tell her I’m in labour, and we’ll drop Laia to her.” I instruct him, and he kisses my forehead before he grabs my phone. While Cole was on the phone, I take off my wet clothes and change into a pair of grey comfortable tracksuit bottoms and one of Coles oversized hoodies. The pain was getting worse by the minute, and I was worried we wouldn’t make it to the hospital. “Cole, we have to go. Like right now.” I whimper, and he looks at me, baffled.

“I thought you said early stages of labour takes ages?” Cole utters, and I shake my head and whimper when another contraction hits, crippling me momentarily. “Shayla?”

“Cole, this baby is coming really soon. We need to leave now.” I say through my breathing exercise, and he looks around frantically.

“Okay, uh, I’ll get Laia and your bag. Can you walk?” He asks me, and I nod. “Okay, wait for me by the door. I’ll be down in a minute.” I watch as he rushes off to get Alaia and her bag while attempting to make my way downstairs, stopping every time another contraction starts.

Shortly after, Cole was driving us as fast as possible to get to my mum's to drop Alaia off. My mum comes out and kisses my head and tells me she loves me before taking Alaia and goes back into the house. The drive to the hospital from my mother’s house was twenty minutes, and I could already feel that familiar urge to push, and I was trying so hard not to panic. I am not having this baby in the fucking car. “Hang in there, baby, just breathe. We’re almost there,” Cole reassures me supportively when I cry in pain, panting through the urge to push.

“Cole, I need to push.” I whimper, and he shakes his head and looks at me before he looks ahead again.

“No, baby, you can’t push yet. We’re almost there. Just hold on, sweetheart,” He pleads, driving faster. “I’m going to get you there.” He promises, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. I scream when pain rips through me, and I grip the headrest fighting the urge to push. “Breathe baby, breathe,” Cole says soothingly.

“Oh, God! Please! I don’t want to give birth in the car! Please hurry, I can’t, I can’t hold it anymore!” I cry helplessly, and Cole curses, and the car shifts faster. “Call my midwife, tell her the baby is coming!”

Cole looks at me, wide-eyed, when I start pushing. “Oh, my God. Shay, the hospital is five minutes away. Hold on just a little bit longer, baby. You got this.” He says, looking at my phone and calling the midwife. I shake my head and grip the handle on the door tight. I couldn’t fight it anymore; I give in and push through the contraction, screaming.

“Hi, it’s Cole, Shayla’s pushing. She said the baby is coming.” He tells her in a panic as he tries to drive and keep an eye on me at the same time. “Like three minutes out. Shay, she said to take off your bottoms, baby.” He instructs me, and I whimper, taking off my seatbelt and sliding my bottoms off with trembling fingers. “I’m going to put you on speakerphone,” Cole tells her and sets the phone on the side as he drives and takes hold of my hand while I groan and push.

“Oh, my God!” I scream, “The head is out, his head is out.”

“Shayla, listen to me, just breathe, sweetie. You’re almost here; I’m coming out to meet you. Everything is going to be okay. Just focus on your breathing.” My midwife says, and I cry, squeezing Coles hand. “You’re doing great, sweetie.”

“We’re here, baby, we’re here,” Cole says as he pulls up outside the hospital. He rips his seat belt off and turns to face me, kissing my hand repeatedly. I sob when I feel another contraction, I let go of Cole’s hand, and the door is opened, and I see my midwife and two doctors. Everything was a blur after that. With one final push, I whimper when the pain finally stops. I look down at the baby in my hands, crying. Cole stares at him, unblinking for a few seconds. “You did it. He’s here. Our baby boy is here.” Cole cries, pressing his forehead to mine while I sob.

“Oh my god.” I cry as the midwife takes him from me and wraps him in a blanket.

“I can’t believe you just delivered our baby,” Cole says, kissing my forehead. I lift my head and look over at my midwife and doctors checking Rome. “You’re incredible, baby.”

“Is he okay?” I ask in a flurry, and she smiles warmly at me.

“He’s perfect.” She replies reassuringly. “Good job Mama.” I finally relax when I hear that he was okay. I was terrified something was going to go wrong. I don’t know how on earth I managed to deliver him by myself.

“Are you okay?” Cole whispers, brushing my sweat-damp hair away from my face. I nod tiredly, and he kisses me.

“I cannot believe I just gave birth in the damn car.” I croak, and he smiles, kissing my knuckles.

“You delivered him like a pro. Just when I thought you couldn’t do anything more to amaze me, you prove me wrong once again. Your strength is truly astounding, baby.” Cole declares lovingly, and I sigh, shaking my head.

“What strength? I was terrified something was going to happen to him.” I cry, and Cole brushes my tears away.

“Hey, shh, he’s fine, baby. You did amazing.” He affirms, smiling handsomely. “I am so going to tease him about this when he’s older.” I smile despite the exhaustion and ache of my body. “He made us wait nine days but shot out of you within an hour. That’s my boy.” Cole adds proudly. The doctors get me on a stretcher and finally hand me our son as they wheel us into the maternity ward. I look down at him and smile. He was gorgeous and looked like a bigger version of Alaia when she was born.

“Hi, baby boy,” I whisper, brushing my lips over his forehead. “I’m so happy you’re finally here, and I’m so thankful you’re mine, Rome Joshua Hoult.”

“Hey, what about me?” Cole pouts, and I smile up at him as he walks beside the stretcher.

“Sorry, honey, but you’ll have to step aside. There’s another beautiful boy in my life now.” I declare affectionately, and he grins adorably in return. After the doctors checked both RJ and me, they wanted to keep us in for twenty-four hours for observation. I sigh contently, watching Cole hold our son against his chest. He lifts his eyes and looks at me, holding my gaze.

“Like what you see, sweetheart?” Cole drawls with a knowing smirk, and I nod slowly.

“Very much,” I admit with a smile. Despite all the horrific things we’ve suffered the past two years, I’m so thankful we made it through together. If I had the option to hit restart and have a do-over— I would still find and choose to love Tristan Cole Hoult, not because I need him or can’t live without him...but because I don’t want to.

Ever mine, ever ours.

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