Page 86 of Amor Prohibido

Holy shit, this was intense. Why, in the name of God, do women put themselves through it? Oh yeah, because of assholes like me.

J’s pain was tearing me apart. I hated not being able to do a damn thing apart from pressing a wet flannel to her forehead or offer her a drink. She clawed my arm half to death, but I’d relive every second if it helped alleviate some of her suffering.

It was now nearing ten at night. Jax had been in active labour for the majority of the day and her stamina was fading. I didn’t know what birth was meant to be like from a guy’s perspective, but this was fucking brutal. It broke me each time a new contraction hit, and her face scrunched in agony. The only silver lining thus far was that the babies were holding up perfectly. J was still drinking but hadn’t eaten in hours, which didn’t help her depleted energy levels. Plus, she was getting cranky as fuck—I offered her jelly beans five minutes ago and almost lost my junk over it.

Currently, she rested with her eyes closed after opting for an epidural. I took the opportunity to study her beautiful face. She made my heart flip-flop and beat harder. Her caramel cheeks held a hint of flushed pink, and her long, dark lashes splayed out like a fan. Her plump lower lip was relaxed and slightly open, making me want to suck it into my mouth and keep it there forever.

“Jason.”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Stop staring at me. It’s creepy.”

I pulled back quickly. “I wasn’t staring.”

“Yeah, you were. I could feel your breath on my face Mister Ate-all-the-black-jelly beans.”

“You’re beautiful, J,” I murmured.

One lid cracked open, and a slight frown creased her brow. “You can’t be serious. There is nothing beautiful about this.” She wearily flapped a tired hand at herself.

I straightened and took in the entire scene. She was right; the sight wasn’t glamorous. It was raw and real. It was admirable. And it was absolutely beautiful in its own right. She winced, as if painfully aware of my gaze.

“Last one?” I offered her the lone black jelly bean and laughed until my face almost melted from her glare.

“If you ask if I want another goddamn jelly bean, I’m gonna shove the rest of the bag up your goddamn ¡culo!”

There’s my girl. Plenty of fight left in her yet!

“Ahh! ¡Mierda!”

I gripped her hand.“Are the pains coming back?”

“Yessss!”she hissed.

Ursula, who had been hovering in the background, piped up with an excited smile. “That’s the epidural wearing off, darlin’. You were almost fully dilated when I last checked, so it’s perfect timing. You’ll need to start pushing soon.”

I was torn. I wanted nothing more than to meet our babies, but I wasn’t looking forward to what Jax still had to go through. And J looked thoroughly terrified.

It was nearing midnight when she finally started pushing, and I did everything in my power not to run from the room. Anxiety crushed down like a lead weight on my chest. Every time J’s belly squeezed, and she screamed out, another block added to the forever tightening belt around my lungs.

“Come down here, Daddy, you’re about to meet your eldest child,” Ursula urged.

Excitement speared through me. The time we’d all been waiting for was almost here. Freaking out gave way to impatience.

I made to move down the bed, only to be halted by J’s talons gouging grooves into my skin.

“¡No! ¿Pero a dónde vas? Don’t move another step down there,” she hissed through clenched teeth, dark eyes flashing with apocalyptic rage.

I was under no illusion she meant every spoken word and so much more. Our eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. One I refused to back down to.

“Not happening, sweetheart.”

She let go of my hand to death-grip the bed, much to the relief of my crushed fingers, and I repositioned myself at her ankles beside Ursula.

I was immediately blindsided. I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’tthat!Ursula must have noticed me startle.

“Everything’s totally normal. Baby is on its way.”

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