Page 18 of Winter at Stonefire

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Rafe Hartley hatedhow his mate was in pain and that he could do fuck all to help her beyond murmur encouragements and let her squeeze his hands to the point she might bruise his bones.

But he couldn't—wouldn't—complain. Despite Nikki's determination to act as if nothing was different during pregnancy, she struggled at times. It'd fucking killed him to watch her be sick or need a nap to make it through the day. Even if they'd both wanted another child, he wasn't sure he'd ever ask her to do this again.

When Dr. Innes finally said it was time to deliver the baby, Nikki was sweaty and grumpy. More than once, she suggested cutting off Rafe's balls to make sure this never happened again. And as she cried out and even screamed, he'd nearly agreed with her.

However, once their baby started coming, the delivery went quickly. Soon Rafe heard a baby's cry and Dr. Innes lifted the red, angry baby into the air and said, "You have another daughter."

Maybe later he'd think about how rare that was, to have two daughters in a row for any dragon-shifter. But right now, all he did was stare at the little half-dragon baby he'd helped to make and kissed his mate's cheek. "She's so bloody beautiful, Nikki. Just like her mum."

Nikki gave a tired laugh. "She's red, splotchy, and wrinkly. I'm not sure that's a compliment."

"Hush. For once, just agree with me."

It was a sign of just how tired Nikki was that she sighed and muttered, "Fine." She held out her arms. "Can I hold her?"

Dr. Innes had already cut the umbilical cord and, with the help of Nurse Ginny, had wrapped their daughter in a soft green blanket. He walked up and placed the baby in Nikki's arms, and Rafe wrapped his own around his mate's.

For a second, all he could do was stare and marvel at where his life had ended up. He was a father of two, with the most amazing, beautiful, and clever mate. "I love you, Nikki." He kissed her cheek. "And hello, Phoebe. Daddy loves you already, too."

The baby stopped crying and merely wriggled her nose, as if not liking her name.

Nikki adjusted the blanket around their daughter. "I told you, Rafe, that your name was rubbish."

"I thought it was rather brilliant. Try yours, then, and see how she reacts."

Nikki whispered, "How about Lucy? Isn't that so much better?" Their daughter merely moved a fist, and Nikki added, "That's a yes."

"How the bloody hell is that a yes?"

Nikki never took her eyes from their daughter. "It was like a fist in the air for success. She likes it."

Rafe tried it out. "So it's to be Lucy, then?"

Again, their daughter moved a fist.

Rafe sighed and then laughed. "Fine. It seems like this daughter is going to be a mummy's girl then."

Nikki leaned down and kissed Lucy's forehead. "Good. Now the three of you won't team up against me—the odds will be even."

Rafe gently traced a finger over his daughter's cheek. "I like that. It'll make future family competitions more interesting. Our daughters will be the fastest, most devious pair on all of Stonefire, if I can help it."

"If I leave it up to you, they'll be secret agents by the time they're sixteen," Nikki drawled.

Rafe smiled. "Maybe."

As he placed his cheek against Nikki's and merely stared down at little Lucy, Rafe took the time to memorize the moment. While it wouldn't be perfect until he had all three of his girls together, he was a fucking lucky and happy bastard right now.

Dr. Innes cleared his throat. "Nurse Ginny needs to check over the bairn and I need to finish up with Nikki. Did you want to wait at the back of the room with your daughter?"

As Ginny took Lucy, Nikki slumped against him and Rafe knew his mate needed him right now. "I'll stay right here, until Nikki and I can be with Lucy together."

Nikki melted more against him and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, Nikola."

Once Nikki had delivered the afterbirth and Lucy was back in Nikki's arms, Rafe didn't know how long they stayed together, staring at the new arrival, until a knock sounded. Immediately after, his sister walked inside. Jane looked pale, and Kai hovered at her side. Rafe had heard about Jane's fainting the day before and was torn between jumping up to check on his little sister and staying where he was.

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