Page 36 of Room 810

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m getting into this tub with you.” I needed him in my arms, to show him that he was the most important thing in the world to me. Toby nodded numbly, his eyes glazed with pain.

The water felt cool when compared to the veritable sauna outside. I lowered myself to sit behind him, his back to my front, propping my knees up on either side of him. Then I wrapped my arms around him, my hands resting on his stomach. “I’m here for you, omega mine.” The hardest part of this was that there was nothing I could do to help at this stage. There were no to-do lists to be made, no research to be done. It all came down to my strong omega, while I stood back and watched in awe, a cheerleader on the sidelines.

Luna knelt beside the tub and leaned over the edge, her sleeves rolled up as far as they would go, the water up to her elbows. “On this next contraction, I want you to push, Toby,” she instructed.

He nodded weakly, his head flopping back against my shoulder. He was already so tired. He needed some motivation. I pressed a kiss on his neck and whispered in his ear, “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?”

“What?” he asked, tilting his head toward me, his eyelids drooping.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this omega is so not for me. He’s too flirty, too outgoing, too damn sexy.’” Toby chuckled, and I felt the vibration of it in my chest. “And you just kept talking!” I fake griped. “I thought you would never leave me alone.”

“I was determined to make you have fun,” he mumbled. “I wanted to hear you laugh.”

“I have laughed more with you than I ever have in my life,” I admitted. “You make me so happy. Thank you for not giving up on me.” I kissed him again on his temple. “And if you can make me dance on a stage, I know you can do this. Don’t give up now. Are you ready to have this baby?”

“Okay,” he said, sitting up a little. I could feel his body tensing against me, a contraction building, just like a wave building momentum before washing into shore.

“You’ve got this.” I interlocked our fingers, and he squeezed my hands hard as he bore down.

The baby didn’t arrive in the next five minutes, or even the next ten. Time lost all meaning with wave after wave of contractions beating down on him, but between pushing, I buoyed him with words of love and encouragement. I kept him present.

“I can feel the head,” Luna said, her smile bright. “One more push, Toby, and then you’re done. You can do it!”

With his jaw clenched, Toby leaned forward and heaved, crying out. He mustered the strength and the courage to give it all he was worth, in one final push. There was a rush of movement under the water’s surface, and Luna scooped up our baby, all wrinkled pink skin and a mat of dark hair. Toby collapsed back against me, gasping.

My vision blurred with tears, and my chest felt tight with emotion. “You did it!” I sobbed, feeling overwhelmed with so much love for my blossoming family.

“Congratulations,” Luna said, placing the baby on Toby’s chest. “You have a daughter.”

“A daughter!” Toby gasped, cradling her tiny body in his arms, and I brought mine around to hold them both. “She’s so tiny,” he whispered, stroking her fingers. “What are we going to call her?”

“I have a list of names,” I said.

Toby chuckled. “Of course you do, but what does your gut tell you?”

My gut had nothing to do with it; it was all heart. “Jasmine,” I said, “for the sweet-smelling breeze in our little paradise.” Our little angel was forever tied to this island, and to the love I found in the most unexpected place.

“Jasmine, I love it,” Toby agreed. “It’s perfect.”

As our daughter rooted around to feed, Luna helped Toby to get her latched on. Jasmine’s little lips worked as she drank her first meal, making tiny, adorable sounds.

Toby turned his head to look up at me, tears tracking down his cheeks. “Gabriel, I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you for rushing back.”

“Are you kidding? Of course you could’ve done it. You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. But I’m glad I was here to welcome our daughter into this world. There’s nowhere else I would rather be than by your side. This was amazing. You are magical.”

The water was getting cool, and I knew we would need to get out soon, but for now, I was content just to be with my family. “So… do you think this is something you might be interested in doing again someday?” I asked.

“Seriously?” he grunted, throwing me a look over his shoulder, eyebrow raised. “Pretty gutsy of you, Gabe. I literally just gave birth. Isn’t it a little soon to start talking about more kids?”

“It’s never too soon to plan for the future,” I told him. I couldn’t help it, my brain just naturally gravitated to the details, though if I were being honest, kids were a logistical nightmare—their fickle sleep schedules were just the tip of the iceberg—and I was so excited for it.

“You know, you can’t plan for everything. I mean, you didn’t see me coming…” Toby said slyly.

“I may not have planned for you, but you and Jasmine were the best surprise,” I told him honestly.

Birdie was there to take Jasmine from Toby to go wrap her up, while Luna delivered the afterbirth. When it was time, I got out of the tub, ready to help Toby. He took my hands, and together, we got him carefully out of the water and wrapped in a fluffy towel. I took special care to dry him gently, then helped him dress in one of his softest robes… and a massive diaper.

“This really is quite the look,” I teased, and he made a face and slapped my shoulder. “You’ve never looked more handsome.” I kissed him slowly, and after taking a moment to just settle in this moment, I started doing what I did best. I made a list.

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