42. Edu

42

EDU

I ran around the house, collecting the bag and the car seat. Why hadn't I put them in the car earlier?

Harper waited patiently at the kitchen table while I was freaking out, checking to make sure I had every last thing.

"Did you grab the diapers?"

"They have diapers in the hospital," she said in a bored tone.

"What if they ran out?"

"They didn't run out."

"What about a blanket? Won't the baby get cold?"

"Edu, not that I don't appreciate your level of dedication, but this baby isn't going to stay inside me forever. Do you think we could leave before you have to deliver the baby on the table?"

My eyes widened in fear. "Does that happen?"

"It will if we don't leave soon."

I rushed to her side and helped her stand. She wore one of those oversized shirts that made her look like she was wearing a tent, but I didn't dare say that. I wasn't about to take my life in my own hands the day my daughter was going to be born.

I held her arm as I guided her down the steps. The snow had melted and all we were left with was mud, but I still worried about her falling. As soon as I got her loaded in the passenger seat, I whipped out my phone and sent out the bat signal.

"It's go-time."

"Already?" Lock asked. "We still have three days."

"Not anymore. Get the team together."

"On it."

I hung up and slowly backed down the driveway, careful of anything I might hit. I saw the way she judged me, how she disapproved of how slow I was driving, but there was no way I'd go any faster and put the baby in danger. Hell, I'd even traded in my truck for a minivan. Did we need one? Hell no. But that didn't mean I would sacrifice the safety of my child. Not that a truck wasn't safe, but I had the minivan tricked out by Duke to ensure I had the latest safety measures in place—along with a few of my own creations.

My favorite was the catcher's mit. It was a protective shield in the shape of a mit that would pop out in the event of an accident and protect Harper's womb from impact. Yes, I was well aware of the possibility that the child could still be injured, but I did everything I could to make sure that wouldn't happen.

"There they are," I muttered as Lock pulled out in front of us. Then Brock and Scottie pulled out behind us, then cruised along beside us down the road. Yes, we were blocking all lanes of traffic. Yes, we had sirens and lights on the vehicles. Was it legal? Probably not. But if anyone ran a light, my protection vehicles would prevent Harper from taking the brunt of the hit.

"Oh God," Harper groaned.

"What? What is it?" I asked, panic lacing my voice.

"Nothing. You just have everyone in town staring at us." She waved out the window at Mrs. Gardner at the flower shop.

"They know it's time, and they're staying out of the way."

"How did you even get away with this?" she spat. "This is so humiliating."

"I don't care if it's humiliating as long as you're safe."

"Baby Daddy, this is the lead vehicle calling in for a safety check." Lock's voice boomed over the speakers of the comms system.

"A safety check?" Harper sighed .

"It's a necessary evil. All clear, lead vehicle."

"Roger that. Secondary vehicle, check in."

I saw Harper rolling her eyes at our methodical way of checking in with each other. She may not like it, but I wasn't taking a risk. And if she didn't like this, she definitely wouldn't like what I had in store for the ride home.

Or at the hospital.

As soon as we pulled in, the nurse was waiting for us. It had been part of the lead vehicle's job to call in an ETA and have emergency personnel waiting for us. I had filed all the paperwork ahead of time and paid extra to have a single room. They assured me that would most likely happen anyway, but I wasn't taking any chances.

The wait was long and difficult—for me. Harper seemed perfectly fine with everything. And when they brought in that giant needle for the epidural, I nearly fainted.

"You may want to sit down, Mr. Markinson."

I puffed out my chest. "I think I can handle a little needle."

He shrugged and raised it for me to see. My chin quivered and my knees shook, but I nodded to him, gripping Brock's arm just to be sure I didn't end up on the floor.

"Breathe," he hissed in my ear.

Fuck, I was trying, but that was a huge needle. I watched as it entered her spine, and that about did me in. I felt my eyes roll back in my head, but Brock grabbed a cup and splashed water on my face.

"And that's why the men usually sit down," the doctor chuckled.

I wanted to be offended by his comment, but the moment Harper chuckled, I knew he was right. Besides, if Harper could laugh during such a traumatic time, I could hold my shit together.

Hours later, I held her hand, panicked about the fact that it was time to push. She sat there serenely, nodding along with everything the nurse had to say.

"Just breathe, Pookie."

"I'm good," she assured me.

How was she so calm? There was about to be a baby born and it was coming out of her! Shouldn't that freak her out just a little bit?

She didn't even act like it hurt. Maybe that was the epidural, but I could guarantee no man would be this strong for something so traumatic. She was barely breaking a sweat.

"Alright, we're going to push one last time," the doctor said, his head right between Harper's legs.

"We?" I asked, my face laced with panic as I watched her lean forward and push one last time. My eyes widened as the baby's head popped out. I gasped and stepped back as I watched in fascination at what Harper's body was doing. "Brock! Brock! Get over here. You've gotta see this!"

"I'm good, man."

"Yeah, he's good," Harper panted.

Everything around me swirled, but not like I was going to pass out. I was amazed and so fucking in love that I felt like I'd burst. I didn't know how I hadn't seen it before. Everything about this was amazing, and I'd missed out on so fucking much of it. I would never let that happen again. I would be there for every second of every birth from here on out.

"One more push!"

She slid out like coming out of a waterslide. My little girl with beautiful brown hair like little wisps all over her head. Everything stilled as the doctor handed her off to the nurse, who promptly took her over to the table and cleaned her up, wiping her nose and brushing the goop from her body.

I leaned over the back of the nurse, staring down at my perfect little girl. She was so fucking beautiful, with ten fingers and ten little toes. And one very adorable nose.

"Holy shit," I said, taking a step back. I ran my hands over my head as my eyes welled with tears. "She's mine. She's really fucking mine."

"Would you like to hold her?" the nurse asked, holding the little bundle out to me with a smile.

I looked at Harper, hoping she would say yes. I desperately wanted to feel this little piece of joy in my arms. She smiled at me, nodding slightly.

"Yeah," I croaked out. "Hell yeah."

The nurse carefully put her in my arms, making sure I cradled her head the right way. I sucked in a ragged breath as I gazed at her innocent face. How the fuck had something so perfect come from me? She was a miracle.

I walked over to Harper, laughing as I sat down beside her. "Here she is. She's so light."

"She's beautiful."

"Just like her mother," I said, staring at Harper. Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to her lips, then rested my forehead against hers. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me back into your life when I didn't deserve it. For letting me be part of this."

"I couldn't have done this without you," she sighed.

"Aw, fuck," Brock whimpered, wiping at his eyes. "It's so fucking beautiful," he cried, storming out of the room.

I chuckled and turned back to my beautiful soon-to-be bride. "What should we name her?"

She cocked her head as she took in our daughter's features. "How about we name her after your mother?"

I stiffened at the mention of my mother, but refused to let it ruin the moment. "No, neither of my parents will have anything to do with our kids."

"Kids?"

I nodded, still staring at our daughter. "At least five."

"Uh…we'll see about that."

"Just watch," I cocked a grin at her. "You won't be able to resist me. I'll have you pregnant every chance I get."

"Let's focus on this one first. If we keep her alive for a whole year, I'll consider letting you knock me up again."

I wasn't sure I could wait that long, but for now, I'd give in to her demands. After all, she had just pushed a baby out of her vagina.

"Grace," she murmured. "Our little saving Grace."

"Grace," I said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "It's fucking perfect."

"Language," Harper admonished.

The door swung open and men poured in, all of them cheering loudly, startling Grace and making her cry. I glared at them, then turned back to Harper with a questioning look.

"Do it," she nodded.

I stood and let it rip. "All of you, get the fuck out of here before I tear you apart for fucking scaring my kid!"