“Thank God,” Reed said as he looked at me and smiled.
“Why are you thanking God? I’m the one in pain!” I said as another contraction swept over my body.
Reed leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m so sorry, Courtney. I wish I could take all the pain away from you. I’d do it in a heartbeat, angel. Seeing you in pain about brings me to my knees. When you hurt, I hurt. When you’re happy, I’m happy. I just want you to be happy.”
Oh. My. God. He is my husband. Mine. Who would have thought that Reed Moore would be the one to swoon me more than any book boyfriend ever could?
I thought back to that first night I’d met him. His cocky attitude and drop-me-to-my-knees smile of his had captured my heart from the first second I saw him. Months of denying our feelings for each other, hurting each other with words we didn’t mean, and finally admitting our love for each other had brought us to this very second, and I wouldn’t trade any of it.
“You make me feel so amazing,” I said as I pulled him down toward me.
He slammed his lips against mine. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been kissing before we heard a female voice clearing her throat.
Reed gave me that smile that drove me insane with lust. “I’d be lost without your love,” he said as he brushed his thumb across my lower lip. “Completely and utterly lost.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
He leaned his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “I love you, too, Courtney. I love you so damn much.”
“One more push, Courtney, just one more,” Dr. Miller said.
I thrashed my head back and forth. “I can’t. I’m so tired. I can’t push anymore,” I said.
Reed kissed the back of my hand. I’d been pushing for almost three hours.
“Just cut the baby out. Clearly, he or she is stubborn, like the father.”
Dr. Miller and Reed both chuckled.
“Courtney, I see the baby’s head. One more good push, and you will get to meet your baby.”
Reed moved to look, and the moment he let out a gasp and said, “Oh my God,” I knew I had to give it one more try.
“Fine! Okay, but this is the last time I’m pushing. I just want to close my eyes and rest.”
Dr. Miller gave me a smile and said, “Deal. On the next contraction, give me a good push.”
They had taken me off the epidural, so I could feel my contractions and then push when I felt them. At this point, I was so tired that I didn’t think I could even feel the pain.
I felt the contraction coming.
Dr. Miller said, “Okay, Courtney, you can do this.”
I squeezed Reed’s hand and took a deep breath as I started pushing.
Reed leaned over and said, “Come on, baby. I’m so damn proud of you. You can do this.”
Somehow, I mustered up the strength to push with all my might. Then, I felt the baby coming out, and the moment she was out, I collapsed back onto the bed. I felt Reed’s hot breath up against my ear.
He said, “Courtney…my God…you did it, angel. You did it. I’m so proud of you.”
“Reed, Courtney, meet your son.”
I looked up and saw Dr. Miller holding our baby in his hands.
He quickly looked at Reed and asked if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord, and Reed said, “Yes.”
I watched as tears ran down Reed’s face.
What must this be like for him?
I wondered if he’d ever thought about if his first child had been a boy or a girl. He’d never brought it up or talked about it since the day he’d asked me to marry him.
Our baby started crying, drawing me out of my daydream and back into the moment. The tears were streaming down my face as I took in our son’s first moments. I smiled as I watched the nurse clean and wrap him in a blanket. The nurse walked over and placed him in my arms as Reed stood next to me.
“He’s perfect. My God…he’s breathtakingly beautiful,” I whispered.
Reed gently ran the back of his fingers across our son’s head. “Like his mother.”
I glanced up at Reed and said, “And his father. You have your son, Reed. Are you happy?” I smiled up at him.
He wiped away a tear and stared into my eyes. For a few brief moments, we were lost in each other’s gaze.
“I’ve never been so happy in my entire life. You’ve made every one of my dreams come true.” He leaned down and kissed me as our baby made the sweetest sounds I’d ever heard. When he pulled back, he said, “I love you, Courtney.”
I let a small sob escape before I looked back down at the baby and then back up at Reed. “I love you, too, Reed.” I slowly pulled my gaze from the man I loved more than life itself and stared at the new man in my life. “Walker Nickolas Moore, are you ready for this?”
Reed let out a laugh.
I looked up and asked him, “Are you ready to hold him?”
Reed nodded his head frantically and held out his arms. He reached down and gently took our son into his arms. I watched as the two of them just stared at each other while Reed gently stroked Walker’s face. Reed began walking around as he continued to carefully study Walker. He pulled the blanket back and looked at every single finger and repeated the same process with Walker’s toes, and I let out a giggle. Most of the people in the room were beginning to leave now, and we were down to the doctor and one nurse. Then, Dr. Miller talked to Reed and me for a few brief minutes.
I peeked over at Reed and Walker, and I fell more in love with my husband as the seconds passed by.
“I’m so glad to finally meet you, sweet angel. Thank you for giving Mommy a pretty easy pregnancy. You’re already a gentleman, I see.”
Oh. My. God. Swoon the shit out of me.
“Oh, man…Walker, there are so many things I have planned for us. I’m going to teach you everything there is to know about football, baseball, and golf. Layton and I are going to teach you all about the cattle business and everything about horses. I can’t wait to get you on a horse. You’re going to know everything about the trees and plants—”
I rolled my eyes and said, “Oh God, no!”
Reed looked up at me and smiled as he winked. My heart dropped, and I realized that just seeing my husband standing there, holding our child and talking to him about all of his plans for the future, turned me the hell on.
I looked at the nurse and asked in a hushed voice, “How long do we have to wait to have sex?”
She giggled and said, “Six weeks.”