by Meg Bawden
“It’ll take a while. He’s only in the beginning of his labor. If you have any issues, buzz me. I’ll check on him again with the doctor in a few hours.”
“A few hours?” Blair paled.
“At the very least.”
“Oh God,” I muttered.
“You’ve opted out of an epidural, haven’t you?”
Grayson nodded, whimpering. “Yes. Fuck yes. I want this to be natural.”
“Okay. Just relax as much as you can.” Jordan patted Blair on the shoulder before he left.
Grayson grimaced. “I hate you both.”
Blair
A few hours ended up being four, and all they did was check on Grayson, tell us he had a while yet, before leaving again. I felt every one of Grayson’s moans of pain right down to my bones and wished there was something more I could do for him.
It took another four hours before this Doctor Winterbeck decided it was time.
Grayson’s screams of pain terrified me into keeping my mouth shut, even when I felt the urge to say something sarcastic to hide my own dread. It wasn’t the right time, and he was already nearly tearing my fingers off my hand. At least Bristol got the same treatment on the other side of Grayson.
“Come on, a little farther. We can see his head, Grayson,” Doctor Winterbeck urged.
Sweat dripped from Grayson’s forehead, his hair already soaked, as he slammed his head back on the pillow. His body bowed and he screamed, cursing Bristol and I for what we’d done to him.
“Push, Grayson,” Nurse Jordan said, hovering beside the doctor with a towel at the ready.
“I’m trying!” Blobs of tears welled in his eyes, the skin of his cheeks flushed as bright as his hair as he screamed through another push, and then the crying began, filling the room with a sound that made my heart stop.
I’d imagined how this day would go for months, but I never expected to feel like this—the churning anxiety in my gut relaxed, and a rush of pride and excitement shot through me as the doctor guided our son out of Grayson.
“Fathers, did you want to cut the cord?”
Bristol and I looked at each other and I shook my head. Exciting or not, I had a weak stomach, and cutting the cord would end up with me on the floor. Bristol had birthed farm animals though and he eagerly volunteered with a step forward.
The doctor chuckled, and a nurse gave him a pair of sanitised scissors. The sight of them nearly made me pass out.
Then Doctor Winterbeck handed the crying baby to Nurse Jordan, who wrapped the little man in the towel he held. The doctor and nurse looked at each other, smiling, before our son was passed to Grayson.
“Congratulations, Papa.”
Grayson whimpered with happiness, his arms curling around the screaming lump. “Look at him.”
Bristol and I leaned closer, and I reached out, ran my thumb over our son’s soft forehead. His skin wasn’t anything I’d felt before. Even though it was covered in goo, the softness felt unreal, as though he wasn’t a living being.
Grayson’s lips quivered when he looked at us. “Our son. Our little Jasper.”
My heart leapt all the way to my throat, and even if I could think of something to say, I wouldn’t be able to utter a word.
Bristol kissed Grayson on his wet cheek. “You’re beautiful. Thank you.”
I leaned my forehead against the other side of his face, letting my actions say everything I wanted to.
“He’s perfect,” Grayson murmured, and I couldn’t agree more.
Jasper, as we’d agreed to call him, looked like a little red gremlin, with a weirdly shaped head that we were told by Doctor Tanner to expect. But even with that, he was the most healthy looking little squid I’d ever seen in my life. He had a batch of dark hair on his head, and the bluest eyes, which I knew could change color eventually.
The doctor shifted closer, eyes squinted, with a smile that spread across his face. “Congratulations, Mr. Mayor. We want you to spend as much time as you can with your son, but right now Nurse Jordan needs to clean him up. He’ll bring him straight back.”
Grayson glanced up at the doctor and nodded. He hesitated but passed Jasper over to the midwife. Something ached inside me, the urge to follow the nurse out of the room to make sure he took care of our son, but the doctor smiled knowingly at me.
“Payton will take very good care of him. He’s the best at what he does. Grayson, the nurses are going to help clean you up.”
An hour later, Grayson had been for a shower, the sheets on the bed had been changed, and he was back under the blankets, eyes dipping low in exhaustion. He couldn’t quite sleep, though, and I knew why. As if on cue, Nurse Jordan walked back into the room with our son in his arms. He settled him into a hospital bassinet that another nurse had placed near the bed.
“Here he is, all fresh and very tired.”
Jasper’s eyes were closed, but his small body wiggled, and he let out a small noise. Bristol and I crowded closer, and I stroked his bundled-up body with my forefinger.
“If you need anything, I’m not far away,” Nurse Jordan murmured before he left again.
Grayson glanced at us, smiling, before his eyes shut fully and his breath evened out.
“Can you believe it?” I whispered, afraid to wake either of my boys. “That’s our son.”
“Yeah.” Bristol nudged me with his shoulder. “We did that. You, me, and Grayson.”
I grinned at him. “I’m glad we’re in this together.”
He returned my smile. “Me too, Blair. Couldn’t ask for a better brother to do this with.”
Grayson
I cuddled Jasper closer to me, kissing his forehead. It was hard to believe it’d been two months since his birth, but the time had flown by, and we were settled into a routine. I went to work during the day, and he stayed with Bristol on the farm. When I came home, Blair and I took turns sharing his attention, while Bristol had time to relax. I’d returned to the office almost immediately after I got out of hospital, and it mentally killed me. I’d fought with my instincts, and some criticized me for it.
Magazines and talk shows still followed me, and they all competed to get the first picture of Jasper. I was surprised Blair and Bristol hadn’t decked any of the media who got too close to us.
Now the sun dipped low in the sky and I sat on the back veranda with my son cradled close to my chest. My instincts told me to hold him near, to not let him go, but I saw the way Blair hovered. The dogs sat around us, tongues rolled out as they panted after their afternoon run, and they watched our every move, their own protectiveness showing.
I laughed. “Come get him, Daddy.”
Blair grinned, wide and happy, and gently took him from my arms, hugging him close. Jasper was tiny compared to Blair’s wide frame, but the sight was too adorable not to take a picture of. I tugged out my phone and clicked the photo, capturing a perfect moment.
Blair rolled his eyes and kissed Jasper on the head. “Your papa is so silly.”
“I want a family album.” I shrugged and rose from the chair I lounged on. Papa had redesigned the back so we had somewhere to sit on the warm days, and I loved the area he’d created.
The door swung open and Bristol stepped out, a pair of loose jeans and a T-shirt on, his hair wet from the shower he just took. He ran his hand over his head, flicking some of the water clinging to the short strands.
“How’s he been?” I asked. I hadn’t had the chance to ask him yet because as soon as Bristol passed him over, he went for a shower to get rid of the day’s dirt and grime from running the farm. Right now Bristol looked exhausted, black rings bruising the skin below his eyes. We probably all had them, though, because over the last couple of months, we’d had rough nights.
“Crying most of the day.” Bristol flinched. “The cows scared him.”
“Maybe we need to think about hiring more help,” Blair said, rocking Jasper gently. “You can’t keep doing it on your own.”
I nodded in agreement. “We�
��re going to have a good year. I told you I chatted to local shops, and more have signed on to buy food products from you.”
“I didn’t need you to do that.” Bristol smiled anyway and fell into the chair I’d just vacated. He grabbed me around the waist, tugging me to sit on his lap. “But I appreciate it. I’ve had Adie Morgan helping me some over the last few years. He’s a good guy looking for some more hours. I could ask him to work longer. He’s got a kid of his own.”
“It’s a good idea.” I cupped his jaw and kissed his forehead before planting another one on his lips. “You’re going to kill yourself trying to do all this on your own, Bristol.”
“I’m used to it,” he murmured.
“You don’t have to be anymore. You have us.” We kissed gently.
The door opened again, and this time Emily exited. She made her way straight for Jasper, hands held out. Blair laughed and passed him over to his aunt.
“That boy is winning hearts already.” Blair turned a sly grin on us. “Must take after me.”
Bristol and I glanced at each other. He rolled his eyes, but I laughed. I held out my arm and Blair came closer. Falling on his knees beside us, he let me kiss him.
“I love you. Both of you.”
“Love you too,” Bristol said, followed by Blair’s, “You’re not bad yourself.”
Bristol turned on Blair and the bickering began. I couldn’t bring myself to stop this. I’d grown used to it, and I found I actually enjoyed their antics.
I stared at Jasper in Emily’s arms and my heart flipped. Lucky didn’t begin to describe how I felt. Between my alphas, my son, my parents, and my sweet future sister-in-law, I couldn’t ask for a better family right now, and I wouldn’t give them up for the world.
Thank you for visiting Cherry Hollow!
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Cherry Hollow Series
1. Law’s Stubborn Omega
2. Brodie’s Million Dollar Omega
3. Riley’s Forbidden Omega
4. Luke’s Omega Roommate
5. King’s Loved Omega