My eyes flew up to meet his, and we stared at each other for a second in the mirror before we both burst out laughing.
“Baby,” I said, turning to him. “You are at a good… forty, on a scale of one to ten right now, okay? Can you bring it to like a four?”
He swiped a hand over his head. “I’m on one, huh?”
“Yeah, a little bit. But it’s cute.”
“Loren doesn’t think so.”
“No, she doesn’t,” I laughed. “But, if you can shift this nervous energy into some peaceful vibes… I’m sure she’ll let you back in the room.”
I looked down as my phone began to vibrate in the side pocket of my leggings. “Oh, can you get that for me?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling it out and looking at the screen. “It’s Dacia. She’s wondering why you haven’t sent pictures of the baby.”
I laughed. “Well, because the baby isn’t here yet. Can you tell her that for me, so I don’t have to scrub again?”
Nodding, Cree responded to the text for me, then pushed the phone back into my pocket just as the doula, Korey, stuck her head in the door. “Alicia… it’s time.”
My eyes went wide and I turned to Cree, biting down on my lip. “You hear that? It’s time!”
“Yeah…” he nodded. “But… you aren’t moving.”
“I know. I just… it’s time. She’s about to have the baby. What if… what if I mess something up, or—”
“Relax. Just like you told me.”
“How? How?”
Cree laughed, grabbing me at the hips to turn me around and urge me toward the door, toward what was serving as the birthing room. “You don’t have a choice, babe. You just gotta do it.”
I’d faced down a lot, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever been as terrified as I was walking back into that room. Of course I’d already seen and talked to Loren, even since she’d been in the pool. But now… it was different. She was working through that patterned breathing, and sweating, and cursing, and when she looked up and saw Cree and I standing there… smiling.
“Come on,” she urged, out of breath. “This shit hurts. Let’s have this baby.”
She motioned for Cree to come around to her right side, taking the place of her aunt as the one who bore the brunt of Loren’s aggression as she worked through the contractions.
Good thing he’s recovered from that gunshot, I mused silently as I watched Cree’s face go from wonder to horror as she gripped his arm and bore down as the doctor, elbow deep in the birthing pool, urged Loren to push.
And push.
And push some more.
I did what I could, joining Korey in encouraging Loren through it. I rubbed her back, kept her hair out of her face, anything to make use of myself.
And then, quite suddenly… there she was.
A screaming, wet mess of copper skin and thick black curls. Loren burst into tears as the doctor placed the baby into her arms and she held her close as the doctor hovered, cleaning her face and looking at her eyes, and mouth, and ears, and fingers and toes. Once she was satisfied, she stepped back, which let me get a real look at the baby Loren had pressed tight to her chest, staring.
She looked funny, just like KJ had.
But also… beautiful.
Loren looked up, smiling at me, then Cree, then back down at the baby.
“What’s her name?” Korey asked, and Loren let out a content sigh.
“Well… Cree wanted to name her after his mother, and I wanted to name her after mine, but we couldn’t decide on either one. So… we decided to name her Tonya.”
I’d been kneeling behind the pool, but collapsed into a seated position against my feet. “I… are you serious?” I asked, already tearing up. “Really?”
“Really,” Cree’s deeper voice rumbled, as he and Loren both turned to me, obviously amused by my reaction.
“Come on and get up,” Loren insisted. “Hold her.”
Before I could react, Cree was already there, pulling me up as the doctor brought a blanket. Loren passed the baby to my arms, and I quickly wrapped her up, holding her against me.
Tonya.
My mother’s namesake.
She started to fuss a little, and I looked up, to Cree, Loren, anybody, for assistance. But Loren was busy again, delivering the placenta that was still attached to the cord that was still attached to the baby, and Cree was just… smiling.
So I did too.
And rocked her a bit, until she’d settled again.
Cree pressed a kiss to Loren’s cheek, then mine, and then the baby’s, before he hooked an arm around me. I closed my eyes, basking in that moment of happiness and peace, until Loren’s aunt spoke up, asking a question that made me grin.
“Can somebody explain why y’all are giving this sweet baby this grown ass name?”
I hope you enjoyed Cree and Alicia’s story! Please consider leaving a review. You can also reach me via my website (www.beingmrsjones.com) on facebook (www.facebook.com/beingmrsjones) on twitter (www.twitter.com/beingmrsjones) or instagram (www.instagram.com/beingmrsjones) For notifications about new releases, sales, events, or other announcements, you can subscribe to my mailing list.
Christina C. Jones is a modern romance novelist who has penned more than 30 love stories. She has earned a reputation as a storyteller who seamlessly weaves the complexities of modern life into captivating tales of black romance.
Other titles by Christina Jones
Love and Other Things
Haunted (paranormal)
Mine Tonight (erotica)
Five Start Enterprises
Anonymous Acts
More Than a Hashtag
Relationship Goals
High Stakes
Ante Up
Sweet Heat
Hints of Spice (Highlight Reel spinoff)
A Dash of Heat
A Touch of Sugar
Truth, Lies, and Consequences
The Truth – His Side, Her Side, And the Truth About Falling In Love
The Lies – The Lies We Tell About Life, Love, and Everything in Between
Friends & Lovers:
Finding Forever
Chasing Commitment
Strictly Professional:
Strictly Professional
Unfinished Business
Serendipitous Love:
A Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Didn’t Mean To Love You
Fall In Love Again
The Way Love Goes
Love You Forever
Something Like Love
Trouble:
The Trouble With Love
The Trouble With Us
The Right Kind Of Trouble
If You Can (Romantic Suspense):
Catch Me If You Can
Release Me If You Can
Save Me If You Can
Inevitable Love:
Inevitable Conclusions
Inevitable Seductions
The Wright Brothers:
Getting Schooled – Jason & Reese
Pulling Doubles – Joseph & Devyn
Bending The Rules – Justin & Toni
Connecticut Kings:
CK #1 Love in the Red Zone – Love Belvin
CK #2 Love on the Highlight Reel
CK #3 – Determining Possession
CK #4 – End Zone Love – Love Belvin
Deuces Wild Page 26