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Eva sits up a little more, putting her hands on her belly as she breathes through a contraction. “You’re only saying that because you want me to feel better.”
I smile and shake my head. “No, I’m saying that because it’s true. I’d rather have you safe and here in the hospital than in that cabin a moment longer than necessary. We were lucky that our baby girl decided now was the right time to come into the world.”
Eva’s face scrunches for a moment before relaxing, and she smiles a little. “That’s right. I keep forgetting that after all this pain is over, we get to finally meet her.”
“She’s going to be beautiful, just like her mom,” I say, moving my hands down to rub over her back in slow circles. “And she’s going to be feisty like her dads.”
“She’s going to be spoiled rotten,” Eva says, chuckling. “An entire manor to grow up in. Imagine it.”
“Maybe with some brothers and sisters so she doesn’t get too lonely?” I offer.
Eva looks up at me, expression widening. “You’d want more?”
“I think that is definitely something we’d be interested in, yes,” I agree. “There’s four parents for one kid right now. Surely, we have enough backup for at least a few more?”
Eva looks down at her belly. “Maybe let’s focus on getting this one out first,” she says. I smirk and rub a little harder into her back.
The monitors beep in the background, letting us know that things are progressing well as we sit together, working through Eva’s laboring process.
I keep Theo and Ryder updated, and then Ryder appears with Aunt Bridget.
“I’m here now, sweetheart,” Bridget says as she enters. “Oliver, you can leave now.”
“Aunt Bridget, please don’t send him away,” Evangeline pleads. “He’s been so good at helping me through this.”
“Are you sure?” Bridget asks, sitting over on a chair in the corner of the room.
“If that’s what she wants, that’s what she gets,” I say, trying not to act too smug. Bridget may be a whirlwind, but the only person who’s ever even come close to getting her to back off is Eva.
“I need him,” Eva says, reaching out to hold my hand again. I let her squeeze it while I keep rubbing her back, trying to help lessen the pain. “He’s important to me. All three of you guys are. I haven’t said it yet, but I love you, Oliver.”
“I love you too, sweetheart,” I say, looking down into her beautiful blue eyes. “You totally captured my heart the second I saw you. That’s why I was so prickly at first, because I was scared to fall in love so fast.”
Bridget snorts from the corner, but I ignore her and rub circles into Eva’s hand with my thumb.
“Do you mind going and getting me some ice chips?” Eva asks her, giving her a wide, pleading look. Bridget nods and stands up, heading out to go find her some. “I just wanted a moment alone with you,” Eva confesses.
She squeezes my hand again. “I couldn’t say everything I wanted to say with her here, but I just want to say that you and Ryder and Theo are the best thing to ever happen to me. I grew up so alone and sad, and I felt like I had no purpose. Now I’m with you, and I have an amazing job with your aunt, and we’re having this baby, and I feel like for the first time in my life, I have hope for the future.”
“I feel the same,” I confess. “After we lost our father, things seemed bleak and the world felt like it stopped spinning. You brought color into our lives. You brought unwavering kindness and compassion for us when we really needed it.”
“I love you,” she says again, and I lean down and kiss her gently.
Bridget returns with the ice and kicks me out of the room for a while. I head into the waiting area and call Ryder, letting him know she’s still got a way to go. Ryder popped home to let out Aunt Bridget’s new Springer Spaniel puppy, but he’d be coming back soon.
Theo is still with Daniel when I call, and it looks like they’re no closer to finding Declan yet. There’s a worry that he might have planned to flee the country, so I let Theo go to deal with things.
When I return to the room, Eva is looking a little more frazzled. Bridget gives her a kiss on the forehead and breezes out of the room. “She’s all yours,” she says. “Take good care of her.”
“I convinced her that you were the best choice for my labor partner,” Eva admits. “I love Bridget, but I need you here.”
My heart leaps into my throat. “Oh, Evangeline,” I whisper. I feel touched, my pulse racing. “Are you sure? Many women want their mothers or a mother-figure with them at a time like this, and…”
“It’s you I want right now,” Eva says firmly. “Now come over here and rub my back again. Your hands are much stronger than Bridget’s.”
I chuckle. “I see why you want me. It’s not for my comfort but for my big hands.”
“And your strength,” Eva jokes.
