Page 130 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

The contraction built like a tsunami behind my ribs, overwhelming and all-consuming. I bore down with everything in me.

Kannon’s voice was close to my ear. “That’s it. You’re doing great. Just a little more.”

Another push, another pause. The intensity nearly broke me, but then there was a sudden release, and the room filled with the sound of a newborn cry. Relief flooded through me, tears springing to my eyes not from pain, but from overwhelming joy.

“It’s a boy!”

I collapsed back against the bed. They placed the tiny, squirming bundle on my chest. I looked down at him, at his pink, scrunched-up face and tiny fists. My heart felt like it might explode.

“Kannon,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “We have a son.”

Kannon’s eyes were locked on him, his expression a mix of awe and pure, unfiltered joy. “A son,” he echoed, his voice thick. “He’s perfect.”

He leaned down, his lips brushing against my sweaty forehead, a silent gesture of gratitude and love. The chaos of the room seemed to dim, the doctors and nurses moving quietly to clean up and give us space as we enveloped ourselves in the new reality of being parents.

Kannon adjusted the tiny hospital cap on the baby’s head, his large hands surprisingly gentle.

“Look at him,” Kannon murmured, his finger gently grazing our son’s tiny button nose, then his cheeks which were still red from the effort of being born.

“He’s got a temper,” I said, though my voice was weak with exhaustion and elation.

Kannon laughed softly. “Guess we’re in for quite the ride, huh?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Here, you hold him,” I said.

Kannon looked anxious at first but then took our son from my arms. I was going to blame the tears on the hormones. Seeing the man I loved holding our son like he was the most fragile and precious thing in the world was nearly my undoing.

Kannon’s eyes never left our son’s face, his expression mixed with pride and a pinch of fear—the hallmark of a new father. He held him so tenderly, as if he were holding the essence of the world itself. “I can’t believe he’s ours,” he whispered, almost to himself.

“Yeah, he’s ours, and no returns, right?” I joked weakly, trying to ease the heavy weight of the moment.

Kannon chuckled, his gaze lifting to meet mine. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

The first person to meet Garrett was Riggs. He practically barreled into the room, his usual swagger replaced by genuine excitement.

“Let me see him,” he said, grinning as he approached the bed.

I handed Garrett over carefully. Riggs cradled him with surprising gentleness.

“He’s a good-looking kid,” Riggs said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “Takes after his mom, thank God.”

Kannon smirked. “Hey, I’m not chopped liver.”

Riggs ignored him, his attention entirely on Garrett. “What’s his name?”

“Garrett,” I said, my voice steady despite the emotions bubbling up inside me. “Garrett Warner. After my dad.”

Riggs looked up, his eyes misty. “You’re kidding.”

“We’re not,” Kannon said. “And there’s more. We were wondering if you’d be his godfather.”

Riggs blinked, his tough exterior cracking. “You serious?”

“Dead serious,” I said.