Page 109 of The Doctor

Zeno helped me clean the child and bundle her in a warm blanket, then let me hold her while he finished up with Queenie, cleaning and stitching and ensuring she was okay.

I tried to pay attention; I really did. But this girl, this tiny little girl, stole my breath and made everything else seem to fade away.

Before I knew it, before I was ready for it, Zee was taking the child from the safety of my arms and passing her off to her proud parents.

“She’s beautiful,” Mateo murmured, settling the little bundle on Queenie’s chest. “Absolutely perfect, just like her mama.”

“Oh, Sugar.” She grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him toward her, pressing a kiss to his lips before pushing him away. “It’s too early for that shit. I’m not forgiving you that easily.”

“Not even for her?” He touched his child’s cheek, an awed look in his eyes.

“Maybe for her.” Tears streamed down Queenie’s cheeks as she pulled Mateo back to her side.

I watched the beautiful family as Queenie and Mateo cooed over their little girl, and I was so thankful for the opportunity to be here, to bear witness to this. To be given a chance to be a part of the miracle of birth.

Zeno tugged on one of the damp tendrils of hair around my face that had been nicely curled not long ago. I dragged my gaze away from the baby and turned my attention his way. Sweeping the hair behind my ear, he cupped my cheek and leaned in to press a kiss to my lips.

“You look how I felt when I first saw you.”

A smile broke through my exhaustion, splitting my face in two. “She’s amazing.”

“So are you.” Zee wrapped his arms around me, staring down at me like I was the most precious thing. “You did great today.”

Warmth flooded through me at his much-needed praise. Today had been… unexpected. Though we hadn’t come to Paulo’s estate for her birth, Queenie’s child decided she didn’t want to wait.

From trying to rush Queenie outside to the car so we could take her to the hospital, to rushing her back inside and upstairs to their room after her water broke on the cold, snow-covered pavement, to preparing for a birth that no one had thought to prepare for quite so soon, this day had been a lot.

A. Lot.

“Shall we let the new parents have some time with their little girl?”

Did we have to?

Oh, how I longed to hold her again. To see her chubby little cheeks and listen to her tiny squeaks as she nursed at Queenie’s breast.

“Come,” Zee whispered. “Let’s go get some rest. It’s going to be a long night.”

After my nod, Zeno took my hand and led me from the room. Our own room was next door, and I had a feeling we’d be using it even more often now that the baby was here. Zee led me inside and shut the door, then brought me to the bathroom. He stripped me of my clothes, turning on the shower before taking off his own. We washed the stress of the past few hours off our bodies, and I moaned when his hand slipped between my legs. I gasped when he lifted me and notched the thick head of his dick at my entrance. And I cried as he whispered his praise in my ear, telling me that one day, when we were ready, he’d put a baby in my belly, and it’d be me holding a brand-new babe.

I wanted that with him. Someday. I wanted to be a mother, whether it was with a child of our own or one that we took in. I wanted the chance to love a child the way I already loved Queenie’s daughter, the way a child deserved to be loved.

When Zeno had teased my pleasure from my body, when he’d filled me with everything he had to give, he settled me back on my feet, finished washing me, then grabbed a towel and dried me off. I’d never seen such happiness in his eyes, and I’d never tire of seeing the small smile that tilted his lips as he looked at me.

Love.

I’d never tire of seeing his love.

“Let’s get dressed,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “They should be here soon.”

Even with those sobering words, I wouldn’t let my mood be ruined. I followed Zee into our bedroom and pulled on a clean dress—one that was different from what I’d planned on wearing for the day, but it was worth it.

After we were finished, I took Zee’s hand and we walked downstairs together. Outside, snow covered every inch of the ground, painting Paulo’s estate like some picturesque winter wonderland. But inside, the rooms were toasty warm, the muted voices of the Syndicate men and women gathered there filling the home.

There wasn’t a single person there who hadn’t been affected by Paulo’s life and his actions after his father’s death. The man may have headed a massive criminal organization, but he did a lot of good in this world. He believed in protecting women and children. In helping those in need. In giving back to the people and communities who were adversely affected by the Syndicate’s deeds.

Lorenzo and Carmen Giordano stood across the room, talking to their son, Rolly, and his fiancée, Jael David. It was Paulo and Lorenzo who had saved Zeno and his mother the night so many others had died. And Lorenzo and Paulo’s sister, Carmen, had brought one of the sweetest men I’d ever known to life. Rolly was better than your average man, and he’d never fail to drop everything to help you out.

On the other side of the room, Jet Pasternelo stood talking with Angelo Santini and their fiancées. Paulo had taken both Jet and Angelo into his home, saving them from the trauma that had been dropped upon their shoulders and helping them rebuild the lives they were meant to live.