Page 63 of Bratva Daddies for the Single Mom
“I can’t wait to show him Oscar.” Hailey dropped to the floor and galloped around the room.
The door creaked open, a small woman stepping in and smiling at all of us. “Now this is what I like to see.” Her red hair was bundled at the nape of her neck, her glasses riding the tip of her nose. She peered at a tablet, then looked at me over the rim of her glasses. “Okay, Annie. Looks like it’s showtime.” She angled her head toward the crowd. “Everyone say your goodbyes. Except you, Tina.” Doctor Ames’s smile accepted the situation. We’d been straightforward from the beginning, and it had been Fyodor’s idea that they all stay in the waiting room with the girls while Tina hung out with me. That way, none ofthem were given any kind of priority or the chance to see the baby before the others.
Our unconventional family dynamic worked for us. Nothing could make me feel like we were wrong for the way we chose to live our lives. We had love and happiness. Nothing else mattered. The girls loved all three men. They were the first and only father figures the girls knew, and I loved seeing them together. The big, bad Bratva men had a tender spot when it came to me and children. The baby I was about to birth would not be loved any more or less because of its genetics. My Bratva men didn’t have the ability to love this baby more because it held their genetic code. They loved the girls like they were their own. Seeing how tender they were as they kissed me one by one and guided the girls from the room almost made the pain go away. Almost.
As soon as the door closed behind them, I gripped the bed rails and sat straight up. “Get this baby out of me.”
Doctor Ames laughed and helped me stand. “First, you change into a gown, then you walk around a little. I need to check and see how far you’re dilated.”
“Blah, blah, blah.” I scrunched my nose.
Tina laughed. “She’s been like this all day.”
“I can handle this.” Doctor Ames walked us through what was going to happen.
I knew the procedure. It hadn’t changed since the girls, and I dreaded every bit of it. “The end is worth the pain. The end is worth the pain. The end is worth the pain.” I breathed my way through the mantra as the pains deepened. Minutes of pain felt like hours. By the time our sweet baby boy came into the world, I saw the words floating around my head like some kind of tender omen. The minute the nurse laid the blanket-wrapped bundle in my arms, I had the strength to stop thinking about the pain and concentrated on the love taking its place. “He’s perfect.”
“He is,” Doctor Ames agreed. “Give us a few minutes to tidy up, and if you’re ready, we’ll send them in.”
“I’m ready.” I didn’t want to let go of our baby for a second, but birthing was not pretty or clean. Tina helped me into a pair of comfortable pajamas as the nurses fixed the bed. I climbed between the clean sheets, exhausted enough to sleep for a week but too excited to close my eyes. I wiggled my fingers toward the bassinet where the nurses stood with our baby boy. “I want him now.”
“Of course.” One of them scooped him into her arms and brought him to me, nestling him in the crook of my elbow. “Press the button if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” I wouldn’t need them. I had the best possible support system in the world.
The nurses filed out and the rest of my family came in. Ilya carried Hannah and Hailey, one girl on each arm, in their typical method of travel. Both girls oohed and stretched as close as they could without falling from Ilya’s arms. “He’s so little.” Hannah tucked her free hand beneath her chin. “He looks like a doll.”
“Everyone, say hello to Henry.” I tucked the blanket beneath Henry’s chin and raised him up a bit so they all could see. “Henry, welcome to the world. We love you so much, and you’re going to always know that.” We’d expanded our family by one. Someday, we might add another. I was in no hurry, but seeing the way Ilya, Viktor, and Fyodor went completely still and silent as love shone so bright in their eyes I swore I saw tears fall showed me that no matter what happened, we were loved.