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Vince

Eight Months Later

Scarlett had been waddling up and down the stairs for hours, trying to keep her contractions going.

She’d felt them on and off for a few days now, but every time she’d thought labour would finally begin, they ebbed away again.

They’d been damned to sit down on the couches and watch, with Mateo keeping Matilda in the loop.

The second Scarlett stopped, Ezra started the stopwatch.

“Matilda said she’s on her way now,” Mateo said after reading the text on his screen.

“What if they go away again?”

“Then she’ll be nearby when they start back up.” Mateo walked over to Scarlett who was rubbing her large stomach. “Don’t worry so much and don’t exhaust yourself either. I’ll get your room ready.”

Vince followed Mateo, but not without kissing Scarlett, leaving Ezra to obsess over her contractions.

They took out the new set of sheets they’d bought for this very moment and started to strip the bed.

Scarlett had been worried about ruining the mattress, so they’d gotten multiple layers of protection to avoid it.

“How are you feeling?” Mateo asked as always making sure no one was left out.

“Anxious, but excited.”

“Me too. I just hope it’s a quick labour for her, but from my very limited experience, the first one is always the hardest.” Mateo sighed and Vince could sense that he just needed to get it all off his chest, so he stayed silent.

“And what do we actually do when the baby is here? I read so many books and still don’t have a clue what to do. ”

“Mateo…” Vince softly scolded.

His head snapped up, lost, doe-like eyes turning on Vince. “I’m crazy, aren’t I?”

“I believe it is normal. We all feel it, but we can’t let that control us. One step at a time. Matilda won’t just disappear the second the baby’s out. She will help us through the first weeks and your mother and Scarlett’s will be here on and off too.”

Running his hand over his face, Mateo slowly nodded. “I know.”

Mateo collected himself before they headed back downstairs, finding Ezra on the floor massaging Scarlett’s feet. She bounced on a large yoga ball, hoping it would move things along without her needing to run around the house.

Vince watched her all morning, the contractions slowly becoming stronger. With each one that increased, so did Scarlett’s stress. Her labour was progressing and Matilda hadn’t arrived yet. As Mateo sweet-talked her into eating lunch, the gate alarm finally announced Matilda’s arrival.

“What a gorgeous house you four have!” she greeted as she walked through the door, Mateo dragging her bags in behind her.

“Thank you,” Scarlett panted. “But the credit goes alone to the men. I only moved in.”

Vince offered Matilda a plate and she sat down with them.

Once Scarlett was ready, she and Matilda retreated upstairs with Ezra on their heels.

He was like a guard dog, not letting Scarlett—and his heir—out of his sight.

Though they had wanted to, Matilda hadn’t been able to get a clear image yet, so no one knew what to expect.

The afternoon was spent with Scarlett’s contractions increasing in both frequency and duration, and she became progressively more restless with each one.

Excitement and anxiety wound together to create a flurry of emotions.

Vince kept her family updated, while Mateo did the same for his and Ezra’s.

By nightfall, Ezra’s mind became a swirl of emotion, hating to see his precious princess in pain and frustrated she wasn’t progressing as fast as any of them had hoped.

Though her contractions were strong, she wasn’t dilated enough.

Mateo tapped him out and sent him away for a break, feeling that he was worrying Scarlett too much.

Ezra stormed down the stairs, slamming the door behind him with a frustrated growl. Vince was about to go after him when Matilda laid her hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

“Give him time.” She indicated the couch, where she sat down opposite him. “Is there a reason you have been keeping your distance? Because if you need someone to listen to your own concerns, I assure you I’m not here for the mother alone. The fathers are just as much a priority.”

“I don’t want her to feel crowded.”

“Very thoughtful of you.” Matilda paused and blew down on her hot tea.

“The birth of a child is a miracle that’s entirely unexplainable until you see it.

Not just the birth of the child, but the mothers and fathers too.

The moment a family is created is one of the most sacred in a lifetime.

” With a smile, Matilda shook her head. “Meeting one’s mate is just as earth-shattering as meeting your child, but I have never witnessed that particular moment.

And from our long conversations, it is my understanding Scarlett wishes for all three of you to be there. ”

Vince absorbed her words, but he didn’t know what to say in response, so he simply sat with her in silence until Ezra returned. He was calmer, but his mind was still chaotic. The thought of being a burden lingered quite visibly.

“Come sit with us,” Matilda insisted, pouring Ezra a cup of steaming tea for himself. Ezra eyed it rather suspiciously and made Matilda chuckle to herself. “You have every right to be cautious, but I assure you it will only calm your nerves.”

“Why doesn’t Vince get one?”

“Do you really want me to answer that for you, Ezra?”

Defeated, he brought the mug to his lips. “No,” he grumbled.

After a while, Scarlett reached out to them both. ‘I want to go into the tub. Can you ask Matilda if she would like to examine me beforehand?’

Vince relayed the message, then followed her upstairs where he found Mateo filling Scarlett’s bathtub with warm water.

Giving the women their space, Vince busied himself with checking the supplies and lighting some candles.

When Scarlett came into the room, she reached her hands out and wrapped herself in Vince’s arms. She twirled in his embrace and let him push his hands under her loose shirt to caress her bump.

He’d loved to see her grow and be part of this journey with her.

He nuzzled into her hair, chasing off the feelings of regret over keeping his distance.

Then a contraction ripped through her body, and Scarlett braced herself against the counter, breathing through it like Matilda had shown her. As she swayed her body, Vince rubbed her lower back and gently kissed her shoulders. ‘Forgive me.’

Once the contraction faded, she leaned against him and kissed his throat. ‘There is nothing to forgive. You have not once left my side.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, my gentle soul.’

With Ezra and Mateo to either side of her, she stepped into the tub, breathing through the pain and letting the water soothe her sore body. She was tired, understandably, so they praised her through every contraction, spoiling her body with their affection.

When she reached her breaking point with tears spilling down her cheeks, something inside her shifted and with her feeling the need to push, Mateo called for Matilda.

“With the next contraction, I want you to push,” Matilda softly instructed.

But they could feel that she was barely holding on and Ezra’s stormy thoughts didn’t help either. He was anxious and impatient, while also regretting having forced her to have his child first.

Vince’s instincts took over. He stripped down to his briefs climbing into the tub behind his precious mate.

“Breathe, sweet Scarlett.” He took a breath, and waited for her to do the same.

With tears still spilling from the strain of her labour, she leaned into him and soaked up his serenity.

“Focus on your breaths. You are doing so well.” Scarlett calmed slightly, having breathed with him, and bared down on her next contraction.

A scream filled the air and once it passed, she reached down, both joy and fear filling her heart. She could feel the head.

“That was perfect,” Vince whispered into her ear, letting his pride and joy overshadow Ezra’s mind. “Just a few more pushes until you can hold our little miracle.”

Scarlett was panting heavily so he pressed his chest against her shoulders, letting her feel his calculated breathing. She barely had time to recover before the next contraction tore through her body again. Reaching down, Scarlett caught their baby in her hands.

Mateo and Ezra lunged, helping Scarlett lay the squirming bundle on her chest. She leaned back into Vince, and he held her quivering body.

Matilda covered them with towels, giving her a moment to process.

With a gentle rub over the baby’s back, the first cry filled the room and this time Scarlett wasn’t the only one sobbing.

Not a single person in the room had dry eyes as they laid their hands over Scarlett’s and welcomed their first-born.

With gentle, skilled hands Matilda quickly examined their new addition. “You have just welcomed a healthy baby girl to this world!”

Ezra leaned in and kissed Scarlett’s cheek before giving the same attention to his daughter’s full head of black hair. He cut the cord, hands shaking. “Welcome, little Serafina.”

Scarlett rocked her way through delivering the afterbirth and only after she made Ezra promise to bury it beneath the willow, she dozed off.

With tears still blurring his vision, Vince sat down next to Scarlett and Mateo.

Serafina rested on his bare chest, just as exhausted as her mother.

“You’re very loved, sweet little girl,” he gently whispered.

“And we will show you the world just like we have opened it to your mother. There will not be one mountain we are not willing to move and not an ocean that can’t be crossed to keep you safe and sound. ”

Mateo chuckled and Ezra stepped up to his side.

When Vince moved to hand Serafina to him, he shook his head and sat next to Vince, gently caressing his daughter's cheek. “Promise me you’ll protect her, even if that means from me. I know how much of a jerk I can be, and I would never want this life to be hers.”

Vince and Mateo shared a look, and a soft smile. The love for their little family nearly burst Vince’s heart. “We promise.”

The End