Page 42 of From Angel to Rogue (Four Foxes #6)
MONTHS LATER
KATY
“Jay, stop stealing my food,” Evy’s loud complaint echoed through the room while her man grinned, stealing more of her chicken tenders.
At this point in my pregnancy, if that happened to me, Lan would end up with a black eye. I think he knew that too because he hadn’t taken a sip of my chocolate milkshake since he handed it to me. In fact, he hadn’t done it at all recently. He was learning.
“One more, wife?” Lan asked, taking my empty mug away, and I wasn’t even too shy to nod yes as my eyes darted to the ring on my finger.
The same diamond that he gave me all those years ago.
Lan and I got officially married a few weeks ago at a small ceremony and I was no longer Katy Evans but Katy Greige now.
“Here you go,” Lan mumbled with a soft smile, handing me another milkshake.
“Thank you.” These days, I needed more than two milkshakes a day. I just told myself I was eating for three to make myself feel better. But honestly? I didn’t care anymore.
I sipped some before eyeing him over my shoulder. “You will still love me, right? I think even after these two come out, I’m going to be the size of a whale.”
He grinned. “I happen to love whales. And my angel is the most beautiful whale.”
I rolled my eyes, elbowing his ribs.
To which he replied with a fake groan, burying his nose in the crook of my neck and I melted against his arms, happily sipping my second milkshake of the day.
We were all hanging out at our apartment for our weekly dinner nights with our friends. Which happened almost every other night since we all lived in the same building.
“Will you fucking stop sucking my sister’s face.” Emmie glared at Mikey who had his little mouse sprawled on his lap and wouldn’t stop kissing her.
I couldn’t blame him because Lily was fully recovered now. Honestly, their honeymoon was long overdue given what a nightmare the past months were for them.
“Yo, I don’t say anything when you suck E’s face.”
“That’s because she’s not your sister,” Emmie countered, and Evy pacified him, which calmed him for exactly ten seconds before Mikey went on to kissing Lily again who kissed him back with just as much passion, her cheeks flushed red.
We all chuckled, even my sweet boy, Luka.
Luka was happily spoiled by every one of them, especially his uncle Matty and auntie Sierra, who were currently in a very serious conversation with him about Luka’s new obsession, sports cars.
“Let’s take a picture,” I announced, and everyone’s conversation paused as their eyes landed on me. “Let’s take a picture,” I repeated, smiling. “Before it gets too crowded.”
They all flashed me a knowing smile as they agreed.
Luka was our designated photographer. Lan and Matty spent about five minutes adorably explaining to him how to take a photo on an iPhone while my adorable boy listened, nodding along like he was tasked with the most important mission of his life.
We were all sprawled on our living room floor in our men’s arms with wide smiles as we faced Luka, who took his job a little too seriously and snapped so many pictures of us with a determined concentration.
“That’s enough, buddy,” I said softly when he bent so low to take a picture, and everyone laughed at his dedication.
He nodded, smiling as he jumped to my side. “Look, Mom.” He handed me the phone.
I would never get tired of him calling me Mom, and before I could look at the pictures, a sharp pain shot through my core. Like a loud clang of a bell.
I swallowed and took a deep breath while Lan’s confused eyes found mine.
“I think it’s time,” I said calmly.
His frown deepened. “What—?”
“Time to have the babies, Lan.”
For a second, he just gaped, his eyes wide, and the entire room fell quiet.
But it didn’t last long; everyone sprang into action, and soon, it was utter chaos.
“Push, baby.” Lan held me tight as he whispered in my ear. The doctor had just declared I was fully dilated enough to push. But at his point, I was exhausted. We’d been at this for more than ten hours.
And I have to kind of give birth twice. My mom gave me so many pointers, but all that slipped out of my mind.
“You can do this.” Lan kissed my forehead.
“I don’t think I can,” I gritted through my teeth as another wave of pain broke my entire lower half into two.
“Yes, you can.” He gripped my hand tightly. “You can do anything.”
I nodded, sighing as the contraction waned.
I breathed deeply, knowing another one was going to hit me any second. The gap between my contractions had been growing shorter and shorter, which only meant my babies were going to be with me any minute. But the pain was getting worse and worse too.
This was all I’d ever wanted, but nothing prepared me for the pain of childbirth.
Somehow, the pain made the process more beautiful, but right now, it felt ugly as hell.
Just as that thought left me, another wave of contraction almost knocked me out.
I had to blink back the spots in my vision as I clung onto Lan’s strength and pushed, folding forward as I ground my jaw, and then my back fell to the bed.
Somewhere in the back of my dizzy mind, I heard the doctor say, “There, there, we can see the head. One more push, Katy.”
The word head tugged on my last resolve, and I pushed harder, and something whooshed out of me, and I heard the sound of loud wails fill the room.
My baby was here.
But I was tired, too tired.
“Come on, angel. Just one more and we’ll have our babies,” Lan whispered.
And his words and my baby’s cries were the only thought in my head as I pushed one last time with every ounce of strength in me.
In minutes, Aaron Greige and Astor Greige were a bundle in my arms while his dad and I looked at their soft sleeping faces. They were beautiful, Aaron with his dark brown hair and green eyes, and Astor with blond hair and brown eyes. Like the perfect mix of us.
Luka was the first one to visit us, and the bed soon became crowded.
His eyes filled with awe as he peered at his baby brothers and started mumbling adorably to them.
This moment, right here, with all my boys made every second of my life worth it.