Page 43 of Only a Gemini Will Do

“Absolutely . . . Unless this is a very vivid, different kind of wet dream.”

“By the fluid on your floor, I’d say this is very real. I’m calling the doula,” she announced.

Butta barked at her once, as if to say, “Good,hurry your black ass up,”as he followed her from the living room into the kitchen.

I looked over at Kareem, and my heart almost leapt out of my chest. “H-how is this even possible? How are you here right now?” I questioned, lip trembling as I breathed through a mild contraction.

Kareem laced his fingers in mine. “I’ll tell you later. All that matters right now is you.”

Soleil reentered the living room. “The doula’s on her way. She said she’ll be here in about thirty minutes.”

I nodded while trying to take slow, deep breaths. “Okay. Thirty minutes. I can handle thirty minutes.”

“You picked a hell of a time to come back,” Soleil said to Kareem as she adjusted the wig on her head in front of us both.“You show up in the middle of the night, and my sister’s uterus decides to give my niece an eviction notice. But at least you can help me move the furniture around and set the mood in here before the doula arrives.”

“Shouldn’t she be going to the hospital?” he asked.

“This is a home birth, McDreamy,” she retorted, quotingGrey’s Anatomy. “Now, let’s go.”

He smirked at me before leaning in to kiss my forehead. “I can’t wait to meet our baby girl.”

Time blurredfrom minutes to hours as my contractions became stronger and more frequent inside the inflatable pool. The flickering candle wicks were burning low, spreading the soothing scents of lavender and eucalyptus throughout the apartment as the playlist I’d curated played in the background—a mix of old school and soulful R&B by Erykah Badu, India Arie, and Solange that helped me connect to motherhood and my roots. My doula, Lydia, had been monitoring my vitals and guiding me through each contraction with her calming, honeyed voice.

I was in the pool, immersed up to my belly, wearing a sports bra and nothing else. My braids were pulled up into a high bun as beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. My eyes were closed as I tried to focus on breathing through each contraction as my baby traveled through the water of my womb.

“That’s it, Sawyer. Keep your breathing steady. You’re doing great,” Lydia affirmed, her voice as smooth as velvet.

Kareem was behind me, supporting my back with his strong arms. He kept his lips to my ear, whispering all the things he hadn’t gotten to say to me while we were apart.

“I’m here, shawty. I’m right here. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about you, baby. About this moment. About meeting our daughter. You’ve never looked more fuckin’ beautiful to me than you do right now. Thank you for letting me be here.”

Soleil stayed close, moving silently around the room, handing Lydia supplies as needed and keeping Butta occupied so that he didn’t interfere.

“Remember to breathe, Sawyer. You’re surrounded by love. You’re empowered. You’re ready to embrace this next chapter,” she reminded me.

My jaw clenched as the next contraction came harder and quicker than the last. Lydia checked the baby’s position before looking up at me.

“Get ready to push on the next contraction, okay?” Lydia advised.

I nodded, groaning as I pressed down.

“Next push. You’ve got this.”

I screamed out a guttural sound, bearing down as hard as I could as the water rippled against my movement. After two more pushes and squeezing the feeling out of Kareem’s hands, I heard it—a sharp, unmistakable cry. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.

Soleil smiled while wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh my God. You did it, Sawyer!”

Lydia raised the baby from the water, slippery and brown, before turning her toward us. “Congratulations, mom and dad. Your baby girl is here,” she announced with a soft smile.

After waiting a few minutes, she instructed Kareem on how to cut the cord and placed the baby on my chest to initiate skin-to-skin contact. Tears immediately began streaming from my eyes. I felt the warmth of Kareem’s lips against my sweaty forehead.

“I can’t believe she’s really here,” I choked out.

“I love you so fuckin’ much,” he whispered to me.

“I love you too,” I admitted for the first time.

He looked down at our baby. “Welcome to the world, little one.”