Page 179 of Restitution

“I’d get bored.”

I laugh, catching Roman as he rushes by me. He giggles as I tickle him and throw him into the air in a way I’m sure Stacey will find terrifying. “I think this one needs a change.” I sniff him and arch my neck away. “Yep. Grandpa, it’s your turn.”

My dad wipes his hands off, lifts Roman, and starts baby-talking to him as he walks back to the house.

The ringing from my phone steals my attention, and I see it’s Luciella. “Hello?” I answer.

“Don’t freak out,” she says, and I get to my feet quickly. “But Stacey’s waters broke in the studio like two minutes ago, and she said the contractions are already coming.”

Fuck. She isn’t due till next month.

“Stacey’s in labour!” I shout to my dad before he vanishes through the front door as I rush by the porch. Ewan and Dez appear and wish me and Stacey luck, but I’m already at my car in a panic of excitement and fear, remembering how exhausted Stacey was when Roman was born – she’d been in labour for nearly twodays and had screamed until her throat went harsh.

I’m behind the wheel and backing out of the drive as I ask, “Where are you?”

“I’m driving us to the hospital now.” There’s a long groan in the background. “Oh, okay, just breathe. Yeah, she’s definitely contracting, Kade. Please hurry. I’m nearly there.”

I hang up the phone and fuck the law as I speed. I intentionally made sure we lived close to everything we needed. We have my parents two streets over in their new home, which is a lot smaller than the manor. I bought the plot of land and got to work on it as soon as we found out Stacey was pregnant with Roman.

It takes me fifteen minutes to reach the hospital, and I dodge multiple people as I run through the maternity ward while wiping my hands on my jeans. I push open the door to the stairs and take them two at a time until I’m on the floor I need.

“Stacey Mitchell,” I say, breathless. “Where is she?”

“Delivery room five, sir. Are you the father?”

“Yes,” I reply and hunt down the room.

I push open the door and see Stacey on the edge of the bed with her hands on her lower back while she does her breathing exercises. She turns her head in my direction and lets out a sigh of relief. “You made it.”

I’m by her side in a second, taking her hands. “How do you feel?”

“Like my body is breaking from the inside.”

I move a strand of hair from her face. “You’ve got this.”

She grimaces through a contraction and drops her head to my shoulder, a groan following. “They’re coming faster than with Roman,” she cries. “Oh God. It hurts.”

Luciella rises from her chair. “I’ll go,” she says. “You’ve gotthis, Stacey.” Then her eyes land on me. “She might actually break your hand this time.”

I huff a laugh as my twin sister leaves the room. The midwife talks to Stacey while filling in forms. Then they give me oils to rub on the bottom of her back while the contractions get stronger, until she’s screaming in agony and gripping on to me for dear life.

I wish I could take this pain from her – I fucking hate seeing my girl hurting. She’s crying and screaming as the contractions get closer together, until she tells the midwife she needs to lie on the bed.

We get her on it, and my heart is fucking racing as they keep checking our baby’s heart rate and how dilated Stacey is.

“If you have the urge to push, then push. Just like last time.”

Stacey grits her teeth as another contraction hits, and I stand by the bed as she grips my hand, kissing her forehead and temple, telling her how well she’s doing, how fucking strong she is as she starts pushing.

My fingers are near breaking, but I’ll happily let the bones shatter – it’ll be miniscule compared to what she’s going through right now.

“I can see the head!” the midwife says excitedly, but I don’t dare go down and look, remembering Stacey nearly choked me for trying with Roman. I stay put, kissing her more and wiping her forehead and gritting my own teeth as her hold tightens.

“One big push!”

Stacey’s body tenses everywhere as she holds her breath and pushes like she’s never pushed before, and I think I might pass out.

“Okay now the shoulders. Another push, sweetheart.”