Page 18

Reba

“Jax, run out and get Papa for me, okay?”

His little face screwed up into a look of concern. “You okay, Mama?”

I nodded. “Yup, I just think your little sister wants today to be her birthday.”

He turned, running out of the house while I leaned over the counter and breathed through yet another contraction. They had been a thing all day, but we decided to just lie low and not tell Jax until absolutely necessary. Considering I was standing in a puddle of water that was still dripping down my leg, we were out of time. I closed my eyes and focused on the end goal.

“Happy, healthy baby. Happy, healthy baby,” I chanted as Johnny came running in through the side door with Jax close on his heels.

“This is it?”

“Yeah, this is really it.”

He came up behind me and rubbed my back before reaching around to place his hands over my lower belly. “You doing okay, Mama?”

“I think so. But it’s time to call for some help.”

“Got it. Jax can head up to the big house. Athena and Mac can watch him.”

“I want to stay here. I need to meet my sister.”

“Come here, bud,” Johnny said, lifting him up onto the counter next to us. Still none the wiser that we were now both standing in a puddle of water. “Mama’s going to have a lot of hard work to do here. It’s going to be a long time before your sister is here but I promise you that I’ll call up to Miss Athena as soon as she’s here okay?”

Jax leaned into me. “You’ll be okay, right, Mama?”

“Yeah, buddy. Ladies have babies all the time, you know that.”

Another contraction gripped me and I tried my hardest not to let on how much pain I was in as Johnny lifted Jax back to the floor, suddenly realizing how far along I was.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, bud. Head up to Athena’s alright? Let her know that Mama’s having the baby, okay?”

“Okay.”

He slowly made his way out of the house. “I feel bad making him leave.”

“Babe, all you need to do right now is focus on our baby girl. When did your water break?”

“Right before I sent Jax out to you. Oh fuck.” Another contraction hit me, just as the last had subsided. “I need to lie down. Can you call the midwife?”

Johnny reached for me, as I crouched down holding on to the counter for leverage. I moaned as the pain overtook me, losing focus on everything but the weird, mismatched handle on the drawer in front of me. It had never bothered me before. In fact, I’d never even asked why it didn’t match the others but right now it made me insane.

“I want… this fixed… when the baby is here,” I panted out, nodding my head in the direction of the knob in question.

He laughed which made me want to punch him in the nuts but he agreed, “Of course, baby. Anything you want.”

“Help me up.”

Johnny reached his hands under my arms pulling me back to my feet.

“I want to get to our room before another one hits. I’m all wet and I don’t like it.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

I wobbled my way to our room, stopping once in the hallway when another contraction hit. By the time we made it there, I thought I’d run a marathon. Johnny ran into the bathroom to grab a towel for me to sit on and propped me up in bed before reaching for his phone to call the midwife.

“Hey, Ivy, yeah it’s time… close… real close. Her water broke a little bit ago. Okay. Thanks.”

I listened to his side of the conversation, grateful we had a midwife at the ranch right now. She was dating one of the guys and we’d hit it off as soon as she found out I was pregnant. I had still been in my first trimester, puking my brains out behind the barn when she’d found me. With the hospital being an hour away without traffic I loved the idea of never leaving the comfort of home.

“Okay, she’s on her way. You doing okay?”

I nodded and tried to rearrange myself so that I was on my side and was failing miserably.

“Reba, let me help you.”

“I can do it myself.” My voice was a little more forceful than I wanted it to be and karma chose that moment to pay me back for being a bitch by slugging me with one of the worst contractions yet. I gripped Johnny’s hand as he rubbed my back and I cried out in pain.

“This childbirth shit is for the birds.”

He laughed and crawled into bed behind me. “Yeah, but just think how amazing it will be when Jax is holding his little sister.”

Tears sprung to my eyes and he wiped them away. “That will be really great.”

After what felt like seconds, but was probably minutes, pain ripped through my body, sharp and unrelenting. I gritted my teeth, gripping Johnny’s hand so tight I swore I might had broken it this time and I didn’t even feel bad about it.

“You’re doing so good, sweetheart,” Johnny murmured, his voice calm but thick with emotion. He wiped the sweat from my forehead, his other hand steady on my lower belly as another contraction rolled through me.

I let out a shaky breath, my head falling against his chest. “I swear to God, Johnny, if you tell me to breathe one more time?—”

Johnny chuckled, even as his body tensed behind me. “I wouldn’t dare.”

I groaned as another wave of pain hit, and Johnny held me tighter, grounding me. The house was quiet except for the sound of my ragged breathing and the occasional encouraging words he whispered in my ear. Ivy was on her way, but the contractions were coming faster, stronger. Panic bubbled beneath the surface, but Johnny’s presence kept me from drowning in it.

“You got this,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to my damp temple. “I’m right here.”

I dug my fingers into his arm, breathing hard through the contraction. “You better be. You’re the reason I’m in this mess.”

Johnny smirked. “I’ll take full responsibility just as long as you don’t hold this against me forever.”

I shot him a glare. “No promises.”

Just then, the sound of a car pulling up outside sent a wave of relief through me.

“Ivy’s here.”

Johnny nodded, his hold on me unwavering as another contraction hit. He kissed the side of my head, whispering, “Almost there, baby. Just a little longer.”

As the door opened and Ivy rushed in, I clung to Johnny, knowing that no matter what happened next, I wasn’t doing this alone. Ivy came up beside me, her hands gentle but firm as she assessed the situation. “Alright, Reba, you’re progressing fast. This baby is coming soon. When did contractions start?”

“Earlier today. We wanted to just take our time with everything but it seems like she doesn’t want to wait anymore.”

“That’s okay,” Ivy said, placing her bag on the table in the corner and pulling out some gloves. “I want to check you before your next contraction so we can get an idea of how close you are okay?”

I nodded, It wasn’t like I had much choice at this point. Johnny helped me lift my leg since I couldn’t bear the thought of rolling back onto my back and Ivy made quick work of checking how far along I was.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to focus. “How soon?”

Ivy gave me a reassuring smile. “It won’t be long now. With the next contraction, I want you to start pushing.”

“Already?”

She nodded as Johnny’s grip on me tightened, his thumb rubbing slow circles against my belly. “You got this, baby. I know you do.”

The next contraction hit like a freight train, and I bore down, a sharp cry ripping from my throat. Johnny murmured encouragement, his presence the only thing keeping me from unraveling.

“Good, Reba. Again,” Ivy coached as she held my leg and I tried to do my best to follow her instructions. I sucked in a breath and pushed again, my whole body trembling with effort. Tears pricked my eyes from the intensity, from the sheer overwhelming reality of what was happening.

“I can’t,” I gasped, exhaustion weighing me down.

Johnny cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes burned with love, determination. “Yes, you can, Reba. You’re almost there.”

I nodded, drawing from his strength, and for the next half hour I pushed with everything I had. Suddenly a piercing cry filled the room, and my entire world shifted. I collapsed against Johnny as Ivy lifted a tiny, wailing bundle into the air. “Reba, Johnny, meet your daughter.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks as Ivy placed the baby on my chest. I stared down at her, completely in awe. She was perfect—tiny fingers curling, her cries strong and fierce. Johnny’s arms wrapped around both of us, his breath warm against my hair as he let out a choked laugh.

“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Just like her mama.”

I ran a trembling finger over her soft cheek, overwhelmed by love. “Hi, baby girl,” I murmured. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Johnny leaned in, his voice thick with emotion. “We love you so much.”

“Call Athena, I want Jax to be here,” I said through tears of happiness as he just nodded and reached for his phone.

Ivy worked quickly with me to handle the afterbirth, wrap up our daughter and get me presentable so that by the time Jax ran home the entire way from the big house we were ready for him. I heard him before I saw him as he was yelling through the entire house singing the happy birthday song.

When he got to our bedroom door, he stopped dead in his tracks. “She’s here,” he whispered.

I nodded and Johnny got up off the bed to go to him. I watched as he knelt down in front of our son, “Are you ready to meet her?”

Jax nodded and took Johnny’s hand. Never in my life had I seen my boy be cautious but in that moment he was taking everything in. Johnny lifted him onto our bed next to me and he leaned over carefully.

“Hello, Caroline, I’m your big brother. It’s nice to meet you.”

I looked up at Johnny, my heart swelling as our daughter’s cries quieted between us. In that moment, nothing else mattered. We were a family, right where we were meant to be. It may have taken us longer than some to realize how badly we needed each other but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The End