Page 191 of Savage Empire

It takes me a second to realize he’s referring to me. I’ve been too enraptured by our son to notice that I am in fact, shaking.

“Shaking is very common,” she tells him, voice steady and calm. “She’s delivering the placenta right now, but from what I can see, there’s very minimal bleeding. We’ll get your wife cleaned up and given some warm blankets to help her shivering.”

“I’m delivering the placenta?” I ask, shocked. “I can’t even feel it.”

“That’s also not unusual,” my labor nurse assures me. “Your mind is elsewhere.” She nods gently to the baby on my chest. “I’m going to take his vitals while he’s on you, okay? Just to check that he’s doing well.”

“Please,” I agree eagerly.

“Do we have a name for this little cutie?”

“Yes,” Apollo answers gruffly. “We do.”

Minutes pass like seconds, as my adrenaline begins to fade. Warm blankets and fluids in my IV help my trembling cease, and eventually the “golden hour” has come to an end. Apollo watches like a hawk as the nurses clean up our son and swaddle him in a snug blanket.

Soon enough, it’s just us in the hospital room, the baby in my arms and Apollo by my bedside. Part of me wishes I considered a home birth like Jade did with her twins. I would give anything to feel the immense comfort the Moretti homes offer me. But the feeling of safety that having professionals surrounding me in a building full of equipment and brilliant minds meant to save me in the case of an emergency was too good to pass up.

My vitals look good, but I’m going to need to eat soon. Not only because I feel like I could clear out a buffet with the way my stomach is grumbling, but because I can feel how low my blood sugar must be. But I’m not ready to part with the sleeping baby on my chest.

“He’s so perfect,” I whisper, voice hoarse from all of the screaming I did. “I can’t believe he’s all ours.”

“I can,” Apollo murmurs in response. “You did so fucking good, Rayna.”

“It wasn’t what I expected,” I admit. “I should have asked Jade more questions, or read more books. I felt like a fish out of water.”

“You were a natural,” he disagrees.

“I yelled at you a lot,” I argue lightly. “Is it fucked up if I say that I changed my mind already? I want another one. Look at how fucking precious he is. Do you hear him breathing? It’s the sweetest sound.”

“I can hear it,” he confirms, smiling softly. “I’ll give you as many babies as you want, love. Anything you want.”

“Anything? Even a double cheeseburger with a boat load of soft, salty fries?”

“Is that what you want?” he chuckles. “I’ll make someone go pick it up right now. Anything else?”

“Mozzarella sticks, too,” I gasp, mouth watering as I think of it. “And one of those electrolyte drinks Armani made me pack in my birth bag. The doctor said to stay hydrated so I can breastfeed.”

“You got it, baby.”

“After you settle that, will you let everyone in?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for guests?” he asks hesitantly. “It can be a lot. Even Jade only let us in for a few minutes with the twins before Dmitri kicked us out so we didn’t overwhelm her.”

“Well, I don’t have as big of a crowd waiting,” I remind him with a laugh. “It’s just Yordan, Elio, Jade, Ana, and your Dad. Leon isn’t going to make it out here until tomorrow. And there’s no kids so I don’t have to worry about any chaos to cause me stress.”

“All right,” he agrees, sounding almost reluctant. “But they won’t stay long. You need to eat and rest.”

“Agreed,” I concede happily. “I’m either going to have a wonderful nap, or never sleep well ever again. I feel tired and wired at the same time.”

“I promise I’ll make sure you get plenty of sleep, love.” He puts in a call for my food, and kisses the top of my head before quickly leaving the room

When he returns, Yordan is right by his side, practically racing to get to me. Jade and Ana follow right behind them, and Elio and Dante trickle in last, their calm demeanor plain to see. It’s comforting, not feeling swarmed by everyone at once.

Yordan comes to my bedside first, his eyes wide with wonder and astonishment. “You look fine,” he says with an exhale of relief. “I heard you screaming and I thought—fuck, you have a baby, sis.”

Happiness and a sense of pride swells in my chest, and I nod. “I do. Worth all the screaming, huh?”

His eyes fix firmly on the little blue bundle in my arms and he nods slowly. “Shit, yeah, as long as you’re okay. Does the whole adoption thing we did make him my brother or my nephew?”