Page 101 of The Billionaire's Paradise

Leilani’s face twisted—not just in pain, not just in fear—but in something deeper. Something ancient. She closed her eyes and gripped our hands even tighter.

“You’re doing so well,” Cal whispered. “You’ve got this.”

“Don’t you know that’s the last thing a woman wants to hear when she’s giving birth?” Leilani puffed. “It’s the ultimate condescending cliché, especially coming from a man.”

Quickly I tried to compensate. “We believe in you.”

She laughed. “You guyssosuck at this.”

“Just remember,” I kept going. “You’re not just carrying our baby. You’re carrying every hope we’ve ever had.”

She gave a broken little laugh. “No pressure, then.”

Another contraction hit. Leilani gasped, her whole body curling into the pain. She cried out, and I felt something in me break. Her strength. Her courage. It was all bigger than I could comprehend.

“Breathe,” the nurse said. “That’s it. Let it come.”

Time collapsed into a blur as she pushed.

Panted.

Cried.

Screamed.

I don’t know when it happened exactly, but at some point, Leilani started sobbing. Not from the physical hurt. But from some unseen power within her. From something enormous crashing through her.

And just when I thought I couldn’t feel any more—couldn’t hold any more emotion in my body without exploding—the doctor said, “I see the head. One more push.”

Leilani cried out, every part of her straining.

Then suddenly—silence.

And then—

A cry.

One loud, perfect, powerful cry.

The baby.

Ourbaby.

I caught my breath but not the tears that streaked down my cheeks.

For month I’d pictured the room erupting at this point, exploding with joy and laughter and relief.

But it didn’t.

Instead, the whole world seemed to soften.

It seemed to let out a breath.

And then, so did I, as I saw our newborn child being liftedgently into the world, slick and confused and impossibly small. The nurse laid the baby against Leilani’s chest and the doctor smiled. “Congratulations. It’s a beautiful baby girl.”

My knees nearly gave out.

Cal gripped the back of my head and pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes blinking, his cheeks wet.