Page 143 of The Devil's Heir

"What? Why? Just please tell me what the hell is going on!" I demand frantically.

"We found Jarek…" Joey states.

Excitement takes hold, and I grin, but Jackson shakes his head, and dread fills me.

"No! He's not dead—no way he can be dead!" I screech.

A pain slices through my stomach, and a gush of water follows it. I cry out and grab the massive mound holding my child.

"Lily!" Zita calls out, rushing to me and forgetting all about the food.

She takes hold of my arm as Jackson takes hold of the other just before my knees buckle under the pain.

"Call Owens!" Jackson orders Joey, and the younger Lonzo hangs up his phone and makes another call.

Uncaring whether I get him wet with amniotic fluid, Jackson scoops me up and carries me out of the room. He heads for the stairs, but I don't want to go up there. I need to find Jarek!

"Jarek…" I cry out.

"Shh, don't worry about that right now. We need to make sure you and the baby are okay first," Jackson says soothingly.

I'm about to argue when another pain hits me, and I moan through it. This isn't the time to be having the baby, but he seems to think he's done cooking. I'm not too far from my due date. However, I can't help but worry whether our child will be okay. I can't lose them both…

"Push, Liliana!" Dr. Owens orders, and I do.

With Jackson on one side, letting me squeeze his hand, and Joey on the other, allowing the same, Zita is rubbing my back and wiping my forehead.

After a huge push, I rest and take a few deep breaths. This sucks with no drugs, but it's happening so fast that I'm really not thinking too much about the pain. My brain is just telling me to get my baby out before anything happens.

"Okay, Lily. His head is right there. One more good push, and it should be out," Owens states as he smiles at me.

Nodding, I sit up and give it one more try, whining and then screaming as I feel my son's head free itself from the canal. With a few more deep breaths and one massive push, the young Falcon heir is born.

I drop back down, exhausted. Sweat rolling down my face as I wait to hear the sound all new mothers are anxious to hear. The seconds tick by, though, and there's nothing. Zita wipes my forehead while the guys continue to hold my hands—their gazes on some point past the bed.

Suddenly, a loud wail echoes through the room, and I burst out crying. Jackson brings his forehead to mine and grins.

"You did it, mama. You have a handsome son," my friend says before moving away.

Dr. Owens lays my child on my chest and I quickly move him under the gown Zita helped me put on earlier. Having my son skin-to-skin with me is such a bonding experience that the only thing that could make me happier is if Jarek were here.

"I wish your daddy was here to see you. I'll have to tell you all about him when you're older," I whisper as tears drip down my cheeks.

"Lily," Jackson says my name after he hears what I said. "We're going to get him back."

My head snaps to Jackson. "What do you mean? I thought he was gone?" I ask, confused as to what's going on.

"No," Joey chimes in. "Jarek is alive, but…"

"But what?" I glance back and forth between the two men.

Jackson finally answers me, dropping the biggest bomb ever. "Jarek and Carmen got married this morning."

SIXTY-FOUR

Jarek

3 Months Ago