Page 40 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Sierra

E very moment since I found out I was pregnant was tinged with a fine layer of panic.

I’d never thought I’d be ready. I’d cried over it, tried pretending it wasn’t happening, and did everything else other than acknowledge it.

It wasn’t until they put the baby on my chest that I finally let go of the fear.

I let out a soft breath, leaning my cheek against the little thing still wailing.

This was my baby. I glanced up at Justin, who had tears streaming down his face.

Not a bit of that big scary biker on display.

Our baby. I could do this as long as I was with him.

“It’s a girl,” Mel said softly, her hands steady on the baby to keep her from slipping. “You did it, mama. You should be so proud of yourself.”

And I was. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt proud of myself. But I carried this little girl inside me, and got her to air. For maybe the first time in my life, I was one hundred percent proud.

They kept her there on my chest for a few minutes, until her cries calmed and she settled a little. I whimpered when Mel pulled her away, but she was all smiles as she explained, “We’re just going to give her a quick check. Make sure she’s healthy. Then we’ll hand her back. I promise.”

“Justin,” I murmured, watching as they took my baby away.

“I know. I’m watching, sweetheart. I won’t let her out of my sight,” he promised.

His voice was tight and when they brought her back wrapped in a blanket and handed her to him, he choked on a sob as he pulled her against his chest, staring at her like she was the only thing in the world.

I felt my heart swell watching as he held his daughter for the first time.

When he finally looked at me, that pride I felt for myself was mirrored in his eyes. “You did so good, sweetheart. She’s perfect.”

Once I was all stitched up, they moved me and the baby to the room we’d stay in for the next few days.

It was nicer than I expected, with a couch along one wall and a huge tv set into a hutch with drawers for our clothes so we didn’t have to live out of bags.

The lighting could be dimmed and there was a table with a couple chairs in one corner.

My favorite part, though, was my parents waiting there for me.

Dad held a balloon bouquet in his hand and Mom had a teddy bear.

They both were beaming at me when they wheeled me in the room, and wrapped me in hugs the minute Mel told them it was okay.

Justin came in next, wheeling the little bassinet the baby was kept in with a proud smile. Mom squealed quietly as she rushed over to meet her grandbaby, but Dad stayed by my side, hugging me tight and murmuring against my hair.

“You did good, Peanut. I knew you could do it.”

“Don’t,” I blubbered, fresh tears spilling from my eyes. “I swear whenever I think I’ve got no more tears left, they just keep coming. Don’t make me cry again.”

He chuckled in that warm and gentle way he always did, kissing my head again. “Nothin’ wrong with cryin’, sweet pea. You cry all you want.”

“Here. This will make you feel better,” Justin murmured after a few minutes. When I opened my eyes, he handed me our daughter with a soft smile. “She misses you.”

“Oh! You should be doing skin-to-skin,” Mom rushed out. “Did they let you do it in the OR? Take the blanket off, it’s better for her to feel you.”

She didn’t stop fussing until the baby was against my chest, nothing between us, and a blanket was resting on top of us to keep us warm.

She poked Justin in the side when he sat on the edge of the bed next to me.

“You’re next. She’ll need skin-to-skin time with you too. It’s better than a pacifier.”

“Are you trying to get me to take my shirt off, Mrs. Martin?” he teased.

Mom spluttered for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Oh hush. Now have you two picked a name yet? I need to get to embroidering some things now that we know the gender.”

Justin and I looked at each other. We’d thrown out a few names here and there, but we hadn’t chosen any.

“Uh…” Justin rubbed the back of his neck with a frown. “How bad is it if we say we don’t know?”

Mom made a tick sound, making a shooing motion at us. “Well, hop to it. I’m gonna go get a nurse, see if I can feed you. You look pale, baby.”

“Noelle, stop fussin’,” Dad insisted as he followed her out. “She just had surgery. Of course she’s pale.”

“You hush, Graham.”

Their voices faded as they walked away. I shook my head with a smile.

“Think that’ll be us one day?” Justin asked quietly, putting his hand on top of mine on our daughter’s back.

I hummed, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Maybe. But I think you’re more likely to be cracking jokes than anything else.”

“Hey, I’m not as much of a prankster as Rooster,” he tried to defend himself. When I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, he grinned and kissed my forehead. “How the hell do you know me so well already?”

“Magic.”

We went quiet for a little while, just soaking in the moment. Mel showed up right when the baby started crying, breaking the silence. I looked up at her, panicked. “What’d I do?”

“Nothing,” she chuckled with a shake of her head. “It’s probably time for her first feeding.”

She walked me through breastfeeding, and showed me how to hold the baby so she was comfortable while eating. When she latched, I winced, and Mel’s smile tightened a little.

“Yeah, it’ll be uncomfortable for a little while. I’ve got tubes of lanolin that will help with that. Put it on after every feeding. It’ll help, I promise.”

“It hurts?” Justin asked, his expression full of concern as he took the tubes Mel offered.

“Not forever. Just in the beginning. But it looks like she’s latching well, which is great.

We’ll switch sides when she’s ready. Your parents went downstairs to get something to eat.

You can have clear liquids for now, but in a few hours, I’ll bring you something light.

We want to ease into it after the surgery.

Tomorrow is when you get all the good yummy stuff.

Vegas, if you’re hungry, you can go downstairs to pick up something from the cafeteria. ”

He shook his head, staying glued to my side. “I’m good. I’ll eat later. Is there anything I can do right now?”

Mel chuckled, raising her eyebrows at me. “How in the world do people think they’re bad when they all act like this?”

“I don’t know. But I’m determined to change their minds.”

“You and me both, sister. I’ll stick around awhile, make sure you get a good latch on the other side and show you how to burp her. Then Vegas gets to take over for a while so you can get some rest. You’ve been through a lot. You deserve a nap.”

She stayed with us as long as we needed her and showed up throughout the night, whenever the baby started crying. She’d already been working when we showed up, so I asked at one point if she was supposed to go home, but she waved me off.

“I told you, I’m sticking around in case you need me.”

It meant so much to me that she stayed with me through the whole thing.

From the moment I showed up until my parents were back and I was finally allowed to get up and walk, she stayed and helped us both.

So after Justin finally convinced her to go home and get some rest, I brought up an idea that popped into my head somewhere in the middle of the night.

“What about Melanie?” I suggested. Justin was sitting in a recliner shirtless with the baby asleep on his chest. He looked up at me curiously.

“Melanie?”

I nodded, looking at my daughter with so much love it hurt. I had to wonder if it would always feel that way.

“We can call her Mel.”

When he realized why I suggested that name, he smiled brightly. “Little Mel. I like it.”

“I do too,” Mom chimed in, offering me another bite of her sandwich.

They’d brought a smorgasbord of food when she arrived this morning and Doctor O’Malley cleared me to eat a little at a time to make sure I didn’t upset my stomach.

I couldn’t decide between the four sandwiches they’d brought, so everyone was sharing bites with me so I didn’t have to choose.

“Melanie Martin-Taylor, or Taylor-Martin?” Dad asked from where he was relaxing at the table. He’d gotten his turn holding the baby, but he seemed more focused on me than anything else. I appreciated it more than words could express. It made me feel loved.

“Martin-Taylor has a better ring to it,” Justin commented, twisting a little to look at the baby’s face. “What do you think, princess? You wanna be Little Mel-Mel?”

I snorted, raising an eyebrow at him. “Mel-Mel?”

He grinned wickedly. “Ellie started calling her that, then Zoey. Now the nickname has latched on and I refuse to let it die. She can’t stand it, and if this one shares the nickname, she won’t be able to argue with it anymore.”

Okay, well, I’d picked the name to show how much I appreciated everything Mel had done for us since we got here, but if Justin wanted to go another way, that was his business. I wiggled my fingers, pouting at him.

“My turn?”

He let out a dramatic sigh, winking at me to show he wasn’t actually upset. “I guess. Do I have to put my shirt back on?”

Laughing, I looked him up and down. “I mean, I’m not complaining.”

“I am,” Dad grumbled. “Put yer damn shirt on, son.”

Justin carefully handed me our daughter, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I think he likes me.”

I just laughed. Of course he did. Everyone did.

Justin had a way with people that drew them in.

Just like he’d done to me. He’d drawn my attention, stolen my heart, then given me the greatest gift I could have ever asked for.

I didn’t care anymore that my business failed or that I had to come back home with my tail between my legs.

It all led me back to him. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that.