by Robin Huber
I smile at his romanticized ideals of childbirth.
“Makayla, I don’t care how the baby gets here as long as you’re both okay when it’s over. That’s all that matters to me. That my wife and child are both healthy and safe.” He shakes his head and muses, “Wife and child... Those words used to terrify me.”
“And now?”
“I can’t imagine my life without them.” He rubs my cheek and says softly, “I can’t imagine my life without you.”
I smile up at him. “You’ve come a long way.”
“I think we both have... Thank God for therapy.” He chuckles softly.
“My dad always said that therapy was good medicine, but that the best medicine of all is love. The therapy helped, but you healed me, Kellan.”
“I was just returning the favor.”
I reach for his face and ask, “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“Maybe you should tell me again.”
“Tu eres el rey de mi corazón.” You are the king of my heart is one of the phrases I’ve been practicing in Spanish.
“Y tú eres el sol en mi cielo.” And you are the sun in my sky. He’s said it to me enough that I don’t need him to translate. He presses his mouth to mine and I taste the salty ocean on his lips.
“You know, even if you do still find me the slightest bit attractive after I’ve had the baby, we’ll have to take a break for a while.”
“I know.”
“We should probably get all the love making in now, then, before the hiatus.” I give him a suggestive look.
The low growl in his throat tells me he agrees.
* * *
“We’re back,” I call, slinging my bag and keys on the kitchen counter. Mia puts several grocery bags down and starts loading the contents into the fridge. I’m so glad she and Adam are finally here, and that they’ll be staying with us for a few weeks after the baby’s born. When we were on the island, Mia told me that being a woman was the only qualification needed to assist with a birth in the village. I get that now. The fundamental need I have to be around another woman right now is undeniable, like some centuries-old instinct ingrained in my chromosomes. Mia’s friendship and medical training are an added bonus.
Callie is at home with baby Liam, who was born last month. He looks just like Derek, but has Callie’s eyes. I exhale a contented sigh thinking of them...at home, safe and sound.
“Kellan?” I call, but he doesn’t answer. I walk over to the sliding glass doors and peer outside. He and Adam are walking toward the house with their surfboards under their arms.
Kellan grabs a towel and dries off, and pushes the sliding glass doors open. “Hey. What did the doctor say?” he asks promptly. He usually goes with me to my appointments, but Mia asked if she could stand in today, and I’m glad that she did. I think she had more questions than I did. And I think Kellan knows that the ancient birthing gods have beckoned me to find solace in another woman.
“Still on track. One more week,” I say with wide eyes, knowing I’ve got to hang on a little longer.
He smiles and I see the anticipation in his eyes.
“Thanks for letting me go today, Kellan,” Mia says. “The doctor seemed great. He gave me his number in case of emergency. Not that we’ll need it. The baby is head down and Makayla is already dilated one centimeter. You never know,” she says smiling at me, “it could be sooner than a week.”
I gasp.
“I know, it’s so exciting!” she says, clapping her hands.
I shake my head and look down at the water pooled around my feet. “I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”
“What? Are you sure?” she asks, running around the kitchen island with Kellan on her heels. Their eyes widen to the size of saucers when they see me standing in a small pool of water.
Ow! My stomach squeezes and a burning sensation wraps around my core, taking my breath away. I grip the counter with both hands, bending over into the unexpected pain. Mia and Kellan are talking over each other, but I block out what they’re saying.
After a few seconds, the pain subsides and I inhale a deep breath, and blow it out slowly. There’s no question. I’m in labor. Holy crap. I’m in labor. I knew this was coming, but it feels surreal.
Kellan’s face is a mix of shock and worry, mirroring my own. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, letting go of the counter and standing up straight again.
“What should we do?” He reaches for my hand and holds my elbow.
“Stay calm.” I smile at him. I look at Mia and Adam, who have similar looks of concern on their faces. “You guys, it’s okay. We’re ready for this. Right?”
Mia bobs her head and smiles. “Right.” She looks up at Adam, who smiles and nods.
“Right,” he says, slapping Kellan on the shoulder.
“Mia, we need to fill the birthing pool. Can you help?”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Kellan holds my face in his hands and asks, “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
I smile softly and nod. “I’m sure.”
“I’ve got the hospital on speed-dial,” Adam says, holding up his phone. “Just in case.”
“I feel good about this, Kellan. I want to have our baby here in our home, with our friends, who are qualified to help...who I trust.”
He nods and gives me a gentle smile. “Okay.”
“But I need to get out of these clothes. And you need to take a shower.”
He wraps his arm around my back and guides me out of the puddle in the kitchen.
“Adam, get your ass in the shower and get cleaned up. We’re having a baby,” he says excitedly.
I can’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, but it wanes as another contraction wraps around me. I hold my breath, frozen in the middle of the hallway, and squeeze Kellan’s hand, thankful that he’s holding me up.
“What can I do?”
I can’t answer him. I can’t move. And there’s water trickling down my leg again.
“Mia!” he shouts, and she stumbles into the hallway.
She quickly assesses me. “It’s okay. It’s just another contraction.”
“Baby, what can I do?” he asks me.
Finally, I inhale a lungful of air and release my vice grip on his hand. “It’s okay, I’m okay,” I say, breathless.
“Okay, come on,” he says, guiding me to our room. When we get there, I pull off my tank top and Kellan helps me step out of my long skirt. He puts his hands on either side of my stomach and looks into my eyes. “We’re going to meet our baby,” he says with light in his eyes I’ve never seen before.
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “Yeah. We’re going to meet our baby.”
He smiles wide and I do too. Then he kisses me. “I love you, Makayla.”
“I love you too.”
“We’re going to be a family today.”
I blink back tears as I grasp the magnitude of this moment. We’re going to be a family. Kellan’s going to have a family...for the first time ever.
* * *
“You’re fully dilated. I can feel the top of the baby’s head,” Mia says reaching beneath the warm water.
Kelan holds my hands over the side of the inflatable tub and drops his forehead to mine. “It’s almost time.”
I give an exhausted smile and squeeze his hands as a contraction wraps around me for the hundredth time, burning me from my front to my back. “I have to push,” I say firmly, unable to ignore the urge I haven’t felt until now. I lean back against the soft tub and bear down hard, grateful for the warm water that eases the pain infinitesimally.
Mia grabs my other hand and says, “Push into the pain, Makayla.”
“I am,” I grit, pushing as hard as I can.
“You’re doing great,” Kellan says, wiping my forehead with a cool washcloth.
I exhale with a loud huff and moan quietly at the pain that’s radiating now, even though the contra
ction stopped.
“A few more strong pushes,” Mia encourages. She smiles at Adam, who is across the room, standing by with his medical equipment.
The next contraction begins almost as quickly as the last one ended and I push into the pain that intensifies by the second. I dig my fingers into Kellan’s hand and let out a scream that echoes off the walls. I pull in a breath and scream again, blinded by the pain that’s tearing me in two.
“The head is out,” Mia shouts, and I open my eyes.
I look down and see my baby’s tiny head between my legs and it numbs the searing pain for a few blissful seconds. Mia gives me a small, relieved look, and I smile at Kellan, whose watery eyes are filled with an awe that matches mine.
I close my eyes and groan as another excruciating contraction begins, worsening the pain between my legs, as if that were even possible. It radiates down my thighs, around my stomach, and up my back as I push into it.
“Keep pushing, Makayla,” Mia says.
“Push, baby, keep pushing,” Kellan says, and I push harder.
I cry out with relief when I feel my baby slip out, and immediately reach beneath the water to pull him up. “Oh my God,” I cry, wrapping the tiny creature in my arms. “Oh my God.”
“It’s a girl!” Mia cries.
A girl? Tears spill over and my blurry eyes flick up to Kellan, whose hand is over his mouth and red-rimmed eyes are fixed on our baby. I hold her on my chest and she wriggles beneath my hands as I rub her back repeatedly. Finally, she lets out a beautiful, redemptive cry that fills the room and a sob bubbles out of me.
Kellan presses his forehead to mine. “You did it, baby. You did it. We have a daughter.”
A daughter. I look down at the tiny screaming creature on my chest. Oh my God, I love her so much. That quickly, my heart has made room for her. Just as quickly as it made room for Kellan—two loves I didn’t know I couldn’t live without.
“Shhh...you’re here now...don’t cry.” She quiets down and opens her tiny eyes. “Hi, baby.”
She blinks up at me and then gazes at Kellan.
“Hi, beautiful girl,” he says hoarsely, and more tears spill from my eyes. He places his pinky in her little hand, and she curls her tiny fingers around it.
“She’s so beautiful,” Mia says, placing a warm towel over us.
“She’s perfect,” Kellan says.
“What are you going to name her?” Adam asks.
I look up at Kellan. I hadn’t given much thought to a girl’s name, because I was certain she was going to be a boy. He stares at her for a moment and says, “Alexandra Grace.”
An unexpected emotion washes over me at hearing my mother’s name, and I have to fight a fresh wave of tears. I look down at my baby girl, wishing my mother could see how perfect and amazing she is. I nod and agree, “Alexandra Grace James.”
“That’s beautiful,” Mia says.
I smile up at Kellan. “We could call her Ali.”
“I like Lexi,” he says.
“Lexi,” I repeat, touching her velvety cheek. Her head is covered in soft downy blonde hair and she has full pink lips, not like the dark-haired baby boy from my dreams. “She doesn’t look like what I imagined.”
“She looks exactly like what I imagined,” Kellan says. “Just like you.”
* * *
I open my eyes to the moonlight that fills our bedroom. I was exhausted after the delivery, so as soon as Lexi was swaddled and fed, I passed out. It must be late now. I roll over and see Kellan lying in the bed beside me with her snuggled on his chest, speaking softly to her.
“Hi,” he whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I shake my head and smile. “You didn’t.”
“I was just telling her about La Isla Azul.”
I feel a tugging in my chest, stronger than I’ve ever felt before, but it’s different now. It’s wonderful and it fills me with more joy than I ever knew my heart could hold.
“Maybe one day we can take her there,” he says, rubbing her soft cheek. “We can show her how beautiful it is.” He rolls onto his side, placing her between us, and wraps his arm around me.
I gaze into his eyes, lit by the light of the moon, and I’m swept back to the lagoon. “You could take her to the waterfall.”
“And let her explore the rainforest.”
I smile over the sacred memories of our secret paradise. Where we fell in love. And where she was conceived. But there was so much danger, so much fear. As I look at our sleeping baby girl, I can’t help but think of how something so beautiful could come from something so ominous—just like the pearls Kellan found in the lagoon. I close my eyes and say a silent prayer for her—that she’ll never be afraid, that she’ll never be fearful for her life, or the lives of the ones she loves. I open my eyes and look at Kellan, and I know he’ll protect her. He’ll protect us both.
He reaches for my face and says hoarsely, “I wasn’t expecting you, Makayla. And I certainly wasn’t expecting her.” He cups Lexi’s tiny head in his hand. “But I thank God for everything that happened...in my life and yours. The good and the bad. Because it led me to you. It led us here. And I would gladly weather the storms we’ve faced, again and again...for you. For my family.”
I nod and say tearfully, “So would I.”
He presses his forehead to mine and vows, “As long as there is air in my lungs, I will love you, Makayla. Forever. In this life and the next.”
“And beyond that,” I whisper.
Acknowledgments
Kellan and Makayla’s story was the first of many that I would eventually write, but it took years of honing my storytelling skills before I got it right. And an amazing editing team! And a great agent, a publisher, a PR team, bloggers, readers, the list goes on... But before I was lucky enough to work with such incredibly talented book professionals, I had another kind of team: My amazing sister (and now amazing assistant), Karen Shalters, who was the first person to read this book in its infancy. Thank you for all the support and encouragement over the years! My mom, Kathie Brewer. I know you’re over the moon that I dusted off Kellan and Makayla’s story and gave it the attention it deserved. I hope it makes you proud. My lifelong friend, Shannon Baum. I dedicated this book to you, because it’s your favorite and because you’ve been my biggest cheerleader since the moment I told you about it during lunch at Tidbits! I hope you love the story it became. And my dear friend, Angie King, who wins the award for staying up the latest reading my drafts! I love you all! That’s y’all in the South.
To the rest of my people—you know who you are—my cheerleaders, who read my stories before anyone else does, who listen to me talk about plotlines and story settings, who fall in love with my characters before I even write them, who tell me to keep going, to write on, and that I can do it all...thank you. I hope I continue to make you proud.
A huge thank you to my incredible editor, Lexi Smail. Where would I be without your uncanny ability to see the potential in a story and pluck unwritten scenes and lines out of my head? As well as cutting the ones that should have stayed inside. This was by far the most challenging edit of all my books, but it’s one I’m so very proud of. Another big thank you to Abby Saul for helping put the final touches on this story! I’m so glad we got to work together again. And for the constant support and enthusiasm of my amazing agent, Joanna MacKenzie, thank you! The journey continues.
Thank you to the warm people of beautiful Costa Rica, who taught me the meaning of Pura Vida. Costa Rica will always hold a very special place in my heart.
And to my sweet friend, Maria Hammond, for graciously checking me on my Spanish, thank you!
To you, the reader, thank you for spending time with yet another beloved story of mine. If you enjoyed it, I’d love to hear from you! Connecting with readers is one of the most rewarding parts of storytelling. To the bloggers, reviewers, and bookstagrammers who have helped spread the word about my books, thank you so very much. Your enthusiasm and support for my stor
ies means the world to me!
And to my family, my rock, my favorite people on the planet, you are my most important team of all. The team I truly could not live without. I love you to the moon and back.
About the Author
Robin has been dreaming up book boyfriends since before she ever had one. A career, a husband, and three kids later, she’s still hopelessly addicted to love stories that make her swoon. Robin is an extroverted introvert with an unhealthy dependency on her horoscope and a knack for plotting emotionally charged romance novels on her way to work, where she spends her days as a hospital director. She loves the ocean, thunderstorms, coffee, wine, and Tim Riggins. She hates turtlenecks, chunky jewelry, kitchen gadgets, and high heels, though she begrudgingly wears them often. She also has an aversion to extreme cold, which is why after a four-year stint in the Northeast, she returned home to Florida where she’s living happily ever after.
For more about Robin and her books visit:
http://robinhuberbooks.com
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Facebook @RobinHuberWrites
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