“Oh, ooh!” I gasp.
I sit forward, clutching my stomach, when Ben suddenly appears by my side. I close my eyes, trying to breathe through the pain as people surround me, asking if I’m okay. I can’t talk. I can’t do anything except try and ride this pain. I hear someone calling an ambulance, and the next thing I know, I’m lying in the back of it on the way to the hospital with Ben by my side, and a paramedic asking me questions.
“It’s okay. You’re in labor, but everything looks fine. The baby is a few weeks early, but his heart rate is strong, and there’s no reason to worry, okay?” I nod, not wanting to speak, and try to focus on my breathing.
“It’s happening,” I whisper to Ben, and smile.
He nods, looking pale and concerned, like he might pass out. I giggle, because he looks more nervous than me.
I’m terrified, but I know there’s no backing out of this now.
Ben
The doctor enters the delivery room and informs us she’s nearly fully dilated.
“You’re going to need to start pushing soon,” he tells Siobhan. “Your waters have broken, so the contractions will get stronger, and closer together until your son is ready to be born. Just try and relax and work through each one. If you need gas and air, let me know.”
Siobhan nods. She looks terrified. I hold her hand and try and help her through each contraction, but I feel so useless. My heart races as they get closer and closer together, until they’re just seconds apart. The nurse glances down and nods.
“I can see the head,” she tells the doctor, and the obstetrician turns to us and nods.
“This is it, Siobhan. When you have the urge to push, just push. This baby is going to be out soon, so keep focusing on the fact that you’re going to be holding that little baby in your arms in a few minutes, okay?”
Siobhan nods frantically then looks at me. I can tell she’s frightened, so I smile and gently squeeze her hand in mine. I wish there was more I could do, because I know telling her how well she’s doing is only making it worse. She glares at me every time the words ‘good job’ or ‘you’re doing great’ come out of my mouth, but I don’t know what else to say. She screams as another contraction hits her, and I hate that she’s in so much pain. If I could take it all from her, I surely would.
The grip she has on my hand tightens to the point where I can’t feel my fingers anymore, and I swear they’re going blue. I stroke her forehead, then kiss her and gaze into her eyes.
“You can do this,” I say softly, trying to be the good husband, but I feel like a fish out of water in this delivery room.
She nods, panting heavily, then says, “I am fucking doing it, aren’t I? Now shut up, and don’t you ever come near me again with that thing, or I’ll cut it off with a rusty knife…sweetheart,” she adds through gritted teeth, then she closes her eyes again and screams as she pushes.
I look at the doctor for a reaction, his bald head just inches from Siobhan’s pussy, reflecting the bright light. I have no idea what to say or do, and I’m a little shocked by her outburst.
“I hear it all the time, son,” he says, looking at me over his glasses from between my wife’s legs. “And, trust me, that was mild. I’ve heard a lot worse in my time. It’s nothing to worry about, so just keep talking to her and doing what you’re doing. Let’s get this baby born,” he adds, before diving his head back between her thighs.
I’ve never been a dad before, but do all women threaten violence against their partner when they have their babies? I shake it off, I can’t worry about that now. I go back to stroking Siobhan’s face and telling her how much I love her. I hear the doctor asking Siobhan for one big push and I hold my breath, not releasing it until I hear that tiny scream fill the air. I can’t believe it.
Oh my God, I’m a father.
“Congratulations,” the doctor says with a smile. “We have ourselves a brand new human being.”
The nurse cleans up, then wraps the baby and places him on Siobhan’s chest. My heart pounds like a steam hammer as tears of joy stream down my cheeks. I’m so proud and amazed at how beautiful, and strong my wife is. There’s no better sight than watching her cradle our boy in her arms. She glances at me and smiles, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Holy shit. I’m a dad,” I say with a laugh. It’s such a surreal moment, and I still can’t believe the miracle that just happened.
I lean forward and gently stroke his tiny head, placing a kiss on his forehead. He lets out a little cry, as if letting me know he’s there, which makes me chuckle. Siobhan glances up at me. I can hardly breathe. The sight of her holding our son is overwhelming.
“That’s a beautiful daughter you have there,” the midwife says. “And in only a few pushes, too. Very unusual for a first-time mum.”
I frown at what she just said and turn my head around to face her.
“Wait what?” I gasp, my eyes widening. “Did you say daughter? Don’t you mean, son?”
The nurse shakes her head. “No, she’s definitely a daughter. Were you expecting a boy?”
“But…yes, we were. That’s what the sonographer said,” I mumble, feeling flustered. “All the scans indicated that he…she was a little boy.”
“Well, she’s absolutely a girl,” the midwife chuckles. “You can check for yourself if you don’t believe me, but I’ve been doing this job for thirty years. I think I’ve figured out the difference by now. It happens from time to time. Anyway, I’ll leave you three to get acquainted. The call button is right there if you need anything.”
Siobhan giggles and gazes down lovingly at our daughter. “It doesn’t matter, because she’s just perfect.”
“She is, but, what are we going to do about her room?” I ask, running my hands through my hair.
Siobhan laughs. “We’ll figure it out. Girls can like cars and trains, too, you know. It’s not like we’re living in Victorian times, thank God.”
“Yeah. It’s just that I’m not prepared for a daughter,” I say. “I’ve geared myself up for fights, and cars, go-kart races, and baseball games. I honestly don’t know a thing about dolls, and glitter…or periods…oh, and, God forbid, boyfriends.”
“Ben.” Siobhan whispers. She shakes her head, amused at how badly I’m handling this. Tears roll down her cheeks as she smiles at me. “We have plenty of time to figure all that out,” she assures me. “Now, calm down. Come say hello and hold your daughter.”
I swallow, my heart racing with excitement as I reach the bed. I carefully ease my hand around her and lift her into my arms. Cradling our daughter while Siobhan watches us with obvious joy is one of the most precious moments of my life.
“Hello, little darling,” I whisper. My heart pounds as she stares back at me. She clutches onto my finger with her tiny hand, and I’m so full of love for her already.
I rock her back and forth, singing softly to her as she falls asleep in my arms, then I walk over to Siobhan, who smiles and reaches out her hand. I take it, squeezing it tightly, unable to rip my gaze away from the little angel in my arms. For once, I’m lost for words, such a depth of love filling my heart. The door creaks open and I look up to see Mom and Siobhan’s parents standing there, nervously. I nod for them to come in.
“Come and meet our little girl,” I whisper.
“Girl?” Mom says, gasping.
I nod. “Turns out that scans aren’t always one hundred percent right,” I say, chuckling. “Want to hold her?”
Mom nods enthusiastically and takes her while Aoife, Siobhan’s mom, coos over her shoulder, touching her little fingers. I walk back over to the bed and perch on the edge of it, pulling Siobhan into my arms and kissing her forehead. She smiles sleepily at me. I’m so proud of her.
“Now you really look tired,” I say, resting my head against hers.
Aoife carries our baby back over to us, placing her back in Siobhan’s arms. She kisses her, then squeezes my hand as our parents say their goodbyes and file out of the room. I lay there, ju
st enjoying the three of us being together with Siobhan cuddling our little girl.
“Sweetheart, I know you can’t tear yourself away from this little bundle, but the others are still waiting outside to see her,” she murmurs, and I smile at her and nod as I ease myself off the bed to let them in.
I know I’ll miss my family like crazy when they go back to the States, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision to follow my heart and move to Ireland. I have a beautiful wife and a wonderful new life to take care of.
Things will never be the same.
And I couldn’t be happier.
Epilogue - Kayla & Conor
Kayla
I watch Rory pacing anxiously outside the delivery room and smile. You’d think it was him that was the expectant father, instead of Ben. Siobhan’s parents left with Ben’s mum to have a coffee a short while ago, after meeting the baby. Their happy faces letting us know that everything was fine. They stopped briefly to tell us that it was a beautiful child, and that mother and baby were healthy and doing well.
I look up as Ben appears in the doorway. His face breaks into a beaming smile, and we all jump up and wait impatiently for him to say something.
“It’s a little girl,” he says with a big grin.
We all stop dead in our tracks and just stare at him, then Rory bursts out laughing and shakes his head.
“Huh? A girl? I thought she was having a boy?” Amelia asks.
Ben laughs and rubs the back of his neck, obviously still in shock at the sudden change of sex.
“So did we,” he mumbles. “Seems we were wrong, but it’s definitely a girl. Do you all want to come in and see her?”
“Well, we’re not all waiting out here to see your ugly face,” Rory says, chuckling.
We follow him into the room to find Siobhan lying on the bed, cradling their daughter. She’s so tiny. I hang back with Conor to let Rory, Amelia, and Ava meet their newest family member. It’s hard not to get caught up in the emotional side of it as we watch them crying and laughing. It’s such a weird feeling being here to witness it.
Siobhan looks at me and waves me over. “Want to meet her?” she asks.
“Of course,” I say, smiling, as I unthread my fingers from Conor’s hand. My heart races as I step closer to the bed, then I reach out to touch the little girl’s fingers.
“She’s beautiful, Siobhan, and so small,” I whisper. “Have you got a name for her?”
Siobhan shakes her head and giggles. “Not unless she wants to be called Ronan, or Cieran,” she jokes.
“Yeah, that must have been quite a shock,” I say.
“Oh, it was, but so long as she’s healthy, I don’t care. But Ben’s running around like a headless chicken, worried that he hasn’t prepared himself for bringing up a little girl,” she says. “To be honest, I think he’s more worried that he won’t have anyone to play baseball with.”
I’m still laughing when she adds, “Plus, he’s already decorated the nursery with spaceships, cars and other boy stuff. I kind of feel sorry for him, but I know he loves her, and who’s to say she won’t grow up to be an astronaut, or a race car driver, anyway? The days of boys having all the fun are over,” and I nod in total agreement. “Do you want to hold her?” she adds.
I nod and carefully scoop the little bundle into my arms. I don’t have a lot of experience holding babies, and I’m scared I’m going to hurt her, at first. Once I have her cradled against me, I feel confident I have her safe. I laugh as she yawns—her tiny mouth stretching wide open—and tears well in my eyes. There’s something so incredible about holding this sweet little girl who’s less than an hour old.
“No problems with her being born so early?” I ask.
Siobhan shakes her head. “Nope. The doctor said she’s perfect. She’s strong, and her lungs are good, everything’s good,” she says, a wide smile on her face.
“And how was it…you know, pushing her out?” I say, screwing up my face, because…ewww! Waters breaking, cords, placentas. How yucky is that? I’m not anywhere close to wanting a baby, and the thought of labor, and all that comes with it, still makes me want to hurl.
She laughs hard at my expression. “You know, I can’t even remember most of it.” she replies. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was no picnic and it hurt like hell. I think I swore at Ben a couple of times and threatened to cut his dick off if he ever came near me again. Poor guy looked so downhearted,” she says, laughing. “Actually, I still need to apologize to him for that, but the moment I saw this little one, I forgot about all of it.”
I hand her baby back, then kiss Siobhan on the cheek.
“She is so beautiful,” I murmur. “You must be tired, so we’ll leave you alone, and let you get to know her a little better. We’ll head back to our hotel now, and maybe come and visit you tomorrow, okay?”
Siobhan smiles at me. “Sure, and congratulations to you two on your engagement,” then she turns to Rory and says, “And to you and Amelia on the twins. You’ll have another two of these, soon, and a three-year-old.”
“Typical of you, sis. You’re always trying to outdo me,” Rory says, smiling and shaking his head. “I announce we’re having twins, and you have to break up the party and steal my thunder by popping out a baby.”
When the laughter dies down, we say our goodbyes to everyone since they’re family and want to stay a little longer.
* * *
Rory had offered us a room at his place when he knew we were coming, seeing as he knew my parents would never entertain me and Conor sleeping together under their roof. Unless we were married, of course. Mum and Dad had invited us to spend Christmas Day with them. It just felt a little weird to be staying with the Maguires, then diving out the door to go somewhere else for lunch, so, I’d politely declined Rory’s kind offer and booked us a hotel instead.
As we head back there from the hospital, I think about everything that’s happened, then glance down at the stunning ring on my finger and smile.
Love. Loyalty. Friendship.
It symbolizes everything I feel about my life now. A strong, caring man by my side who shows me his love in so many ways, and the loyalty of incredible friends that make us feel like we’re part of their family. It feels so surreal. I still can’t believe I’m engaged.
Conor glances across at me. “You’re very quiet over there,” he says.
“I’m okay, really,” I reply. “I’ve just been thinking about how happy I am, and how my life has changed since I first came back to Ireland. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been happier, mainly thanks to you. I’m even looking forward to lunch tomorrow with my parents,” I admit. “Everything just feels…right, you know?”
He reaches over and takes my hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. “And, I can’t tell you how glad I am that I make you happy, Kayla,” he murmurs. “It’s all I want.” I squeeze his hand back in response, no words needed, and lean my head against his shoulder while he drives.
* * *
Once we’re back at the hotel, I kick off my shoes and curl up on the bed in Conor’s arms. I close my eyes, suddenly feeling so tired. It’s been a long day and I didn’t get much sleep last night since I’d felt anxious about coming home.
I’ve been living in London for the past couple of years, graduating last summer, and Conor’s been living with me for the past year. He’s so wonderful to me, and there was never any question of me saying anything but ‘yes’ when he asked me to marry him. I never expected that, at all.
Last night, just before we went to bed, he took me out onto the balcony. He’d set up a little midnight snack of chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne, and I should’ve suspected something, but then again, he’s always doing little things like that. He’s so romantic.
I yawn as Conor tilts my face up to his and kisses me on the lips.
“You should get undressed and snuggle down into bed,” he says. “You look knackered, and it’ll be another big day tomorr
ow.”
He’s right. I quickly change into my nightie and climb beneath the sheets. He strokes my hair and kisses me softly on the lips, then I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
* * *
When I wake the next morning, I stretch and roll over to Conor. He slowly opens his eyes and smiles at me. I kiss him, running my fingers down his back.
“Morning,” I whisper.
“Morning, beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing me back, then he groans as I slide my hand down and wrap my fingers around his cock. “You woke up horny,” he mumbles, still half-asleep.
“So, did you, by the feel of it,” I tease, pumping his shaft and feeling it throb and grow in my hand.
He rolls me onto my back, lifting my nightie above my waist, and I spread my legs and guide him inside me. I love morning sex. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his as we make beautiful love together, and he makes me come, twice, before he finally growls out his own release and rolls onto the sheets beside me.
“Merry Christmas,” he grins as I snuggle into him.
“Merry Christmas back at you,” I say with a grin. “Did Santa come?”
“Fuck knows, but I sure did,” he jokes. I laugh and kiss him again. “I wish Christmas came every morning,” he adds.
“Speaking of which, you’d better get your arse into the shower, or we’re going to be late,” I warn him.
Conor stumbles into the bathroom, complaining about his legs feeling weak from the mind-blowing orgasm I just gave him. I resist the temptation to throw the ‘I am woman’ phrase in his face, this time. He reappears a few minutes later, then dries off and gets ready to go, while I finish wrapping the Christmas presents I’d intended to wrap yesterday, before Siobhan decided to pop out a baby.
I send her a text to see how she’s doing, not that I expect a reply anytime soon. After Conor’s dressed, I quickly shower and get changed into my new, tight black pants, and green sweater that I’d bought specially to wear for Christmas lunch. After I slap on some makeup, and style my hair, I’m ready to go.
Irish Affair Page 30
