The Duke Takes a Bride (The Rocking Royal Trilogy Book 2)

by Ginger Voight

  There were portraits hanging on all the walls, depicting the royal houses and the royal families, including all the photos taken with the newborns right in that very suite. I spotted the picture of Roan and Sofie as they cradled the newborn Auggie in their arms.

  It brought me a lot of comfort, despite being so scared.

  They changed me out of my wet, dirty nightgown. I was given a cloth hospital gown in the royal colors, with the family crest embroidered on the chest. Auggie took his seat next to the head of the bed as Dr. Hamish performed her examination.

  “You are about 30% effaced and three centimeters dilated,” she announced.

  “And the blood?” Auggie asked.

  “What we call bloody show. She lost her mucus plug. The bag of waters has broken as well, which means you’re locked into this ride, kids. We should let labor progress as normal.”

  On cue, another powerful contraction hit, taking my breath away right as I was expected to breathe. Both Dr. Hamish and Auggie talked me through it.

  “We’re going to get you hooked up to some monitors. For your comfort, I’ll order you an epidural.”

  I nodded gratefully. “Make it a double.”

  She chuckled. “Hang in there, Peaches. You’re doing fine.”

  She left us alone. Auggie and I didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, at the same time, “I’m sorry.”

  We laughed and Auggie reached over for a sweet kiss. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you, Pea. Or Dash,” he added, still ashen from the scare my little brother had given us. “You know that, right?”

  I nodded. “Same. You do know that don’t you?”

  He sighed and nodded. “I’ve been a fool. A selfish, bitter fool.” He caressed the hair from my face. “It’s my fault you’re even in Cillian’s cross-hairs. I want to kill him for manhandling you.”

  “I can handle Cillian,” I promised, before another contraction hit. They seemed to be getting closer and stronger. I breathed through it and caressed my enormous belly.

  “I never got to paint my belly like a jack-o-lantern,” I pouted. I had wanted to take those pictures over the weekend, but our argument had derailed my plans.

  “We’ll do it with the next one,” he promised as he reached for a kiss.

  “I love you,” I said softly as he lifted away.

  “Love is not a big enough word,” he said as he caressed my face.

  More medical staff entered the room, hooking my belly up to monitors. They caught one of the whopping contractions on screen. I nearly cried from relief when the anesthesiologist entered the room. Auggie helped me brace for the scary shot in my back I never would have gotten had my child not been trying to tear through my loins like a rabid baboon.

  It was totally worth it. By the time the family arrived, I was suitably medicated and needed to rely upon the monitors to know when I was having a contraction.

  Fern and Gav were the first to arrive. Dallas joined them so that Kelly could resume her duties as my assistant, ensuring everything was being done and, more importantly, all the calls were being made.

  Thanks to her efficiency, Mariel was flying the Queen and the other princesses up from Shimmering Falls, and Audra, Dad and Archer had abandoned their U.S. trip and were heading home to Aldayne. They were about twelve hours away.

  It would be a race to the finish to figure out who would get there first, Dad or Jack.

  The royal birthing suite was set up with its own waiting room, so that notable visitors could wait for the good news in a comfortably stocked, private adjoining room. Gav kept Dallas busy there while Fern and Kelly traded off with tasks to assist Auggie and me, like getting me ice chips and keeping me comfortable.

  Mom joined us as soon as Dash went into surgery for his ankle and some internal bleeding resulting from the blunt trauma of his fall. I did my best to keep her occupied as we waited. Yes, it involved disco karaoke, royal birthing suite be damned.

  As I put my phone away, I noticed that the news had broken that I had been transported to Unity Hospital for the possible birth of the newest heir of Aldayne. In a weird turn of events, the early birth was attributed to Dash’s accident. We turned on the news to see what was being said. Experts discussed what it could mean for the royal baby to be born at 36 weeks.

  “This is what we would call late pre-term,” one expert said. “Not ideal but the chances of something going wrong actually diminish significantly from week 35.”

  It was information that Dr. Hamish basically repeated verbatim when Queen Maeve got to the hospital and wanted to know what was going on.

  To the good doctor’s credit, she kept things vague and general to protect my medical information.

  The Queen accepted all this information and then shooed everyone from the room but Auggie and me.

  “I hope you see now what an asset a nanny could be,” she said. “Honestly, I think one should be in place for Dashiell alone. When I think of what could have gone wrong,” She trailed off, placing a hand over her heart, overcome by her concern.

  Maybe it was the drugs, but it endeared her to me. I knew that her heart was in the right place. And she was right; our world was vastly different now. I couldn’t bear to think of what might have gone wrong with Dashie either. It was bad enough as it was.

  I glanced at Auggie and he gave a small nod. “Fine,” I conceded at last. “You can pick any one of the nannies you sent to interview.” I barely remembered anything that stood out about them, anyway. They were all exceptional. They had to be to get the Queen’s stamp of approval.

  Maeve sighed in relief. “Thank you, Peaches,” she said. “I think you’ll find it is a decision you will not regret.”

  I shrugged. It didn’t matter.

  Things began to drag after the epidural. The contractions spaced out and I only dilated another centimeter by the time she checked just after noon. “It can be slower for first babies,” Dr. Hamish said. “We’re on Jack’s schedule now.”

  Apparently, my son liked the attention, because by the time the evening news hit with more news about the #RoyalBabyWatch, we had only reached five centimeters dilated, where it stalled for much of the night.

  “Should we be concerned because her water has broken?” Maeve asked. “Isn’t she at a higher risk of infection?”

  “Conventional wisdom is that she can deliver safely from 48 to 72 hours afterwards for mothers who meet certain criteria. Peaches is in good health, as is the baby. We’ve got an eye on it. She’s comfortable and the baby is tolerating the contractions well. I say we let nature make the call for the time being.”

  As it happened, I was still very pregnant by the time Dad got to the hospital at a little before ten o’clock that night. Mom was overjoyed to see him, as were we all. He stayed with me only a minute or two before racing off to see Dashie, who had already awakened from surgery.

  That night I played cards with Auggie and Fern as we waited for Jack to make up his mind whether or not he wanted to come out on his own or be blasted out with a good dose of Petocin.

  Like Dr. Hamish, I was reluctant to jump start delivery any earlier than necessary, even though we technically had the best cover possible thanks to Dash’s accident.

  Turns out the Lord does work in mysterious ways.

  Fern, ever the fixer, used her eyeliner to draw a jack-o-lantern on my tummy for a rare picture on our socials that Auggie insisted we take, and the Queen begrudgingly approved.

  Looks like our little bundle of joy has decided to come early, he captioned. Trick or treat.

  The photo was shown on news outlets around the globe by morning. From the sound of the crowds gathering outside, Aldayne was excited about the early arrival.

  The fact that both Christopher and Cillian liked the photo, however, pressed on every last nerve.

  The royals, Queen Maeve, Princesses Fiona, Mariel and Giz, had gone back to Shimmering Falls for the night only to return early the next morning to resume their wait along with the res
t of the McPhees. By noon the next day, I had only dilated to six centimeters and 40% effacement.

  “Should we be concerned this is taking so long?” Maeve asked again.

  “It’s progressing,” the doctor assured her. “Looks like the newest royal is determined to make a dramatic appearance.”

  Dashie came to visit just before dinner the following night. His ankle had been set and he was still on the mend from his surgery, but he had insisted. No one had the heart to tell him no. Dad wheeled him in to say hello.

  “He’s not here yet?” he asked.

  Auggie and I laughed as we caressed my full bare tummy, now covered with all sorts of wires hooking me up to the monitors. “Not yet.”

  “He really does want to be born on Halloween,” Dash decided. “Best trick ever.”

  “Best treat ever,” Auggie corrected, his large hand sprawled on my belly.

  Dash was alarmed by the way the monitor started registering another contraction. “What’s that?”

  “My body is preparing for the birth with contractions,” I explained.

  His eyes widened. “Does that hurt?”

  “A lot,” I nodded. “But I’m medicated. I barely feel it.”

  “Whew,” he sighed. “My ankle really hurts, too. But they gave me some medicine. Made me sleepy.”

  I reached for his hand. “Go back to your room, Dashie. You’ll be the first person we tell when Jack gets here.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise,” I said, crossing my heart.

  “Even if it’s late, you better wake me up.”

  Auggie bowed. “You have my solemn oath, milord.”

  That seemed to pacify Dash enough to go back to his own room, where he needed to rest and recover.

  By 9:30 that evening, things finally started moving along. Dr. Hamish had reduced the epidural, and nature responded accordingly. Once I hit seven centimeters, the contractions were stronger and more regular. Auggie rubbed my back and kept me comfortable, while Fern, Giz, Kelly and Mom brought me ice chips and kept my spirits up. Within an hour I had hit eight centimeters and full effacement, entering the transition part of labor. Things got intense from there, with more people coming into the room, including Fern and Auggie, who took their places at either side of my bed to assist me as my birthing team.

  I was tired and terrified and sprawled spread-eagle for the whole team to see, but Auggie and Fern kept me focused as I labored through transition. At just before midnight, Dr. Hamish gave me the green light to push.

  Auggie and Fern held me by the shoulders to fold me basically in half.

  “You got this, Pea. I love you,” Auggie said over and over again.

  “You’re my superhero, Pea,” Fern encouraged.

  I was exhausted after the fourth, ineffective push. “I can’t do it,” I muttered. “It’s Halloween, right? We can do the C-Section, right?”

  Dr. Hamish chuckled from where she sat perched between my legs. “That window has closed, my dear. Your baby is at 0 station and ready to come into this world the old-fashioned way.”

  At her urging to push, both Fern and Auggie folded me in half again as I did my best to push. Thanks to the epidural, I felt the pressure but not the pain. I grunted my way through my duty as a woman and as a mother to push my child into the world.

  I nodded and grimaced as I pushed one more time. I felt my body open wide to accommodate his head.

  “I see him, Pea,” Auggie said, his voice choked with emotion. “He’s almost here. Keep pushing, baby. I love you.”

  With another ferocious push, I felt the weight of my baby slip from my body in the sweetest relief I have ever known.

  At 12:34 a.m. on October 31st, my beautiful baby boy was born.

  Dr. Hamish lifted the crying infant, tinged blue and covered in a thin white coating, and placed him immediately on my belly.

  I burst into tears the minute I saw his beautiful face. His hair was peach fuzz, like mine had been as a baby, and his little fists were balled up as he wailed his displeasure being expelled from his cozy little womb.

  Auggie, Fern and I were laughing and crying at the same time as we gazed upon him, this beautiful little miracle.

  “He’s beautiful, Pea,” Auggie said. “He looks just like you.” He kissed me tenderly through our tears.

  Fern held onto me as she watched her newborn nephew try to make sense of this upsetting development. “And he hollers like you, too,” she managed through her tears.

  I laughed as I touched my baby for the first time. He felt like silk. He was such a miracle. And so worth the journey. All the potholes in the road were forgotten. Nothing else mattered now that he was here.

  And he was mine.

  Correction, he was ours.

  “Want to do the honors, Papa?” Dr. Hamish asked as she held up some scissors to cut the cord.

  Auggie was overcome as he took the scissors. We shared a look and I gave him a nod. There were tears in his eyes as he severed the cord. He returned to my side so we could caress our baby while the doctor delivered the placenta.

  But who cared about anything but this precious angel now on my bare stomach? He finally stopped crying to gaze up at the three of us, trying his best to make sense of his odd new reality.

  Far sooner than I was ready, a nurse stepped in to remove him for a more thorough examination. Fern was quick to follow.

  Auggie turned to me, his hand gently caressing my face as we shared copious tears of joy. “My queen,” he declared before he kissed me, soft and slow. “Thank you,” he murmured, low enough for me alone to hear.

  This man who had the world at his fingertips his entire life had always had one thing missing: a family. I knew in that moment, staring into his tearful green eyes, my sweet husband was now complete.

  It didn’t matter that his blood didn’t run in that baby’s veins.

  He was truly born of our loving commitment to each other, which began not so long ago in what felt like a lifetime away.

  And in that moment, neither of us could love our new son any more.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After the baby and I were cleaned and ready for visitors, Fern brought everyone back into the birthing suite. Auggie entered, wearing a proud smile as he carried our son in his arms. He walked straight to the Queen first. He bowed to her and presented the swaddled baby.

  “Your Majesty, may I present Prince Jackson Roan Quinn Agassi McPhee.”

  Her eyes met his. He wasn’t asking permission to name our son. He was telling her what we had decided his name should be. She held out her arms and he placed baby Jack into them. Despite being a stoic ol’ royal, her face softened as she stared into Jack’s features. He was awake and alert and inspecting her every bit as much as she was inspecting him.

  It was love at first sight.

  She straightened a little as she turned to Auggie. “You did well, Augustine.”

  He shook his head and referred to me. “She did it all.”

  Maeve walked Jack over to me and placed him in my arms. “Well done, Your Grace,” she said, with a slight nod of her head.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said. I didn’t know if the formality was needed, but it felt right.

  After that, the rest of the family gathered around the bed to greet the newest member. Mom and Dad took turns holding their new grandson, their first grandchild. Tears and laughter flowed accordingly.

  Fern wheeled in a sleepy Dash; whose eyes popped open wide when he spotted little Jack. Auggie cradled Jack in his arms as he knelt so Dash could get a closer look. “He looks just like your baby pictures, Pea!”

  I laughed. “He does.” It was one of the bigger blessings, considering. He could have had a shock of dark hair like Christopher. Thank the gods for red hair and mutants. It would have been a perfect moment had Dash not popped off with, “And you had him on Halloween just like you thought!”

  Auggie and I shared the briefest of glances before I stole a look at the Queen, who pr
ocessed this new information quietly. Auggie decided to roll with it and easily transferred Jack into Dash’s arms, supporting him so he could be held properly.

  Dash was immediately enthralled. “I’m going to teach you everything about being a prince,” Dash promised before planting a sweet kiss on his forehead.

  Dr. Hamish and Kelly let us indulge a few minutes longer before they shooed everyone away so that we could get some much-needed rest.

  “We’ll make a formal announcement in the morning,” Maeve decided before they left. There was still quite a bit to plan, like my very public discharge where Aldayne would get their first look at the newest heir.

  Kelly stayed with me so that she could get me started on breastfeeding. It felt weird and wonderful the minute he latched on for the first time.

  “Does it hurt?” Auggie asked.

  I shook my head. It was hard to explain. “It feels… right,” I finally said.

  He nodded and carefully caressed Jack’s head as he suckled, which made him suckle even more.

  It was nearly three o’clock in the morning by the time I could finally rest. Auggie curled up next to me on the bed. He caressed my flattening tummy. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmured. “I watched our child come into this world. It was a miracle.”

  I cuddled against him. “He’s lucky to have you as his dad,” I said softly.

  “Not half as lucky to have you as his mom,” he responded. We shared a kiss. “Ready to do it all again?”

  I laughed. “You weren’t kidding about that big family thing, I see.”

  He hugged me tight. “I can’t wait to have even more kids with you. And share my country with you. Share my life with you.” He stroked my face. “You completed my dream, Pea.”

  It was astonishing to hear this man say that to me, after all he had given to me. “And you rewrote my life as a fairytale.”