by Abby Blake
“I think it’s time,” she said as Viper helped her to sit up.
“You’re having contractions?” Viper asked, sounding completely freaked out.
“I think so,” Bianca replied calmly as she tried to lever to her feet. Brick held an arm out for her to take, letting her lift herself at her own pace. “But it could just be false labor. I’ve read that it’s quite common.”
“How far apart are the pains?” Brick asked, smiling reassuringly at Viper’s horrified expression. The man had worked hard to overcome his need to be in charge, but it seemed that he really needed something to do right now.
“I’m not sure,” Bianca said, reaching for Viper’s hand and holding it against her heart. She’d obviously noticed his reaction as well. “I’ve been having strange pains all day, but this is the first time they’ve settled into something regular.”
Every woman sitting in the living room—most of them mothers with young children themselves—moved to help in some way. Brick could practically see Viper’s blood pressure rising. He needed to be in charge. When things felt completely out of his control, he needed it more than ever. But he’d promised Bianca that he would only dominate her in the bedroom.
“Viper, maybe you should help Bianca get changed. I’ll call the hospital while the ladies help me clean up.”
Viper nodded gratefully, quite clearly struggling not to growl at the women who’d been sharing their own stories of childbirth for most of the afternoon. It was interesting that none of them noticed Viper’s near loss of control. Just as it had been when he was the Dom in charge at Viper’s Dungeon everyone else saw the tightly controlled façade, not the vulnerable man underneath.
Bianca also gave Brick a grateful smile and let Viper lift her into his arms.
Worry, fear, and excitement all swirled through his brain as he reached for the phone. Twelve months ago he’d chosen to move forward with his life and he’d never regretted it for a moment. Now at the cusp of another major change in their lives his strongest emotion was one of contentment. He and Viper and Bianca had found a way to make things work for all three of them. He had no doubt that the baby would bring new challenges for them all, but he had faith that they would see them through together.
* * * *
Hours later Viper held their tiny daughter in his arms.
“Remind me to thank him,” he whispered to the child as he realized how easily Brick had read his emotions back at the apartment. The rational part of him had known that it was likely to be many hours before the baby was born, but that hadn’t stopped the worry that had beat at his brain. He’d almost ordered Bianca’s guests to get the hell out of his way.
He didn’t miss the irony. For so long he’d worried that Bianca would never be ready to cope with the responsibility of a child, but when she’d gone into labor, he’d been the one to nearly have a panic attack.
Brick, as always, had taken things in stride, calling the hospital, grabbing Bianca’s hospital bag, and arranging for the women at the baby shower to get home safely. Thankfully, now that their daughter was here and their wife was recovering, Viper felt a little less freaked out.
“You okay?” Bianca asked sleepily. She was lying on her side in the hospital bed. Brick was curled up behind her, holding her close.
“More than okay,” he said as he moved toward the woman he loved with every fiber of his being. “Thank you for doing this.” Bianca gave him a soft smile, but it felt important to elaborate. It wasn’t just having their baby he was thanking her for. “If you hadn’t found the courage to leave me when you did, we might never have found this much happiness. Thank you for being so brave.”
She reached a hand over to touch their daughter’s tiny fingers.
“We make a pretty good team, don’t we?”
“That we do,” Viper agreed.
A long time ago he’d suggested that a relationship of the nature he and Bianca and Brick shared wasn’t that unusual in their circle of friends. The one thing he hadn’t known at the time was how perfect such an arrangement could be.
“I love you, little sub, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go again.”
“Same here,” Brick said, pressing a kiss to the top of Bianca’s head.
“Well that works out then,” Bianca said with a happy smile, “because there’s no place I’d rather be.”
And as his daughter closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms Viper realized there was nowhere he’d rather be either. It wasn’t traditional by any means, but he’d found the thing he’d wanted for so long—family.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abby Blake writes erotic romance exclusively for Siren Publishing. She has MFM, MFMM, and FMMMMMMMM stories currently published with paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi, and BDSM themes. At the moment she has three completed series available and many more planned.
For all titles by Abby Blake, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/abby-blake
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
