A/N: I appreciate everyone's patience while I worked this chapter out. Hope it was worth the wait.
"Um, I think my water just broke..."
What? Is this really happening? "You think...really?" I jump out of my seat quickly and I'm to Anastasia in an instant. "Are you sure?" I begin to run my hands up and down her arms and over her stomach like she, herself might be broken.
"Yes, it's leaking down my leg, Christian! It's time to go."
It's baby time!
"Okay, I'll have Taylor take us to the hospital. Come on..." I lift her, not wanting her to have to walk in this condition.
"No, Christian! You know our birth plan! I want to labor at home first."
"Your water broke, Anastasia. You could be farther along than you expect..." I know that we said we'd leave for the hospital at five centimeters, but what if she's already at five centimeters? I don't want her to have the baby at home or in the car on the way to the hospital. "We're going to the hospital."
She wiggles in my arms, trying to get down. "No, we are not! We talked about this. Grace can come to the house and check me. We need our bags, anyway."
"Anastasia, just listen..." My anger and panic are starting to rise. Why does she have to disobey me when it's most important?
"No. You listen. If you want to go to the hospital, then go. I, on the other hand, will be laboring at home. Now, you can either be the supportive, loving husband I know you are and honor my wishes since I am the one in labor, or you can be an ass and make this day a horrible experience."
I'm startled and turned on all at once by her sudden burst of assertiveness. Momma bear has shown her colors.
"Fine. But, let's hurry."
XxXxXx
We call my mother and Gail on the way home and Gail has the guest room with the view all set up with a mattress protector and extra pillows, towels plus other things that my mother might need while Ana labors. I help Anastasia into her nursing gown she picked to wear while laboring and braid her hair for her so that it's out of her face. She's settled in bed and Taylor announces that my mother has just pulled into the gates. I sit next to Anastasia while a contraction hits, holding her hand and stroking her hair and, by the time it's over, my mother rushes into the room, bag in hand.
"Hello, Ana. How are you? How are the contractions?"
Not giving Ana a chance to respond, I answer for her. "They're about eight minutes apart. I've kept track on my phone." I pull my phone out and show her all the times on the labor app I downloaded a few weeks ago.
"And your water broke right before you called me?"
Ana nods. "About five minutes before."
"Alright. Let me wash my hands and then I'll check you, okay? Are you feeling alright?"
She smiles. "Actually, yes. Right now, I feel like I could conquer the world. I actually sassed Christian quite horribly at work before we left." She admits, giving my mother a guilty grin.
My mother shrugs, looking amused. "Eh, it'll do him some good. It's good you feel that way, Ana. Your body is giving you the energy it needs to give birth."
After Mom washes her hands and slips on a glove, I help ease Ana back into a laying position and pull off the blanket so Mom can check her cervix.
"Knees bent and open for me, Ana. I know it's odd." Ana does as she states and my mother notices her still leaking. "Must be just a small tear then. Kind of a bummer for you. I promise I'll make this quick." She states, beginning the exam. "About a two and a half, Ana. Got a bit to go."
I help cover Anastasia back up with the blanket while my mother pulls the glove off and washes again.
"If you can, Ana, I'd prefer that you lay down and get some rest before labor becomes more intense. You might be at this for awhile and it'll be easier to sleep now than it will be when the contractions are coming every few minutes."
Ana nods. "My parents are on their way."
"I'll entertain them while you two get some rest. If you need anything, I'll be right down the hall. I'll come check on you in a bit." My mother disappears down the hall and shuts the door behind her.
"I don't know if I'll be able to rest, Christian." Anastasia states, trying to get comfortable in bed.
"Well, all we can do is try. If you roll to your side, I'll rub your back."
XxXxXx
Anastasia and I got a little shut eye, but not much. Her contractions are coming stronger and closer together and this last one had her in tears. My heart aches that my wife has to go through this pain. She's taking it like a champ and I am in awe of her.
I stand at the foot of the bed while my mother checks Ana again. "Four centimeters. We're getting there, Ana."
Ana tries to give an encouraging nod, but I can see her start to tense up.
"Christian...Christian, please. I need you."
I'm to her quickly, kneeling beside her on the bed. "I'm here. I'm right here." She grips my arm and I help her breathe through the contraction like we were shown in our labor class.
"Good girl, Ana. Perfect. You're doing great." She slouches sideways against me and I hold her tight. "You're incredible."
"Will you lay with me for a few minutes?" She looks up at me, hopeful. I know she's trying everything in her power to get comfortable, but I doubt she'll achieve much comfort no matter how she moves right now.
"Of course, I will." I ease her back to the pillows and I lay next to her. She rolls to her side and snuggles into me, her nose nuzzling with mine. She closes her eyes to try to rest a little and I wrap my arm around her and rub her back, trying to get some of her muscles to relax. Her breathing evens out and I know she's close to falling asleep, but her body begins to stiffen and I know another contraction is already on its way.
She clings to the front of my shirt, but refuses to open her eyes when it starts. I hear her whimper a little and I kiss the 'V' on her forehead.
"Try to concentrate on your breathing. Breathe with me, sweet girl." I force myself to keep my body relaxed and my voice soft, hoping that it'll ease her somehow. I really want to demand that we go to the hospital so that she can get an epidural, but I don't want to upset her. Although she's usually naturally submissive, labor has shown another side of her that I rarely get to see. I really don't want to piss her off in this condition.
I lay with Ana and help her through each contraction and my mother checks her every hour. After three hours, she's still made no progress.
"I'm afraid you're still at a four, Ana."
Anastasia whimpers and drops back down on the pillow. "Why has it stopped?"
My mother gives her a sympathetic expression. "Maybe it'll help if you walk a bit."
Walk? How the fuck is she supposed to walk in this condition?
"Okay, I'll try."
What. The. Fuck.
"Ana..." I begin, but get a scowl from my heavily pregnant wife, who is currently trying to roll out of bed.
"Just help me up, will you?"
Deciding it's best that I allow her to at least try, I help her up. I'll stay glued to her side, so that I can scoop her up at any moment.
"Christian, make sure you walk with her. You can support her during contractions."
I roll my eyes at my mother as I climb out of the bed to help Anastasia. Like I'd leave my wife to fend for herself. I hear her tut at me, but I ignore her.
"Yes, don't leave me." Anastasia urges, holding onto my arms as I pull her to a standing position.
"You know better than that."
"She just needs reassurance, Christian. Don't get snappy." My mother gives me her best mother look and I cower under it, feeling about two feet tall. All of us are on edge and I'm sure my sudden irritability isn't helping anything. I need to concentrate on Ana.
I sigh. "I won't leave you, Ana. I'm right here. I've got you. I'll always have you."
I hate how out of control I feel in this situation. Well...really, I don't have one ounce of control during this. I have to allow Anastasia and Mom to have the power and make the decisions. Fuck. I hope that they both make the right ones.
"The hall?" I ask, moving with her to the door.
She shakes her head. "No, I feel claustrophobic. The living room."
Hand in hand, we make it to the living room where her parents, Gail, and Taylor all sit with some refreshments.
"Well, look who's up! Are we heading out?" Ray stands quickly and engulfs Ana in a tight hug. She relaxes against him and allows him to hold her up for a couple of seconds.
"Unfortunately, no. I'm still at a four. I'm supposed to be walking."
He chuckles and kisses the top of her head. "Then you better get to walking, sweet pea."
"I don't want to. Can't you do it for me?" She pouts up at him and I can see her inner Daddy's girl coming out.
"If I could, I would, but unfortunately, I don't think it'd do much good. Do you want me to walk with you?" He asks, releasing her.
She shakes her head. "No, I've got Christian." She reaches for my hand again and squeezes it. "He did this to me, so it's only fair he gets to suffer along with me." Her tone is light and playful and it makes me crack a grin.
Ray snorts. "It's all his fault, huh? Christian, you better get used to that."
Carla smacks Ray's thigh from where she is sitting and Anastasia giggles.
"Come on, babydoll. Let's get to walking. We'll do laps around the house."
"Okay...Oh..." She bends over and I hear her breath escape like she's been kicked in the gut. I put an arm around her front and bend enough so she can brace her head against my body.
"Use me as an anchor, Ana. I've got you. You aren't going anywhere." Her arm goes around my neck and I feel her body weight against me as she tries to breathe through it. I keep her in place and stand stone still, making sure I don't cause her anymore pain. Ray stands behind her and rubs her back, trying to help soothe her, too.
There is an ugly, angry feeling in my chest when I see him do this. I know he loves her and I know he's her father, but this is supposed to be our experience. Ana and me. Not him. I don't want him to push his way into our business.
I know I'm being ridiculous. He hates that she's in pain just as much as I do and all he wants to do is help and be there for her. I try to picture how I'd feel if I had a daughter. I'd want to be there for her and would never let some prick tell me otherwise. I'd probably bash the bastard's face in if he tried to tell me to fuck off. The thought of allowing my son or daughter to marry anyone who wouldn't want me in their life is an unwelcome thought. I need to coach myself to be okay with Ray's presence, because I know karma comes back ten-fold. I've already been such a terrible monster, I can't continue to be this way, or something bad might happen to my family.
I need to be more welcoming of family, in hopes that I won't have to deal with possessive assholes who try to take my children away from me when they are older. My mother says it takes a tribe to raise a child and, although I don't completely agree with it, I can understand why the extended family is important. Some of my greatest memories are with my grandparents and I wouldn't want anyone to take that away. Ray, Carla, Mom, and Dad all deserve to be in our children's lives. Unfortunately, there will always be this nagging worrying sensation in the back of my head about Carla. She acted absolutely dreadful when Ana and I became a couple and I worry that her negative personality will rub off on our children. I will not have her running her mouth to my children when I am not around. I'm sure that Ray wouldn't allow that to happen; he'd put her in her place. He's really the only person she listens to. When it comes to Carla, I really appreciate Ray's dominant personality. Without it, Carla might be unmanageable.
I continue to walk Anastasia around the living room and kitchen and we stop at the fridge to get some crushed ice. I carry it for her as we do laps and she turns towards me and hugs my waist when each contraction hits.
I hold her tightly to me and rub her back with my free hand. "Breathe, baby. Breathe with me." Her head is buried in my chest and her head moves with my chest as I take deep breaths for her. We've noticed she has the tendency to hold her breath during contractions and my mother has already admonished her more than once for it. Telling her to breathe with me has really helped keep her oxygen level up and her mind busy while her body labors.
As her body relaxes, I press my lips to the top of her head. "Good girl, you're doing great."
XxXxXx
"Ana, your at six centimeters, it's time to go." My mother steps away from Ana in the bed to dispose of her glove. "Walking has really helped."
We walked for about forty five minutes before Mom checked her and we noticed a jump in the amount and frequency of her contractions almost immediately.
"Oh, thank God." Ana states, breathless. "I should have done this hours ago."
I feel a bit panicked that we completely missed five and skipped straight to six. "We still have time, right?"
My mother gives me a genuine smile and squeezes my hand. "Yes, baby boy. We have time."
"You'll ride with us." I tell her. It isn't a question, but she answers.
"Yes, of course. Everything is going to be fine." She pats my hand and lets go of it so I can help Anastasia out of bed. I help her slip on some ballet flats and pick her up, worried that if she walks anymore, she might dilate even faster and the baby might fall out as she walks. I know that it's an irrational thought, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
When we make it back to the living room and they see me carrying her, they all jump up.
"So?"
"It's baby time." I state, a wide grin forming on my face.
They all burst into cheers and Taylor grabs our bag and pillows from the corner. The car seat is still in a box in the back of the SUV, but I want to install it myself at the hospital when the baby is here. Taylor offered to do it for me while they waited and, although I trust him completely, I declined his offer to help. I'd rather do it myself and have peace knowing that it's snug and not going anywhere.
XxXxXx
"Nine centimeters...you're almost there." Anastasia's contractions have spiked so much that she's actually sweating from them. I begged them to give her an epidural when we got here, but when they saw she was almost eight centimeters when she got here, they said there was no time.
Anastasia whimpers.
"I know it seems like you've been in labor for ages, Mrs. Grey, but it's actually going quite quickly. You're a lucky woman. Your son will be here soon. I'll come check on you in another twenty minutes or so." The nurse excuses herself and pulls the curtain open again, allowing Ray, Carla, and my mother a visual of us again. They're all sitting on the couch by the window, but when Anastasia begins to push, I'm ordering the others out. This is a private experience I don't want to have to share.
Her contractions are two minutes apart now and I can see that she's becoming fatigued quickly. I silently thank God that her labor is relatively short compared to others. I know it doesn't feel that way to her, but she's doing so well and I know she'll find it worth it in the end. I wish I could just take the pain for her.
"Christian..." She's breathless. "I need you to sit behind me."
She needs me. She's growing weary and exhausted. I know she can find strength with me behind her. She scoots up and I slip in behind her and raise the bed enough so I can sit up and have her lean against me while I hold her tight.
"Hold me, Christian."
"I am, baby. I am. I'm right here. You are doing so well, my girl. We're so close. You are the most incredible woman I've ever laid eyes on. You're my good girl." I whisper in her ear, smoothing her hair that is falling out of its braid with one hand while the other holds her tightly.
"Your good girl." She repeats.
I nod and press my lips to her temple. "That's right."
"Christian..." She whimpers and her body tightens as another one hits. "Ow, ow, ow..."
"You got this, you got this, babydoll. Breathe through it. Deep breaths. Slow."
She cries out. "It hurts, Christian!"
The pain hits my chest like a knife in the heart. Tears fill my eyes and let out my own sob. "I'm sorry, Ana. I'm so sorry. It'll be over soon." My poor girl. Next time, she's coming early and getting a damn epidural. There's no fucking reason she should have to be in this pain if she doesn't need to be.
"Oh, wow. Oh, gosh." She sits up. "I need to push. Christian, I need to push now!"
"The doctor isn't here, Ana. Not, yet!"
"But I have to!"
"No, no." I make eye contact with my mother and she hurries out of the room to get someone.
"Just a few more minutes, baby. Just wait a few more minutes. There's no one to take the baby."
Her head rolls to the side on my chest. "It's passed." She looks relieved, even though her cheeks are tear stained and her eyes are red.
"Is someone ready to push?" The nurse comes in, looking all cheery and my girl gives her an ugly scowl.
"I was ready to push three minutes ago!"
The nurse just chuckles and pulls the curtain to give us some privacy. "I need to check you first." She slips on a glove and Anastasia opens up for her, wincing when the nurse examines her.
"Oh, you're definitely ready. I can feel the head."
Anastasia gasps. "You...you felt our baby? You touched him? Oh...Oh! I've got to push. I've got to!"
"Let me get the doctor!"
"Where the fuck do you think you're going? You stay the fuck here with my wife and baby! You aren't going anywhere." I growl at her, still holding Ana. "Mom, Ray, Carla. OUT!"
"Grace stays." Anastasia states, gritting her teeth, fighting against her body's own natural urge.
"What?" We hadn't discussed this.
"You heard me. I want Grace with us."
I'm surprised and irritated by this, but there is no time to argue.
"Fine. Someone get the fucking doctor."
"I'm here, I'm here. I could hear Christian from down the hall." Dr. Greene states, grinning. "Considering we have such an irritable husband, someone must be ready to push." The nurse helps her slip on her gown and gloves and she has a seat on the doctors seat between Ana's legs.
"Christian, you're at a perfect position to hold Ana's legs up while she pushes." Dr. Greene states, pulling the stirrups out from the table. "We might not even need these. The next time you have the urge to push, I need you to bear down and try not to make any noise while you do it. Your pushes will be stronger if you're quiet. If you can't, that's absolutely fine, too, but try for me."
Mom takes her spot by our heads and takes Ana's hand while I grab both of her legs and pull them back so that she's wide open when the next contraction hits.
"Can I push now?" She asks through gritted teeth.
"Yes, Ana. Push!"
Ana does well at keeping quiet, only whimpering a little as she pushes through her contraction. I count to ten and when I'm finished she collapses back against me. "Is he out, yet?"
The question makes us all laugh a little.
"No, I'm afraid not, yet, Ana. If you look up at the ceiling, you can see...there's a mirror there to watch."
We all look up.
"Oh, God. My twat's all out there on display isn't it?" She's embarrassed now?
"Ana...everyone in this room has seen your vagina by now. It isn't the time to be embarrassed." I state, kissing her hair while still holding on to her legs, although I've relaxed my grip some so that I'm not pulling on them.
"Do you want us to move it?"
"No! You'll leave it there." I tell the doctor. I want to see our baby being born.
"Oh, God. Here it comes, here it comes!" Another contraction hits and I pull her legs back again.
XxXxXx
"...4...5...6..."
"7-8-9-10!" She yells over my counting quickly and relaxes back against me once more. She's been pushing for forty-five minutes and the baby still isn't coming.
"Ana...I want to try a different position with you, alright? You're getting too tired."
Ana nods. "Anything that will help."
"I want you to roll over and get on your hands and knees."
"Wha-what?" Ana looks horrified.
"Just trust me, Ana. No one here is going to judge."
She looks back at me and I give her an encouraging nod. "Just try it, Ana."
"Christian can even lay down and you can relax your upper body on him."
"Let's try it, Ana."
My mother and I help her get into position and I lay down, my legs hanging off each side of the bed so that she can open her legs wide and relax her head and upper body on my chest. I watch her back naturally relax and curve and hear her sigh.
"This is more comfortable." She states, forcing her hands under my shoulder blades to hold onto me. "Oh, it's happening again."
"Alright, Ana. Hold Christian tight and push with all your might."
She bears down and squeezes me tight and I hold her tightly back.
"Yes, Ana. Yes. Perfect. I can see his head. He's coming. He'll be out in the next couple of pushes."
"We're going to have our baby. We're going to have our baby, Christian!" Anastasia states, holding tightly to me.
"Yes, babydoll. He's coming. He's close."
My mother is standing next to us with her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. She didn't get to witness Kate's and I think that's why Anastasia wanted her in the room. Mom didn't get to go through pregnancy and delivery on her own, nor has she ever been in the room when a family member has labored. Only throughout her career with women she barely knew.
"Push, Ana!"
I count for her and suddenly, Ana cries out.
"Stop pushing! His head is out!"
"Oh, thank God. Thank you, God." My eyes immediately find the mirror and I can see a mess of hair, and what looks like to be red skin...like the baby is angry...Oh, God. He's already taking after me... but I can't see any other details. Dr. Greene suctions the baby's mouth and nose while we wait for the next contraction and with one last push, he's out.
"Congratulations, it's a boy!"
He begins to cry and hearing the pitiful little cry makes me tear up myself.
"Our baby, Christian! He's here! He sounds beautiful." She's on her hands and knees on top of me, but she's stuck in position for the moment so she tries to crane her head to get a better look at him. Dr. Greene places him on my chest between us and our crying baby boy is kicking and flailing his arms and legs, not happy to be out of the comfort of his mother's stomach.
"He's beautiful, Ana. Look at him. He's perfect." She sobs above me and bends down to kiss his head.
"We have our baby. He looks like you, Christian."
His hair is dark, but the light from above shines down on us and I can see little flecks of dark copper in his hair that's currently full of a white substance. Not caring, I dip my head to kiss the top of his head and caress his cheek with my thumb.
He's all ours. I can't believe we made him together. He's half me, half Ana. He's perfect.
It's just now that I realize my mother is still in the room and I can hear her sobbing behind her hand as she watches over us.
"He's gorgeous. I am so proud of both of you."
I wrap him in the towel he's on, not wanting him to get too cold and his cries turn into more of a whimper.
"Mommy loves you so much." Ana whispers to him, nuzzling her nose with his. I smile at this sweet moment between the two of them.
XxXxXx
The placenta is delivered, the baby is assessed and Ana is back in bed, resting comfortably. When the baby is brought back, the nurse, Rose, hands him to Anastasia.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Grey."
Ana beams up at her. "Thank you." Staring down at him, she gets teary-eyed again. "Just look at him, Christian. Isn't he the most incredible thing you've ever seen?"
I smile and have a seat next to her in bed. "He's perfect, Ana." I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at our beautiful son.
"Would you like to hold him?" She smiles at me and offers him to me and I take him willingly. Looking down at him, there's a pang of hurt in my chest when I think that at one time, I didn't want this. I can't believe I almost missed this.
My mom is trying to wait patiently in the chair next to the bed and I slide off the bed and toward her.
"Mom, I'd like you to meet your new grandson, Camden Theodore Grey." I hand him to her and she beams up at me.
"That's a beautiful name, Christian. So strong." I watch as she holds him and sways him lightly and he blinks up in her direction, still trying to get use to this new world. "He looks like you, Christian...but his eyes are shaped like Ana's. Look at those long eyelashes." She rubs the back of her index finger against his cheek and he tries to root.
"Looks like our son might be hungry, Mommy." I look over at Ana and grin.
She giggles. "Better bring him here, then. I'll try." She snaps open her nursing gown, revealing her left breast and I hand him over to her. I grab one of the extra pillows on the couch and put it in her lap to help prop her arm up.
"Come on, Camden. You can do it. It's right there." He's trying to root, but he isn't latching. Ana frowns. "He won't do it."
"Don't give up, yet." My mother stands and makes her way over to us. "Rub his cheek right here by his mouth." She shows Ana on the opposite cheek and his head turns immediately.
Ana tries it and he finds her nipple, but he doesn't latch. He just does this sad gaping motion like a fish.
She pouts. "He hates me."
Mom laughs. "He does not hate you. Some children have a hard time. I'll go out to tell the others that he's here and find the lactation specialist."
When the lactation specialist comes, she introduces herself as Jasmine. She's a large black woman in her sixties with green eyes and spectacles that sit at the end of her nose. Hell. She looks like she means business.
"Are we having some problems breast feeding, Mrs. Grey?" She comes straight to Anastasia and takes the baby from her.
"Oh, um, yes. He won't latch."
"Alright, let me try." She places the baby back in Ana's arms, but on his side, with his arm under her arm so that his abdomen is laying flat against her chest. Jasmine then takes Ana's breast in her own hand, squeezes, and shoves the nipple in the baby's mouth. Anastasia sits there flabbergasted and looking a little violated by the sudden rough treatment. I'm just as shocked and angry with the woman. She didn't even explain what she was going to do or warn Ana that she was going to touch her like that. I open my mouth to tell the woman off, but Ana interrupts.
"Christian, look! He's eating!"
I move the woman out of my way so I can get a good look at the baby. She makes a comment under her breath about me, but I ignore it. I'm too mesmerized by my incredible wife and our beautiful son. Affection warms and swells in my chest and radiates down into my limbs. My wife is feeding our hungry baby boy and I find myself actually getting choked up. Get it together, Grey.
"Thank you." Anastasia states and I look up just in time to see the lactation specialist making her way to the door.
She grunts back a welcome and heads out of the room, irritated with me, I am sure.
"Look how amazing, Christian." She looks up at me with tear-filled eyes and I'm sure mine match hers. "I already love him so much. It actually makes my heart hurt."
I give a watery chuckle and sniffle. "Me, too. Thank you, Ana. Thank you for making a baby with me. For making me a father. For going through all the pain."
She shakes her head. "It was worth it."
"When can we have another?" I tease lightly, but really, I want more. He's just such a little gift...a miracle that God, Ana, and I made.
She laughs. "When we learn to handle this one."
"He's an eating machine." I state, listening to him eat. He is making the cutest like sound in the back of his throat like it's the best milk in the world...but I guess, to him, it is. I can only imagine how Anastasia's milk tastes. Maybe I'll try it.
She giggles. "He's starting to doze." His long eye lashes keep fluttering and his eyes are getting heavier by the second. Soon, they're closed, and his mouth stops moving. Anastasia slowly and carefully pulls him off of her and he makes a little grunting sound, unhappy about being disturbed.
"You've got to be burped, baby." Ana says sweetly, kissing his temple.
As she pats his tiny back, I watch them and he's completely ignoring her, his eyes closed and his breaths deep in sleep. Suddenly his whole body jolts a little and a big burp erupts from his mouth, making both of us laugh.
"He sounds like a grown man!" Anastasia giggles, handing him to me so she can snap her gown.
"That's my boy!" I take him from her and kiss his little forehead. "That's how you know the food is good. Good food means big burp, huh, Camden?" I place him in his bassinet to swaddle him and pick him back up, unwilling to let go of him just yet. I could stare at his long eyelashes, tiny little nose, and thin pink lips all day long.
There's a knock on the door and my mother sticks her head in. "Is it okay if you two have guests, yet?"
I look to Anastasia for an answer and she gives Mom a large smile. "Yes, the grandparents first, please."
Mom beams. "Good. I want to hold my grandbaby again." She disappears and comes back a few seconds later with my dad and Ana's parents.
They crowd around me as I hold the baby and they all fuss over how cute he is. Of course he's cute. Have you seen his mother?
"What's his name?" Carla asks, running the back of her finger over his forehead.
"My mom didn't tell you?" I look at Mom and she smiles.
"I thought it was better coming from you."
"His name is Camden Theodore Grey."
"Oh, that's just lovely. May I hold him, Christian?"
Appreciating that Carla has asked, I hand our boy over to her carefully. I keep my arms out until she gets him situated and then I have a seat on the bed next to Anastasia while she talks with Ray. I watch my parents circle around the baby as Carla holds him and listen to the soft murmur of Ana and Ray's voices as I relax back against the bed next to her. I feel content all of a sudden and feel the need to be close to my girl. I roll to my side and slip one arm under her while the other curls itself around her and I rest my head against the front of her shoulder.
I hear her giggle. "Comfortable?" Her arm slips around my shoulders and she squeezes me close to her.
"Mmhmm." I answer, resting my eyes.
"Looks like you might have two babies." Ray teases from her opposite side in his chair.
I don't even bother to respond. I'm too content and filled with joy to care. I've got the most beautiful wife and son in the world that I get to spend my whole life loving, spoiling, and protecting. I feel like I have just started living my life over the past year instead of just floating through it. Life can only get better from here.