Enzo was swaying on his feet as he stepped into the Ministry lobby. He loved his job working under the Ludo Bagman and the Department of Magical Games and Sports, but, Merlin, it had been tough lately. Mr. Bagman adored Enzo—yes, he actually used the word adored and even brought Enzo home to meet his drunken but pleasant wife—so, lately, he'd gotten it into his head that he could retire earlier than he originally planned now that Enzo, "His Perfect Successor," was there. Mr. Bagman had been working him to the bone in an attempt to cram an entire career's worth of knowledge into a year or two. Enzo was excited for the possibility of a promotion so early in his career—and the substantial overtime pay and late-night snacks from Mrs. Bagman were a plus he couldn't ignore—but he wished he could be home more with Cass. The only upside to it all was that Mr. Bagman promised Enzo all the paternity leave he wanted once the baby finally did come.
And it would be coming any day now. Cass's due date wasn't for another week but Enzo had read at least twenty books about pregnancy and twenty more about parenthood, so he knew that babies came at their own schedule. He just hoped that whenever it came, he'd be there.
Cass had tried to get him a muggle pager so he could be alerted if he was at work and her contractions began, but all the magic at the Ministry made it go fuzzy, so they decided to try a remembrall. It wasn't an exact science, but both of them hoped that the smoke would turn red if something began to happen at home.
Her studies had been going well and were keeping her distracted. Enzo knew that Cass was just as excited as he was for their little girl, but he also knew that she was nervous for labor and taking care of the baby afterward. All he could do was assure her that he would be there for it all, that their friends would drop everything to come help out when they could, and that she would be a natural at it all. Cass worried about not being able to return to work quickly enough and that Enzo would take too much time off work. Evelyn vowed to help them as much as they needed—knowing she couldn't have children of her own—and with Tom there, the baby would be as safe as ever. Plus, her parents were in the process of buying a house in Brighton. Those reminders—the ones that they would never be without help—eased his wife's mind.
"Late night, huh Berkshire?" Harry Potter said with a wry grin as he walked with Enzo toward the green-tiled corridor full of floos.
Enzo snorted. "Always. I'm not upset about it, though. I love my job, and it's made my sleep schedule erratic enough to where the baby won't really be affecting it. I can take all the late-night feeds so Cass can recover."
Harry's smile widened. "That's right. Any day now, yeah?"
"Yeah. Have a good one, Harry."
Harry wished Enzo well before stepping into a floo. This routine happened often enough—Harry being given the late shift and Enzo working insane hours—that their conversations were always short. Enzo tossed some floo powder into the fireplace and uttered only one word.
"Home."
It was what he always said. Because no matter where Cass was—the little cottage, the flat in London, or the townhome in America—she was his home.
As soon as he arrived at the fireplace at the cottage, Enzo felt rejuvenated. It didn't matter how tired he was; being with the woman he loved always gave him the energy he needed. He looked around the living room and noted with relief that it was empty. Sometimes, she stayed up waiting for him, and he hated the dark circles she bore under her eyes the next morning as a result. She needed to rest. After all, she was growing a child. He should have been the last of her priorities.
Cass was half-awake in their bed, a pillow clutched to her chest, when Enzo undressed and slipped under the covers. He pulled Cass into his arms and nuzzled her neck. His hands wrapped around her belly and silently greeted the little miracle growing inside.
Cass hummed. "You're back early tonight."
"Ludo's finally slowing down. He thinks I have most of the job handled now," he murmured into her ear before nipping it gently. Cass giggled, as she always did, and gingerly turned to face him.
She was so, so beautiful.
Enzo cradled her face in his hands and kissed every inch of it. Cass had gained some weight due to her pregnancy—of course she did; she was growing an entire human being—but he knew it made her self-conscious. He thought she looked even more beautiful than ever and spent every free second he had proving it to her. He didn't care if her cheeks were a little more supple and her stomach had stretch marks. In his mind, they were all signs of love and the life they built together.
"Enzo, I need you," Cass whimpered as his lips moved across her jaw.
He felt himself harden immediately. Cass could have him all day, every day, and he would still be ready for her the moment she asked. "What do you need, sunshine? I'll give you whatever you want."
"I need you inside of me. Oh Enzo, fuck, I'm... I'm so wet, Enzo. Oh my god."
Cass's breathing spiked and Enzo's lust-filled daze instantly sharpened. He ripped off the covers and looked at the dark spot marring the bed. His thoughts went into overdrive, his worries threatening to take over, but before they could, a calm settled over him. They need you, a voice inside of him reminded him. You've got this.
"Alright, baby," Enzo said in as calm of a voice as he could muster. "Can I feel your stomach?"
Cass whimpered again. It was almost as if she hadn't recognized what was happening—not like Enzo had, at least. "Why? I want you to touch me, Enzo. Don't you want me?"
Fuck. "Of course I want you, Cass, but I just want to check on something. Alright?"
Cass nodded, and Enzo immediately felt her stomach. Her abdominal muscles were contracting. Slowly, but he knew they would only grow. He ran his hands down her body and felt the slick coating her thighs. There was so much of it. Her water definitely just broke. He kept one hand on her stomach and, sure enough, several minutes later, there was another tightening. They were far apart for now.
For now.
"Cass," Enzo said in the same calming voice as he grabbed her hands. "Has your stomach been hurting today?"
She nodded again. "Yeah, but I just thought it was the baby kicking."
Enzo smiled to himself. Of course. Why hadn't he put it together? The pillow hugging, the cuddling, the need. She was in denial about her contractions because she wanted to wait until he was there. And now that he was there, her body couldn't contain itself, even if Cass's mind hadn't quite caught up.
Cass's face fell. "It's not the baby kicking, is it?"
Enzo smiled again and placed his hands on her cheeks so she was looking at his face with those warm brown eyes that he fell in love with so long ago. "No, sunshine. It's not."
From there, things were a frenzy.
Enzo had seen plenty of muggle movies to know that everyone thought labor meant an immediate rush to the hospital before the baby was out. But Cass's contractions were farther apart—about eight or nine minutes by his count—so while they didn't have forever, they did have a little bit of time to sort themselves out. When she got down to five, they'd have to go to Saint Mungo's to deliver.
He sent several owls—first to her parents, then to their friends, and lastly to Mr. Bagman. Cass went to take a shower to wash the fluid off her legs. Enzo remained in the bathroom and helped her wash up before showing himself. Cass insisted on doing her hair and curls because, in her words, she wanted the baby to see her as beautiful. Enzo insisted that Cass would always be the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen, and their child would agree. Still, Cass put on a coat of mascara just in case.
They'd had emergency hospital bags packed for weeks, but Cass wanted to make sure they had everything they needed while Enzo tidied the cottage one last time. He made the bed and put away the dishes while Cass checked to make sure the nursery she and Astoria decorated on the weekends was well put together. As they worked, the length in between her contractions tightened.
"It's time," Enzo said with a smile. Cass flashed him a tentative smile back before accepting his outstretched hand and allowing him to lead her toward the floo.
As soon as they arrived at Saint Mungo's, it was chaos.
The waiting room was filled with magical folk who looked as if they'd rather be anywhere else. A goblin whose body had swollen to a balloon, wizards with several Bat Bogey Hexes that never stopped, a witch whose eye kept popping out of her head. Cass looked as if she were about to vomit until a healer spotted them, recognized their situation, and ushered them to the maternity ward.
"Alright, Mrs. Berkshire, it looks like you still have a little bit of time before it's time to push so you just get comfortable, and we'll take good care of you," said the healer. Cass nodded, her face scrunched in pain, before lying back against the bed.
"Enzo," she moaned. "Can you get me something to eat?"
"What would you like, sunshine?"
Cass groaned. "Anything. Everything. I'm starving."
Enzo looked to the healer to confirm that he was okay to step out for a second. The healer smiled. "Don't worry, Dad. She'll be fine for a few moments, and there's a charm that'll alert us if the contractions get too close. Go get her something to eat."
Enzo frowned because he didn't like the idea of leaving his pregnant wife, but then Cass flashed him the puppy-dog look he couldn't resist, so he sighed and made his way down to the packed food court.
He had just finished grabbing her a plate of chicken before, knowing better, spraying a bunch of sauces that didn't go together at all on the plate. It smelled terrible, and that was exactly why Cass would like it.
Enzo had just turned to go back to the maternity ward when he heard a voice say, "Enzo?"
His blood ran cold. Every hair on his body stood on end as he turned to stare at none other than Manon Berkshire.
"What are you doing here?" he begrudgingly asked because no matter how much he hated her, he still was a little concerned seeing her in the hospital.
"Your father eez 'aving surgery," she said in her fake accent, her nose sticking in the air. Enzo had to resist the urge to grit his teeth. "What are you doing in the 'ospital? Are you alright, my darling boy?"
Before Enzo could respond and tell her to fuck off, another voice called out from across the food court. "Enzo! I got your owl! How is she? Is everything alright?"
His sister had managed the worst possible timing on the planet.
Theo trailed behind her, his jaw hardening to the point of breaking once he realized who stood in front of Enzo. Thankfully, Aria hadn't realized it yet.
Enzo flashed his baby sister a tight smile. "She's fine. Contractions are nice and even. Why don't you head up there? I bet she'd really appreciate seeing you."
Manon gasped. "Contractions?"
It was then that Aria finally noticed who was standing by her brother. Her lip quivered just as Theo tucked Aria into his side with a look that could kill. Enzo turned to Theo, thankful for one of the few times in his life that his sister had fallen in love with his best friend. Because right now, Theo was the only person he trusted with her.
"Theo, take Aria up to our room." He muttered the room number under Theo's breath and Theo nodded. Thankfully, Manon hadn't heard it.
"Aria—" Manon began, almost looking remorseful for a second.
"No," Enzo spat. "You will not talk to her. You will not look at her."
"But she's my daughter!"
Theo laughed loudly just as Enzo growled, "No. You lost the privilege to call her that a long time ago. Forget about her because she's going to forget about you."
Manon looked shocked just as Theo began to lead Aria away. Enzo hated the look of jealousy in Manon's face as she stared at her daughter and the woman she'd bloomed into without Manon's oppression. "Now," Enzo began, snapping Manon's attention back to him, "I'm going to leave and I will never see you again."
"But Enzo, what contractions? Are you 'aving a child? You wouldn't keep your child from its grandmaman!"
"Oh, yes, I would, and I am. You will never get your claws on my wife and you will never get to know our child. You poison everything you touch but I won't let you try to poison my family."
"I'm your family!"
Enzo smiled because for the first time in a long time, a weight was off his chest. "No. You're not. My family is in that room. My family is my wife and our child, my sister and the friends that are on on their way. Even my in-laws. But my family is not you."
With that, Enzo left a gaping Manon behind as he carried chicken with the worst combination of sauces, a smile on his face. Because he felt free. He felt amazing.
He was right. His family was in that room. And he was about to meet the newest member.
I know, I know, it's been so long! I've had a lot going on so my break was longer than expected. Can you believe we only have TWO more chapters? Obviously, we know what's happening next and then the epilogue! Wow! What a journey. It feels like it's been forever but it's been a good one. Hope you've enjoyed it and I hope all you lovely readers are doing well :)
