Chapter 140

Mandy

“I’m scared.” I reach out for Dalton’s hand, holding it tightly as I press into the contraction. “It’s been a long time since I had to do this.”

“You’re the strongest person I know, babe. You’ve got this.”

A part of me wonders if he’s right. Do I have this? Can I bring this child of ours into the world? There were times these last eight months I wondered. Like when they put me on bedrest, and that one time we couldn’t find the heartbeat. I’d almost crumbled, but Dalton had been there to hold me up. We’ve fought, but instead of each other this time, we’ve fought as a unit, to bring this baby into the world.

It’s a surprise. If it’s a boy or a girl.

He gets to pick the name for a girl.

I get to pick the name for a boy, and I know exactly what I’ll name our son.

“I don’t know, feels like it hurts a lot more than it did last time.” I grit my teeth, pushing into the contraction like they told me too. “And the room isn’t done. What are we going to do?”