The Billionaire's Unexpected Baby(33)

She smiled up at him. "It doesn't seem real that she'll be here soon."       

   





"Have you thought of any names?" he asked, trying to keep her mind from the next contraction that he could see gearing up.

She breathed through it and then lay back, blowing out one last long breath.

"I have a couple," she said, waiting until her breathing had returned to  normal. "Thought I should run them by you first, though."

Brooks glanced at her, hardly daring to hope that she meant what that  statement implied. But before he could ask her to clarify, another  strong contraction hit. She gripped his hand so tightly that he thought  the knuckles might break. And he'd have gladly let her crush his bones  if it saved her one ounce of pain.

Once it tapered off, he gently pried her fingers from his hand. "Those  contractions are starting to come fast. I'm going to see if I can find  the doctor or one of the nurses."

She nodded slowly, blowing air out through her teeth.

Brooks darted into the hall, frantically looking up and down the  corridor. He grabbed the first nurse he could find. "My wife's  contractions are right on top of each other. I think the baby is coming  soon. Where's the doctor?"

"I'll have him paged, sir. Go back in with your wife. We'll be right there."

"Brooks!"

Brooks sighed. He'd half hoped Marcus wouldn't show, though for Leah's  sake it was probably good he had. At least he thought so until he turned  around and saw Marcus hauling the biggest teddy bear Brooks had ever  seen.

"What the hell are you going to do with that thing?"

"It's for the baby. Nothing but the best for my little girl. Why? Did you not get anything?"

Brooks ran a hand over his face, his nerves frayed to breaking point,  especially when Leah's groans of pain filtered out into the hallway.  Marcus frowned and took a step in the direction of the door, but Brooks  grabbed his arm.

Marcus looked down at his hand and back up at him. Brooks let go, but he  stepped close enough that he could get his point across without anyone  else hearing.

"Listen up, because I'm done with this shit. Today is about Leah. What  she needs. No more of this one-upping bullshit that you like to pull.  This isn't a game. We aren't in college anymore."

"Oh, I'm aware of that, but you don't seem to be. I know you think I screwed you over back then-"

"You did screw me over!"

"It was ten years ago, Brooks. Let it go already. Shit. You hold a grudge like a sixteen-year-old girl."

He wasn't wrong, which pissed Brooks off to no end. However, it wasn't  the important point at the moment so Brooks tried to focus.

"This has nothing to do with you stealing that app out from under me or  anything else that has happened in the past. It has everything to do  with your obsessive need to compete with me. Leah and the baby aren't  some sort of prize to be won or weird leverage for you to use to get at  me, but that's the way you've been treating them and it's going to stop.  Now."

"I think your perspective is a bit skewed. That's my baby she's having  in there, not yours. I'm not the one trying to use them for leverage.  I'm just trying to be a part of my kid's life, something you are making  extremely difficult."

"She's my wife and that makes this situation a little more complicated  than that. And I've done nothing but make sure you were included in all  this, despite my feelings on the matter."

"Your wife, huh? Yeah, well I've heard more than a few credible rumors  that the whole marriage situation isn't exactly what it seems to be, so I  wouldn't go throwing that word around too much, acting like it gives  you the right to call the shots."

"Both of you shut up and get in here!" Leah called out.

Brooks could have stapled his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was for her to hear all that.

"Shit," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Marcus snorted and pushed past him into the room.

Before either could say a word, Leah held up a hand. "You two are  ridiculous. Yes, we are in a complicated situation, but I'm busy at the  moment and could use a little support right now. If you can give that to  me, great. Take a spot on either side, and keep your mouths shut. If  you can't, there's the door. I'll deal with you when I'm done pushing a  freaking human being out of my body. Okay?"       

   





Brooks immediately took her hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "You got it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just be quiet."

He grinned at her. "Yes, ma'am."

"What about you? You have any issues?"

Marcus took her other hand. "Not for the moment, no."

"Good, now both of you shut up, because another one is starting."

She gripped their hands hard and sat forward, curling in around the pain.

Brooks rubbed her back. "The doctor is on his way," he said, hoping that that was true.

She nodded, but was too far gone in the middle of a contraction to say anything.

Thankfully the doctor entered the room not long after.

"Greg, hi," Brooks said, disengaging from Leah just long enough to shake his hand.

"Well, let's see what we have here," the doctor said, grabbing a stool and moving to the end where all the action was happening.

Brooks took up his position back near Leah's head, smoothing her hair  back and holding her hand as she breathed through yet another  contraction. Marcus stood silently, lending his support but looking on  with a sort of horrified fascination that was almost comical.

"Looks like you're ten centimeters and ready to go. That was fast, especially for a first baby."

"Fast is good, right?" Brooks asked.

"It's not good or bad," the doctor said. "Babies come in their own time,  but it looks like this one is eager to make her mother's acquaintance."

They got Leah's legs propped up, with a nurse holding each leg. Brooks  positioned himself behind her, helping to support her back, and Marcus  stayed up front, helping to coach her through her breathing.

"All right, we're going to push now, okay?" the doctor said.

Leah nodded, trying to pant through the contractions.

"When I tell you to push, you're going to push for a count of ten."

Leah nodded again, and the doctor began to count.

"All right, now give me a good push. One … two … three … four … five … six … seven. Almost done, and good. Now rest just a moment."

They went through the same thing several more times as Leah strained to  push her baby into the world. Brooks stood by watching with awe as this  incredible woman labored to give birth. It made him want to pick up his  phone and call his mother and apologize for everything he'd ever put her  through. He'd seen the tapes, been to the classes with Leah, even read a  dozen books when no one was looking, but nothing had prepared him for  the real thing.

And then Leah finally slumped back against him with a deep sigh. Brooks  looked down at her in concern until she smiled up at him with a  triumphant glow.

There was some jostling around down at the other end while the doctor  and nurses situated the squirming, squalling, little bundle of gooey  baby. Who was then promptly laid on Leah's chest.

She smiled and laughed, using the end of the blanket to wipe some weird goo from the baby's eyes.

Brooks reached out a hesitant hand but glanced at Marcus and pulled  back. Her father should get to see her first. Leah smiled up at him and  then at Marcus who leaned over for a closer look. The baby was sticky,  purple, covered in all kinds of weird and disgusting things … and she was  the most beautiful thing Brooks had ever seen.

Except for her mother.

He leaned down and gave Leah a long, lingering kiss. "You blow me away,"  he said, so full of amazement and overwhelming love for his two girls  that he could barely speak.

A nurse tapped him on the arm. "Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?" She held out a pair of scissors.

He glanced at Leah, startled. Her gaze darted between the two men. Brooks shook his head before Marcus could say anything.

"He's the father."

The nurse looked a little confused, but handed the scissors to Marcus.  Brooks stepped back, suddenly feeling like he was intruding on someone  else's family moment.

Marcus cut the cord and beamed down at Leah and their baby. Brooks  watched it all, his heart swelling with so many emotions he couldn't  begin to process them all.

The nurse took the baby to get her cleaned up and, after a few moments,  gave her back to Leah. Marcus snapped a few pictures and then stepped to  the side for a moment to call his parents.       

   





The doctor had kept working, delivering the afterbirth and getting Leah  somewhat situated. Brooks went back to her side, sitting on the edge of  the bed so he could put his arm around her shoulders as they gazed down  at the baby together.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Leah asked, beaming up at him.

He stared down at the wrinkly little thing that still needed a good bath  and looked like she'd had a very rough day. "I've never seen anything  more beautiful in my life," he said, his heart swelling with love and  pride.