Page 272 of This Woman Forever

This smart, beautiful, patient, sexy, graceful woman.

Mine.

Forever.

Epilogue

Some months later

“Make it stop,” she sobs. “I can’t take any more.”

Her hands are fisting anything she can lay them on, and she currently has my hair in them. My head jars from her yanking. “One last try, baby.” I turn my face into her to find her lips, kissing her softly. There are no sparks of desire, just pure, raw love. “Together, okay?”

She nods against me and resumes nuzzling into my neck. Then I feel her body tense, her mouth open against my throat, and her grip of my hair crosses the line into violence. She screams, her teeth sinking into my flesh, one hand pulling my hair, the other digging into my bicep. I blank it out, all of the pain she’s inflicting on me, because it’s nothing compared to what I’ve experienced. Nothing. I clench my teeth. Fucking hell, seeing her like this, the pain, her tears. Fucking awful. I burrow deeper into her neck, squeezing her hand in both of mine. Come on, baby. I kiss her wet skin, nibble her neck, let her feel me there, silently encouraging her. How long will they let this go on before they intervene?

“That’s it, Ava,” the midwife shouts before calling for her colleague’s assistance. “Yes, it’s coming. Harder, Ava. Push harder.”

Ava’s face is beetroot, her eyes clenched, her head thrown forward.

“Come on, Ava!”

The scream that fills the delivery suite is piercing.

“Oh my, we have a girl.”

And then there’s a moment of silence, everything falling into slow motion.

Am I in the real world, or is this a dream?

“Oh my God,” Ava gasps, pulsing on the bed against me. “A girl.”

A girl.

And let me tell you, if you think the past twenty years have been a punishment, wait until you meet your little girl.

I breathe in, stunned into stillness, my heart hammering. I’m almost scared to look. But I can hear, and damn, she has some lungs on her. I let out a choked sob as I lift my head.

“Mr. Ward, we’re going to cut the cord, okay? We have another baby coming, and it’s coming fast.”

I just about manage to nod. A girl. I have a baby girl.

I bite at my lip to stop it wobbling, looking down at Ava’s soaked, red face. Her eyes are closed. Her chest pumping. Jesus, she’s exhausted.

“We need another push, Ava,” the midwife says, her head back between Ava’s legs, cheering her on.

“No more,” Ava cries, turning her face into mine, her wet cheeks slipping over my bristle. “Please.”

My heart clenches. “Come on, baby,” I whisper. “You’ve got this.”

“I’m too tired.”

“Look at me,” I demand, squeezing her hand.

Her eyes slowly drag open. Glassy. Her dark orbs pale. I’m so fucking proud of her. How she’s handled this pregnancy. How she’s faced her fears and marched on determined and strong. I stroke her wet cheek, dragging my thumb across her rosy lips as she looks at me, waiting for my words of encouragement and love. Depends on them. “How loud do you think you’ll scream?” I ask, and she laughs over a sob as she begins to stiffen again, a sign another contraction is on the way.

She looks at me in panic. “Really fucking loud,” she starts to pant.

I smile, squeezing her hand. “We’ve got a girl, baby.”