The Soldier's Baby Surprise (For the Baby's Sake, Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter Eighteen

              It didn’t take long for Willow to realize she wasn’t as prepared as she thought. She closed her eyes and tried to fight back a scream. She hadn’t had any idea that it was going to be this hard. It felt like she’d been pushing for hours, but Chase had reassured that it’d only been closer to one hour.

              “All right, sweetheart,” Chase murmured close to her ear, making her realize she’d zoned out. “The doctor says our son is almost here. One more good push and you'll be finished.”

              She looked at him and nodded. She squeezed his hand strongly and thanked God that he had wanted to be a part of the delivery. She didn't know how she would have gone through all of this without him.

              Her breath came in short, harsh, rasping pants. A tearing discomfort settled low in her body and every fiber in her being told her to push. But she was so exhausted.

              Not only was their son arriving on time, but the time from the first indication of a labor pain to this devastating pressure had taken a few hours from the moment that her water broke. She’d always heard a first baby took forever to be born. She had thought she would be ready.

              She wasn't.

              “Chase,” she gasped in the short intervals between pains, “what if we mess up? What if we're horrible parents?”

              He smiled at her. “Are you serious?” he asked. “We're going to be
wonderful
!”

              “Okay, Willow,” the doctor said. “Get ready to bear down and see your baby.”

              “I’m tired,” Willow managed to state as pain began to build deep within her again. “I don’t think I can do this.”

              The nurse smiled gently. “Yes you can. Your baby is right there. Just one more push and he’ll be yours to hold.”

              “Oh, Chase,” Willow groaned, “everyone still hasn’t made it to the hospital.”

              “Everyone that needs to be here is present,” he soothed her. “As for the others, when they do arrive, they'll have the pleasure of meeting the baby without having to wait.”

              The pain grew and spread, opening inside her, making her strain and grind her teeth for battle.

              “I see the baby's head, Willow,” the doctor crowed. “Almost there.”

              Willow's breath came in short, hard gasps. Focused on her task, she only nodded to the doctor.

              “Now,” Chase began as pushed her leg back into the proper position to help give her the right angle, “aren't you ready to meet our son?”

              Willow didn't respond. She was extremely busy, focusing on the task at hand. She felt Chase's strong hands supporting her. She heard the doctor's positive voice. She felt a last unbelievable surge of energy race through her body and when it came, she gathered it to her, gave one last mighty effort and pushed her child into the world.

              An annoyed cry filled the room and someone laughed.

              She looked up into Chase's blue eyes and found them watery. “Do you see him?” he whispered. “He’s here, sweetheart. Our son is here.”

              Their son.

              She pressed her face into his chest and his arms came around her in a gentle, but firm hug. In moments, the doctor placed their son on her stomach briefly, giving Chase the opportunity to cut the cord, before the baby was whisked away. The nurse returned a short time later holding an incredibly tiny person wrapped up in a pale blue blanket.

              “Willow, Chase,” she said and placed the baby carefully into Willow's outstretched arms. “Meet your handsome baby boy.”

              Chase leaned down, kissed his sons forehead, then turned to kiss Willow.

              “Have I thanked you lately?” he asked, unconscious to the rest of the people in the room.

              “For what?” she said through the tears distorting her vision.

              “For giving me such a wonderful gift.”

              “You're welcome and thank you.”

              Willow accepted the kiss he gave her, then handed him his son. Chase held the tiny bundle as if his son were made of glass. When he looked at her through eyes that were filled with teary pride and happiness, Willow knew that everything was going to work out just fine.

Epilogue

              Willow fought back a yawn as she stared down at her son lying peacefully in his crib. He had woken her much earlier than she’d planned to get up on a Sunday morning. There wasn’t a day that hadn’t gone by over the past month, when she didn’t expression her gratitude at being so fortunate. She now had two wonderful men in her life who she loved with everything in her. They both seem to love her just as much in return.

              Chase had taken off the first two weeks after Chase Jr. had been born. She hadn’t had to lift a finger. When he’d gone back to the base to report, her mother had come down for a week to help, followed by Chase’s mother, Meredith, who’d just left yesterday. Geneva had also stopped by several times to do her part in spoiling Chase Jr.

              She was thankful for all of the help because Chase still had his place on base and she still had her apartment in Hopkinsville. Even though things were good between the two of them. It was the one subject they hadn’t broached. While she was capable of taking care of her son on her own, she didn’t want to do it by herself. Chase was a wonderful guy and she wanted him in her life in every way. Now she just had to figure out a way to get that across to him without seeming pushy or desperate. 

              “Is C.J. asleep?” Chase whispered from the doorway.

              She smiled at the nickname he’d given their son. “Yes. He just finished eating,” she responded. “He’ll be out for a while.”

              She relaxed back against him when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

              “Have I told you how much I love you?”

              She smiled at the warmth that spread through her every time he told her. “Yes you have. Every day, and I love you just as much.”

              He brushed his lips against hers briefly. “And that makes me one very lucky man.”

              They stood there a few more moments, watching their son sleep. She still found it hard to believe on occasion that they’d managed to create a child so beautiful.

              “How about we go eat breakfast while we have a few moments to ourselves? I have a surprise for you?”

              “You do?” she questioned.

              He nodded. “Yes, now come see what it is.”

              She reached over to turn on the baby monitor so that they could hear C.J. if he woke up. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what Chase had for her. When they entered the kitchen she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped.

              He’d clearly been busy while she’d been feeding their son. The kitchen table was set up in a romantic fashion. In the center of the table was a vase of red roses. Two votive candles were on the table as well. But what captured her attention was the covered plate. She glanced over at him.

              “What did you make?”

              One corner of his mouth curved upward. “Why don’t you have a seat and find out?”

              She did as he suggested and he lifted the lid. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth as a velvet box came into view. It was only big enough to contain one thing. When Chase went down on one knee beside her, tears sprang into her eyes.

              He reached for the jewelry box with one hand and her left hand with the other. “Willow, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I was mesmerized. The instant I held you in my arms I was captivated. Something that night told me I’d be a fool to let you go.” He smiled. “Then when you told me you were expecting our son, well, at first I was scared out of my mind about how it would work out between us. But the one thing I knew was that I wanted it to. Getting to know you over the past several months has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. Then when they placed our son into my arms I felt complete.”

              He closed his eyes and brought her hand to his mouth, brushing a soft kiss across the back of her hand. When he lifted his head to look at her again, the emotion there was undeniable. He flipped the lid on the box and words escaped her as the exquisite diamond came into view.

              “Love is too weak a word for what I feel for you, Willow. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So I’m asking you to marry me and continue to build upon our wonderful relationship.”

              “I love you so much, Chase. You make me want to be a better person every day and with you by my side I know I can. Yes, I will marry you.”

              After a few heartbeats a wide smile appeared on his face and he slipped the engagement ring onto her finger, before pulling her into his arms. When he kissed her happiness surged through her. Everything felt so right. She couldn’t wait to start the rest of her life with Chase and as far as she was concerned, there was no time like the present.

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephanie Morris enjoys creating a story that combines a sensual energy with a captivating storyline. Sometimes her heroines have an edgier persona to them and sometimes they are of a softer essence. But all the time, her heroines are like real women, just trying to make a living and keep on going no matter what challenges life brings them. In Stephanie’s opinion, there is nothing like curling up with a good book that you can’t put down, and she is addicted to writing them.

http://www.stephaniemorris.webs.com

And Coming Soon

The second book in the

For the Baby’s Sake Series

The SEALs Secret Baby

Iyana Smith never expected to meet a man like Commander Thayne Austin—let alone get pregnant with his baby. One night of passion together should never have had consequences, but it did. Not wanting serious ties to a career military man, she decides to keep her pregnancy a secret. Unfortunately things don’t go as she plans, and when Thayne finds out, he proposes marriage. Iyana turns him down flat. Duty was not enough to build a marriage on, and Iyana refuses to be any man's ball and chain. Yet, how can she deny her baby a father? And how much longer can she refute her strong attraction to the man who threatens to penetrate the wall of defense she’s built around her heart?

For one wonderful night, Navy SEAL Thayne Austin allowed his quest for passion overrule his typical stalwart rationale. Then he had to leave to attend a required training. Returning four months later, he’s surprise to find Iyana pregnant with his child. Even though marriage and children aren’t in his immediate plans, no way is he going to allow his child to grow up without a father.