Mila

I feel like an elephant.

It's been a few weeks since the wedding, and we decided to move our honeymoon until after peanut was born.

Hayden has been busy baby-proofing the house and setting up the nursery next to our bedroom. I love being married to him, even though one might think my life wouldn't change much just by saying "I do," but I have to admit it does. I am so proud to call him my husband, to carry his last name and grow his baby inside me. He's an incredible husband, just like I knew he'd be.

"Baby, can you come help me for a second?" I call out.

Hayden comes running down the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the house until they come to an abrupt halt a few feet away from me. "What are you even doing?" He laughs and takes a few steps toward me, but I pick up the pillow beneath my feet and throw it right at him.

"I was writing, and I wanted to be comfortable. But now I have to pee," I explain, unable to contain my own laughter, realizing what this must look like. I'm sitting here on the living room carpet, pillows and blankets around me while I try to get up but fail to do so. I'm lying on my side now, unable to move because peanut isn't a peanut anymore, it's a full-grown baby, ready to burst out of me any day now.

"Yeah, I can see that," Hayden retorts with a smirk, and I pick up another pillow to throw it at him.

"Stop laughing and come pick me up, you doofus!"

"Doofus, huh?" He chuckles, and I can't help but roll my eyes when he slowly gets on his knees, a huge grin on his face. "Sorry, love. You're just...cute."

"Yeah, right," I scoff, but he just laughs again before he glances at the paper in front of me, seeing that I haven't written a single word of the outline for the new novel I'm planning right now.

"How's that going?"

"Not that well." I sigh. "I'm so tired today. And our peanut has been giving me hell since last night."

A crease appears between his brows as he rubs my belly, making our peanut kick and move immediately, just as always. "Give Mommy a break, little one."

I smile at the way his voice grows soft as soon as he talks to our baby. I really can't wait to see him as a dad. "I think they're getting impatient..."

"Yeah, same as me," Hayden says before he plants another kiss on my cheek, and I know exactly what he means. Peanut was scheduled to see this world two days ago, but it seems like they like it in my belly. The doctors said if the contractions don't come naturally, we'll have to induce labor, and I really, really don't want to do that. I want this birth to be natural.

"Come on, let's get you up." He lifts me bridal-style, completely dismissing the fact that I must weigh a ton by now, and I can't help but be somewhat turned on by the way he carries me to the bathroom with ease.

"My strong husband." I smile and press a kiss on his neck.

"Surprised, my very pregnant and absolutely beautiful wife?" he asks with a grin.

For some reason, the sight of my man sends a blush into my cheeks, to which he responds with a snicker, until he abruptly stops in his tracks. "Baby..." His eyes are wide when he looks down at my legs and then back at me, the obvious shock written on his face. "Did you just pee on me?" He laughs loudly, his eyes still glimmering with amusement when he studies me up and down.

"What?" I gasp. "No!" I haven't...right?

But then I feel a sharp pain running through my belly, and my eyes widen when I glance at the floor, seeing the large puddle of liquid running across the tiles. "Oh, fuck..."

"What? What is it?" he asks, but I shake my head while I grip his biceps, trying to contain a loud scream.

"I think...I think... Ow, shit!"

My husband seems to finally pick up on what's going on, his wide eyes directed to the floor before his gaze flicks back to me. "Is it time?"

"Motherfucking shit..." Another wave of pain rushes through me. "Yes, it's fucking time!"

But that handsome husband of mine completely ignores my discomfort; instead, he laughs out loud while spinning me once, almost making me throw up on him. "Why the fuck are you laughing?" I can't help the hormones that make me snap at him—my whole body feels like I'm about to die.

"Nothing, love, nothing. It's just...our baby is coming!" And with the way he beams at me, like this is the best moment of his life, I have to smile back for just a second, my palm resting on his cheek as I look at his handsome face.

"It is. You're going to be a dad."

"Hell fucking yes!" His excitement echoes through the hallway, but it's short-lived as mere seconds later, the pain suddenly worsens.

"Okay, you really need to get me to the hospital now, please. This fucking hurts!"

He studies me for a moment, and I immediately recognize the fire in his eyes when he asks, "Is it weird that I'm finding this extremely hot right now?"

"Hayden!" I slap his arm, but he laughs and presses another kiss on my forehead. "Yes, it's fucking weird. Now get me to the damn hospital!"

"Yes, ma'am."

***

Hayden

"Fuck, it hurts!" Mila screams, digging her fingers into my palm with deep breaths.

"That's perfectly normal," the doctor comments as he walks into the white hospital room, but I only focus on my wife, writhing in pain in front of me.

"Fuck this, it's not normal, Hayden. I can feel it," she cries out, and I swear, never in my life have I felt so utterly helpless than right now.

I stroke her hair, trying to calm her when I ask, "Where does it hurt?"

"Here. Oh, shit! Here!" Mila rubs a spot at the top of her belly, and I turn to look at the doctor, who doesn't even seem remotely interested in what's going on right now.

"Is that normal?" I ask, but the doctor just shrugs.

"She's having a baby. Pain in her belly is normal."

"It's not fucking normal!" Mila's scream makes the doctor look up, his eyes meeting mine when I step toward him as close as I can without letting Mila's hand go.

"Listen to me. My wife says this isn't normal, and I'd suggest you do your fucking job and have a goddamn look at her before I make sure you lose that fucking job, do you hear me?"

"Sir, you can't—"

"Yes, I fucking can. Do you really want to test me right now?"

Mila's painful squeal makes me look back at her, panting heavily and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Oh, love..." Fear takes over again when I hear the door open, and damn, I've never been this happy to see another doctor in my life.

"Why aren't you helping her?" Dr. Coleman, the doctor Mila visited from the very beginning, storms inside, looking around the room with wide eyes. I called her from the car on the way here, but she had another delivery, so it took some time. Three hours later, and she's finally here—thank God. "Mila, where does it hurt?" she asks my wife, who repeatedly touches that spot on her belly, and my heart aches when she groans in pain, tear after tear streaming down her face. Fuck. This doesn't seem right.

"Okay, let me do some tests and then we'll figure it out, okay? I have a suspicion, but I'll need to confirm before I act on it. "

Dr. Coleman shoots the other doctor a menacing glare, which sends him rushing out of the room with his hands raised, shaking his head as he closes the door behind him. "Goddamn incompetent doctors."

"Lisa...will the baby be okay?" Mila sheds a tear while asking her question, and I give her hand a squeeze as I kiss her temple, hoping to hell my presence can somewhat comfort her.

"You'll both be okay, Mila. Peanut's heart rate is perfectly fine. I just need you to stay calm and keep it there, alright?"

And I swear to all the gods up there, if anyone ever says my wife isn't strong, I'll punch them straight in the face. Because seeing how Mila not only physically holds herself together, but also pushes away the panic and fear glaringly visible in her eyes, just fucking astounds me.

To me, she is, and always will be, the strongest woman on earth.

***

"Ahh, fuck! I take it back! I take it back," Mila pants after another session of pushing, resting her head against my shoulder with a sigh. I sit behind her, her nails digging into my thighs while I rub her arms. "I'm not giving you a football team of children, fucking hell!"

Dr. Coleman smirks, and I can't help but chuckle as well, brushing her sweaty hair out of her face before I dab a cold wet cloth over her skin. "I think I'm absolutely fine with that..."

It's true. I knew it would be bad, but holy shit, I didn't think I'd be this helpless. I don't feel my hands anymore from how much Mila is squeezing them with every push, and after twelve hours of labor, I'm actually fucking exhausted.

And I'm not the one pushing a human being out of my body. Goddamn.

"Okay, Mila. I need you to hold one more minute, and then we're done," Dr. Coleman says with a smile.

"Shit. I can't wait anymore, Lisa..."

"You have to. Think about your peanut."

Mila nods, following me when I do the breathing exercises we practiced, hoping it at least somewhat helps. "We're almost there, love."

"That's easy for you to say. This isn't your vagina, is it?"

"Well..."

"Hayden!"

Both Dr. Coleman and I stifle a laugh, but I just couldn't help myself. This is my vagina, kind of.

"Good distraction, Hayden. Mila, are you ready? One more push. Come on, girl..." Dr. Coleman encourages my wife, who now takes another deep breath, trying to find her strength.

"Come on, baby, you can do it," I whisper in her ear.

"Fuck both of you!" Mila starts pushing again, her screams echoing through the room until they're replaced by what must be the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

My eyes widen when I hear the cry of our baby, accompanied by Mila's own cry the second she sees our peanut in Dr. Coleman's arms. She quickly cleans Mila up and checks on them before turning back around, a huge smile on her face as she presents our little bean to us. "Congratulations, Mommy and Daddy. Meet your beautiful baby girl."

"Oh my God..." Mila chokes up while Dr. Coleman places our daughter in her arms, and I place my hands above my wife's, desperately needing to feel our little girl.

"Fuck, she's so beautiful already, love." I run my thumb over our baby's forehead, taking in this wonder in front of me with wide eyes.

"She's going to be a lot of trouble," Mila whispers.

"She's made of us. Of course she is."

Mila turns her head to look at me, and I only avert my gaze from my daughter to look at my stunning wife. Even after hours and hours of labor, of pain and emotional distress, she still will always catch my eye, be the center of my attention, right along with our little baby girl in her arms.

"Thank you." I press a quick kiss on her lips, which she immediately responds to, her hand on the back of my head pulling me closer.

"You're welcome. But I meant it. No football team of that. At least, not this way." She gestures toward her stomach, and I can't help but laugh as I lean down again, needing to feel her lips once more before I look at my two beautiful girls.

"I love you."

"And we love you."

***

We're back home now, showing Nova her new room for the first time.

Mila grins when she whispers in our daughter's ear, "See? And this is the crib Daddy built. It took him three days."

"That's not true!"

My wife raises an eyebrow at me, slowly lowering Nova into her bed, those big doe eyes looking up at us as if we hold the answer to all the questions.

"It's true—Daddy just doesn't want to admit it."

Nova seems to laugh, even though she obviously can't do that yet, but it looks like it—and I can't help but pull Mila into my chest, my arm circling her waist while we just stand there, watching our beautiful baby girl.

"Your mommy is exaggerating, peanut. Don't give in to it."

Mila slaps my arm and leans back against me, my chin resting on the top of her head, just enjoying this, this little moment of peace, knowing it'll end soon enough.

If there's one thing I've learned in these past years, it's that you can't take anything for granted. You should enjoy every little ounce of happiness with the people who make you happy, with the people you love. After all, they're all that matters.

I know that with Mila, I found the one person who'll make me happy for the rest of my life. I know our love was unexpected and maybe, objectively, we're two very different people. But I know with every fiber of my being that she's the missing piece to the puzzle I didn't even know I needed to solve.

Building a family with her sounds like the best fucking dream ever, and I can't wait to have dozens of children running through our house, demanding to be fed and entertained.

"She's so beautiful."

"Just like her mother," I retort, pressing a kiss on her cheek, which instantly flushes crimson, and I chuckle at the effect I have on her. It's fucking beautiful.

"Let's just hope she doesn't fall in love with a famous quarterback when she's old enough. I heard those are trouble." She giggles against my chest, and my heart grows with the vibration of her laughter against my skin.

"Well, her mother fell for one of those guys, and she's the smartest woman I know. Maybe they aren't that bad."

My wife grins and turns around, her arms wrapping around my neck as she gazes right into my soul, her chocolate-brown eyes glimmering with so much happiness that I feel like my heart might burst. "No, they really aren't that bad. I definitely can't complain."

I pull her closer toward me, our bodies now perfectly aligned. Swinging left and right, I have a dance with my wife to the imaginary song that echoes through our minds.

"Would you sing a lullaby for our daughter?" Mila whispers against my chest.

"I can't sing, love."

"Yes, you can. We shower together—don't forget that." She winks and looks up at me, but I shake my head in amusement, closing the last shred of distance between us.

God, what I wouldn't do for this woman...

Mila lays her head on my chest as we sway to the lullaby my mom has hummed when I was a child, my eyes always focused on our little peanut.

And I'm pretty sure it's that moment, my wife and I dancing to my horrible voice as our beautiful daughter falls asleep, that makes me believe in fate. Because if meeting Mila wasn't fate, then I don't know what is.

"What's up, bitches!" Jasmine's voice suddenly echoes through the whole house. "Welcome home!"

Like I said...peace and quiet is a rare virtue in life.

And yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.