TESSA LEANED BACK in the chair behind the reception desk with a soft groan, the last of the patient files finally neatly stored in the cupboard behind her. Tara had told her countless times that she didn't have to work anymore and could hire someone until the baby was here and old enough for Tessa to work againᅳ but the Laney woman loved her job.

If there was one thing Tessa hated, it was sitting home alone and not knowing what to do. Sure, she could keep Gemma or the others at the clubhouse company while Sawyer was at daycare and deep down she knew that Happy would prefer thatᅳ that way he could have an eye on her twenty-four seven.

But first of all, the raven-haired woman didn't want to seem clingy, she wanted Happy to have something to look forward to when he came home after a long day because he hadn't seen her or Sawyer all day. Nevertheless, she of course drove by every now and then during her lunch break or Happy would pay her a quick visit when time allowed it.

Tessa used the quiet moment while Tara was examining her last patient for the day to quickly check her messages. A smile graced her lips as Happy's name appeared at the top and asked about her day.

Her fingers quickly flew over the screen to type a reply, her long black fingernails tapping against the glass. 'We're fine, the hours are just dragging. Can't wait to see you later. I love you.'

A slight tingling sensation spread through her fingers as she opened a new message from her mom. To this day, she still couldn't believe that the woman was now actually a part of her life.

Even though Elaine still lived in Texas with her husband, the two women were regularly texting, calling each other or video chatting. After the camping trip almost two months ago, Elaine even came to Charming for three weeks to get to know Tessa, Sawyer and Happy better.

The latter was still a bit skeptical, but had to admit that there was no reason to keep Elaine away from his fiancée and his son. Nevertheless, Tessa knew that Happy would still keep an eye on Elaineᅳ which was completely fine with her.

Just as she was about to answer and send a little weekly report to her mother, the Laney woman shot forward with a hiss, one hand placed under her now huge baby bump as if she needed to support it.

"What the hell?", she gasped from the sharp pain that shot from her abdomen down to her core. And just a moment later, a splashing sound echoed through the anteroom of the doctor's office, causing Tessa's eyes to double in size.

A wave of panic washed over her, even though the pain had subsided for a moment. Breathing deeply in and out through her mouth, she stood up, her hand still under her stomach as she looked at the puddle beneath her with flushed cheeks.

Her water broke, nothing to be embarrassed aboutᅳ but she still felt uncomfortable. Especially since there was still a patient in the office.

"Tara!" There was something alarming in Tessa's tone as the feeling of something suddenly pushing down grew stronger. "Okay, calm down, it's just the baby", she whispered to herself while she dialed Happy's number.

"Hey baby, are you okay?" Happy's gruff voice asked immediately after he answered the call, no clue that Tessa was about to give birth to their daughter in the next few minutes or hours.

"Uh, well..", Tessa trailed, clearing her throat nervously while scratching her eyebrow. "The baby is on the way."

"The..what?!" She heard a chair slide loudly across the floor and grimaced at the deafening noise. "I'll be right there. Are you still at work?"

"Yeah, I'm still at work", Tessa replied before the next, almost inhuman sound ripped through her throat, digging her nails into her skin in pain. "Hurry up, but drive safe! And please tell Gemma or Lyla to pick up Sawyer later."

"Yeah, yeah..sure. I'll be right there, baby", Happy grumbled, audibly excited and nervous, before the line died shortly afterwards.

"Oh my God!" Tara stormed towards her friend after she stepped out of the door. The doctor snaked an arm around Tessa's waist and slowly led her to the examination room where the last patient had just come out, his eyes wide. "I'll call you on Monday about the blood results. Have a nice weekend, Mr. Jefferson."

Maybe it seemed a little rude to just leave the man standing there while she helped Tessa lie down on the lounger, but Tara couldn't care less. If her patient had just a little empathy, which she was sure he did, he would understand the situation.

"Should I call an ambulance?", the older man's hoarse voice called from outside, a little bit of concern in his tone.

"No, we have everything under control, thank you", Tara called back kindly as she searched for fresh towels in the cupboards. She always had some just in case. "Please just close the door behind you!"

"Okay, good luck." Shortly afterwards the women heard the door slam shut.

"Shit, this is more painful than I remember." With soft whimpers falling from her lips, Tessa narrowed her eyes and threw her head back. "I don't think I'll make it to the hospital in time."

"And that's just the beginning", Tara chuckled softly to distract Tessa, rubbing her friend's arm comfortingly before pushing two large, sterile towels under Tessa's bottom. "Okay, let me help you. Your pants have to go, and then I'll call an ambulance anyway."

"But..can't you do it?", the Laney woman asked, swallowing softly. She would much rather have fewer people around her, and besides, she trusted Tara. "After the baby's here we can still go to St. Thomas so they can check on the baby and me."

But Tara shook her head slightly, unsure of what to do. "I don't know, Tess. I'm a doctor, but not a gynecologist. If I do something wrong, a lot can happen."

"Please Tara, I don't want any fuss", Tessa pleaded with a batting of her eyelashes, grabbing Tara's hand as the pain came at ever shorter intervals. "Oh fuck! I think she's coming, I'm sure she's comingᅳ definitely feels like it!"

"Jesus Tessa!" Tara ran a hand over her face. As a doctor, she had seen a lot, but that still made her nervous. She soothingly moved her hands up and down, nodding more to herself. "Okay, fine. Take off your pants, can you do that? I'll get a big towel for the baby."

"Yeah..I can do that", Tessa nodded, a little too overeager. As she discovered, this was more difficult than she thought. Nevertheless, she managed it in the end, with absolutely no shame in front of her best friend. Tara gave birth to a child herself. "I just hope she takes her time and waits until Happy comes."

"Have you told him yet?" Tara came back and put the big white towel aside before pinning her hair up and putting on fresh gloves. "I'll do a quick check up, okay? If it's too uncomfortable, let me know."

"Okay, I will. And yes, he knows", Tessa let her friend know as she exhaled through her mouth. When she felt Tara's cool fingers down there, she pushed herself up on her elbowsᅳ but she still couldn't get a better look. "Do you feel anything?"

"Holy shit", Tara murmured under her breath, her eyebrows lifted in surprise as she continued her examination. "Is it possible that you've been in pain for a while? I can feel the head, even though it's still pretty far inside."

"Yeah, I've been feeling pain and pressure for four or five days now, but nothing exciting", Tessa said with the slightest shrug, her heart pounding against her chest. "So it's going to take a while?"

"Yeah, I think it'll take at least another hour", Tara answered matter-of-factly, looking up at her friend. "Are you sure you want to do this here and not in a hospital?"

"Yes, please", Tessa replied firmly, hoping Tara would let her.

"Okay, but I'll call a colleague of mine and ask him to come here", Tara said firmly, pulling her hand back. "Are you okay with that?"

Tessa wasn't a big fan of it, but eventually nodded if it would make Tara feel safer. "Yeah, that's okay."

"Thank you." While Tara got up to make a phone call, the door swung open and Happy stormed into the room, taking off his helmet as he headed towards his fiancée.

His gaze lingered in the lower area for a moment, his eyebrow raised as nothing could be seen yet. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief and lean forward to pull Tessa into a fleeting but loving kiss.

"Hey baby. You okay? How are you feeling?", Happy asked in a rasp, not leaving her side for a second. "Don't you wanna go to St. Thomas?"

"I'm okay now", she murmured against his lips with a small smile, the pain forgotten for a moment, if only for a short time. Humming softly, she let her fingers slide between his after he had reached for her hand and ran the other over her head, concern etched into his features. "No, until I get there now..that just means more stress. But Tara is calling a colleague of hers who knows more about this kind of stuff."

"And you're sure that's a good idea?" Not immediately enthusiastic about the idea, Happy's muscles tensed a little, the muscles in his jaw twitching. "What if something happens?"

"I have a good feeling, baby", Tessa assured him, running her thumb lovingly over the back of his hand. "Trust me, okay? And you know we can trust Tara, she's a great doctor."

Happy's response was just a grumble followed by a grunt. If Tessa said he could trust her, then he would. And Tara really wasn't a bad doctor, he had to admit that.

"If that's what you want", he croaked at her expectant look, making her smile, which he returned. "And I'll stay by your side."

"And that's why I loveᅳ" Tessa hissed through gritted teeth and threw her head back against the backrest, squeezing Happy's hand so hard she was afraid she would break something. "Fuck, that hurts!"

But Happy didn't bat an eyelid, not even as her long nails left marks in his skin. Instead, he just looked down at her proudly, standing as close to her as he could. "You can do this, little girl, I know you can."

ᅳ

IT WAS ALMOST an hour later when Happy proudly looked down at his daughter, who he was gently rocking in his arms as he paced the room. His eyes were everywhere, including on Tessa, who was being stitched up by the doctor who was none other than Tara's colleague.

The birth had gone smoothly, you could almost say perfectly. Only a small area had torn, which was now being taken care of. To say that Happy had almost died of worry in the last hour was an understatement.

Had he exaggerated? Of course. But what kind of man wouldn't worry about his woman in a moment like that? Especially when this woman was lying in front of you in pain and you couldn't do shit to help and the only option was to wait.

"Okay, the tear is stitched up and should heal in the next few weeks", the doctor informed those present in the room kindly as he threw the utensils into the small trash can next to him, followed by his gloves. "Nevertheless, a doctor should take another look at it in a few days. You can also make an appointment with me."

"If that's possible, that would be good." A tired but completely satisfied smile sat on Tessa's pale face. "Do I still have to get checked out in the hospital today? Or can we go home with our daughter after her examinations?"

The man in his forties stood up from his chair, wrinkling his forehead. "That will be decided by the doctor who is carrying out the examinations on your daughter. But I think you're done for today, I'll let them know that I already had a look."

Satisfied with the answer, Tessa nodded weakly. "Okay, thank you. Also for coming here."

"I had the day off anyway and owed Tara a favor", he said with a dismissive gesture of his hand. "I'll call an ambulance and give you a moment."

"I'm coming with you", Tara added quickly and squeezed Tessa's ankle on the way out. As much as she would've loved to see little Summer and hold her godchild, she wanted to give the couple the time they deserved with their daughter first.

"You wanna hold her?" Happy slowly approached his fiancée, still looking down at Summer who was making noises with her tongue as she slept in his arms.

Jesus, he couldn't be prouder. His little princess was finally here after he had waited ages for this moment.

"Yes, please." Tessa's eyes shone with anticipation and when Happy finally placed the little bundle, wrapped in the towel, in her arms, her heart almost burst with happiness and pride. "Oh my God, she's so beautiful", she whispered softly as she tried to stifle a sob. "Our Summer, born during the golden hour. Could it be any more perfect?"

As if on cue, the sun shone through the three windows once again and bathed the room in a warm gold.

"That she is, a perfect blend of the two of us", the SAA croaked against her black hair before placing a kiss on the top of her head, one hand placed at the side of her head so he could repeatedly run his thumb over her hair. "The prettiest girl I've ever seenᅳ besides her mother, of course."

"Charming as always", Tessa chirped, a small chuckle following as she looked up at him with loving eyes. "We're really having a baby, can you believe it?"

"Hell no." The sound of a raspy laugh vibrated through Happy's chest as he shook his head. "But it's a pretty great feeling."

"It is. I felt just like this when I had Sawyer",  Tessa murmured, smitten with the baby slumbering in her arms. Especially the soft squeaking baby noises mixed with a slight hiccup. "God, Sawyer won't leave her side. Is Gemma bringing him over?"

"Yeah, I called her a few minutes ago", he told his Old Lady, who nodded gratefully and looked down at her daughter again and ran the side of her index finger timidly over Summer's cheek.

Happy simply reveled in the moment for a few minutes, enjoying watching his two girlsᅳ and Tessa couldn't have looked more beautiful. Her mascara and eyeliner were smeared by tears of pain and a few black strands were still stuck to her sweaty face, but Happy only saw the strong woman who had given birth to their daughter barely half an hour ago.

His chest swelling with pride, he placed another kiss on the top of her head and placed a hand on Summer's stomach, rubbing his thumb gently against the fabric of the towel while he lost himself in staring at the bundle.

Summer had inherited her black hair from both of them, but she definitely only had her slightly dark skin from Happy, which made her look a little more like him. Who Summer would ultimately resemble more would probably only show in a few years, but it didn't matter anyway.

Enjoying the moment as a trio, Happy lifted his gaze when there was a knock on the door and after a soft 'come in' from Tessa, a completely excited Sawyer ran into the room after Gemma opened the door for him.

"Is that my sister?" His eyes wide with curiosity, he put two hands against his cheeks and stood on tiptoe, bending over the bundle in Tessa's arms. After a gasp, a happy squeak followed. "Can I hold her? Please, please, pleeeeease?"

With all the excitement that Sawyer radiated, Happy just chuckled and lifted the five-year-old onto the lounger so that he could sit next to Tessa. "Yeah, that's Summer, your sister."

"She's only thirty minutes old", Tessa told her son lovingly before putting an arm around his small figure to pull him into her side. "Of course you can hold her. But you have to be careful, okay?"

Sawyer nodded eagerly, his feet dangling from the longer in excitement as he stretched out his arms.

"Let me", Happy croaked as he saw Tessa having some difficulty moving properly. Timidly, as if the baby was made of porcelain, he scooped her out of Tessa's arms and placed her in Sawyer's shortly after, holding her with him just to be on the safe side. "You always have to watch her head, okay buddy?"

"Yes daddy", the boy chirped with the biggest smile ever, proud as ever as he held his little sister in his arms. "Hi baby Summer, I'm your brother."

"That's so absolutely sweet", Tessa choked out, full on ugly crying, as one hand rested on her chest while the other stroked Sawyer's back.

And even Happy was struggling with his feelings at that moment. Clearing his throat, he swallowed the lump and rubbed his eyes dry with the back of his hand before placing a hand on Tessa's leg, which were still only covered with a towel.

Maybe Gemma and Tara could watch the kids for a moment so he could help her get dressed before the ambulance would arrive.

"We did it, baby", he croaked proudly, the slight but proud smile on his lips reaching his dark eyes. "You did it."

"I couldn't have done it without you. I wouldn't have any of this without you in the first place", she whispered as she placed a hand on top of his and closed her eyes contentedly as his forehead fell against hers. "I love you, Happy Lowman, so much."

"I love you too, baby girl", he muttered, gently squeezing her leg as he stole a kiss from her lips.

"My God, she's an absolute gem!" Gemma finally dared to come closer after the family had a moment to themselves and brushed some baby hairs from Summer's forehead, smitten with the new family member. "And so prettyᅳ she's perfect."

"Of course my sister is perfect", Sawyer agreed eagerly, not even taking his eyes off the baby, his words drawing a chuckle from everyone.

The moment couldn't have been better and Tessa was glad she had listened to her instincts and stayed here.

word count; about 3.1k

ᅳ

authors note; only one or two more chapters left, I'm not sure yet! I won't get much into the storyline between Tessa and her mom because I'm planning a second book for this story next year! Auntie still hasn't shown up so there's room for another book. Btw, to my non followers, I just published the cast list for my new Happy fic that I'll start writing once this one is finished! It's called WEST COAST and you can find it under my published stories. I'd appreciate your support. 🖤🥀