~
After greeting everyone, updating them on our trip, and receiving all the gossip we had missed out on, the group that had come out to greet us started to move back towards the garden to find seating for the ceremony.
"You ready babe?" Baydon was holding out his hand for me to take, we had both told our parents of the mating and they couldn't be happier. My dad had given his blessing straight away, saying he was proud to have such a fine and protective young man claim his daughter. Was all a bit weird for me, knowing that dad was basically saying 'thanks for screwing my daughter and joining the family.'
"I just need to go to the bathroom and then I'll be with you. Go find us some seats and I'll meet you in there." Baydon nodded his head before planting a soft kiss on my cheek and heading into the garden area. I made a beeline for the bathroom; I needed to fix up my hair and make-up after all the travelling. Just as I turned the corner my fears burst forward and made themselves a reality.
"Roxanne? You came back?" Shit, shit, double shit.
"Blaze, shouldn't you be getting ready?" Just act calm, everything will be okay. He can't hurt you.
"I am ready, just pacing, nerves you know." He seemed distracted, which I hoped was a good thing.
"Well, good luck. I'll see you later." Making a move to side-step him, Blaze stuck out his arm and quickly grabbed onto my shoulder, stopping any movement I was making.
"Roxy, I hear you mated Baydon?" What the -, how did he know already.
My confusion must have been evident on my face as he chuckled, "Anna always tells Frankie everything, and Frankie let it slip the other night while he was drunk."
Don't say anything, don't deny but don't confirm. I chanted this to myself what felt like a hundred times before Blaze let out a sigh and started to speak again.
"Listen, Roxy, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. You didn't deserve it and I should have had way better control over my wolf. My actions were completely unforgivable. However, you are my fated mate and I do have one request of you before I proceed with this mating ceremony. I love Emily, I truly do, but I need to be sure. Give me just one kiss, so I can know for sure if I'm making the right choice. Please, and I'll leave you and Baydon alone, even if I feel I'm making the wrong choice here."
He looked so confused, scared, worried and disgusted with himself. I couldn't explain all the emotions I could see running across his face, and my voice had suddenly failed me. Thinking it over quickly, I made my decision, and I felt my reasoning was justified, although it felt like another force was pushing me to make this choice.
I closed my eyes and lent forward, puckering my lips at the same time, until I felt his soft lips come into contact with mine.
Epilogue
While drying my hands on a tea towel, I looked out the kitchen window, enjoying the scenic view presenting itself to me. With the dishes now done I had the rest of the day to relax. Just then a familiar mop of shiny, blonde entered my vision.
Emily. She lifted her hand off the pram she was currently pushing to offer me a slight wave. Waving back, I thought about how our relationship had been developing over the last year and a half. It was the duty of the Luna to get along with everyone in the pack; in the beginning the relationship between us had been strained to say the least. As time went on and Emily discovered her pregnancy the friendship between us came easily. She needed help with a lot of tasks and I was more than happy to provide it. After all it wasn’t her fault what happened between us and there was no reason to let her suffer because of it.
The night Emily went into labour, all the men had gone out to check the territory perimeters after reports of vampire attacks in the surrounding areas. She was alone, without her new mate to help her through so I stayed with her and helped the pack midwife deliver the beautiful baby girl. Weeks later when I had discovered my own pregnancy, Emily had been thrilled that we would have babies around the same age to grow up together. She had quickly become one of my closest friends, which most of the pack found unusual, but no-one wanted to mess with the choice of friends the Alpha and Luna kept so no-one said a word about it.
Waddling through the kitchen doorway and making my way to the front door, Emily was already there with little Genevieve gurgling in the pram and pointing at me.
“Still hanging in there I see? When is that pup of yours going to make its way out, I know I’m dying to meet the little thing?” Skipping the customary ‘hello’, Emily just dove straight into the questions, as I knew she would.
“Well actually I’ve been having some back ache today and I’m hoping it’s the real thing and not another false alarm like last time.” I answered, gently massaging the only part of my lower back that I could reach.
“What? Are you insane, who cares if it’s a false alarm? You need to get checked out. When did the pains start? How far apart are they? How bad? Do you need a wheelchair?” Emily was starting to go into a panic and I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on her face.
“They started yesterday afternoon, I get one around every 5 or 10 minutes or so and they aren’t too painful. I just have to grind my teeth and wait for it to pass. And no I don’t need a wheelchair I can waddle just fine.” All her questions had been answered and I hoped this would calm her down, instead it appeared to have the opposite effect and she started pacing around my front path, fumbling around in her bag.
“What are you doing? Would you calm down, I said I was fine.” It was making me dizzy to watch her as she paced around, and still Genevieve was gurgling in her little baby talk, sitting up in her pram and clapping her cute little hands. I looked down at her and smiled, crossed my eyes and wound my finger around my ears, “Mummy crazy.”
“You, Roxy are the crazy one. You are in damn labour and you don’t even realise it. You silly woman we need to get you to the midwife before you drop that baby on the floor. I’m calling Blaze right now to come and take us to the hospital. I’ll be with you like you were there for me.” Emily started dialling her phone without waiting for me to respond. Could I really be in labour? Surely I would know about it if I was, wouldn’t I? A sharp cramp began to build in my lower back and move around to the front of my body, I grit my teeth as I had been doing all day and waited for it to pass. This wasn’t so bad, there was no way this way labour.
“Yes you need to come and get us now, yes bring Baydon if he is with you already. I’m sure this is the real thing; I’m watching her have a contraction as we speak. No her water hasn’t broken yet, wait, scratch that, there they go now. Hurry up cause I can’t deliver a baby on my own.” Emily snapped her phone shut before tossing it back in her bag and looking at me. Her words only just registered to me as I took a step back and glanced down at the mucus filled, water puddle collecting where I had just been standing.
“Shit, oh shit, shit, Emily what do I do? This is it, it’s real this time. Tell me what to do.” All rational thought fled my mind as I felt a panic attack beginning to form. I couldn’t do this, we were too far away from the midwife and I was turning into a blubbering mess .Emily just looked at me with a surge of sudden determination in her eyes.
“Roxy, you need to go inside and lie down in your bed, I’ll get Gen settled and then I’ll be in there to help you until the guys get here to take us to the midwife’s house. It’s going to be ok, I’ll be right here.” She was already making her way up the two front steps with Genevieve as I turned around and waddled through my lounge room and into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed carefully as another contraction ripped through my body. I let out a short squeal of pain and Emily was there with me instantly.
“They are worse now that your water has broken aren’t they?”
I nodded, “It feels like a rock is grinding across my pelvis and I have to push to make it stop.” I could feel the tears prickling in my eyes as the realisation of the current circumstances hit me. I was having a baby. My baby, it was coming and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it. Another wave of pain took over my
body and I gripped the side of the bed until my knuckles turned white.
“Shit, Roxy there was only two minutes between those last two. I don’t think we will have time to get you to the midwife. I’m going to call her and tell her to come over here. I’ll be right back I swear it.” Emily ran out of the room already pulling her phone from her bag, as I slumped forward over my knees from exhaustion. Before I even had time to gather my thoughts another contractions hit my body, more powerful than any of the others and I couldn’t hold back the cries of pain this time.
Emily came running in again, still on the phone. She immediately began rubbing my back as she held the phone between her face and shoulder.
“Her water broke about ten minutes ago and she has had three contractions since then, what can I do?” Emily was trying her best to help me but fear was beginning to take over at the thought of having the baby here.
“Hang on,” Emily threw the phone onto my bed before racing out of the room; I could hear her clattering around in the kitchen before her hurried footsteps came back. They paused briefly in the lounge room and then picked up again until she reached my doorway. Emily had the pram in front of her with little Gen inside, sitting up and looking around. This was just the sight I needed. It might be painful now but it would be well worth it at the end.
Emily hit the speaker button on her phone before putting it back on the bed. “I have towels, warm water, a kitchen clip and scissors, did I forget anything?”
“No that’s everything Emily well done; I’m on my way over now ok. Don’t panic.” The voice of the midwife was cut off as she ended the call.
“Emily, another is coming and I have to push, what I do.” I was completely losing my sanity, I had no idea what to do and I was becoming even more afraid of what could happen. “Em, I can’t have this baby alone.” I cried out at her as the contraction reached its peak and I began to push. I had to push and instinct just took over my body.
“You aren’t having this baby on your own sweetie, I’m here and I’m going to help you the same way you helped me. Now push with your contraction if that’s what you need to do I’m right here.” Emily knelt down in front of me with all of her supplies surrounding her, she pushed up the sleeves of her shirt and in that moment I knew I would be forever grateful that we had become friends.
“I need to lift your skirt up and get you to take off your underwear, Roxy. Then get into a position that is comfortable for you and tell me when the next contraction is coming.” I did as I was told, happy not to have to think about what I needed to do. I sat back on the bed and then lay back on my elbows, pulling my legs up until my feet where resting on the edge.
“Comfortable?”
“Yeah, Em. Thanks for staying with ahhhhhh another is coming Emily what do I do?” My thanks were interrupted by the next contraction, there was barely even a gap between them now and it felt like one big long contraction.
Emily’s head bobbed out of view for a moment before I heard her yell. “Push Roxy. Push as hard as you can, that baby is waiting for no-one.”
Letting out a growl I pushed down with all of my might until the contraction subsided. “Did I do it?” I questioned. The blonde mop of hair appeared again as she smiled up at me.
“Not yet sweetie but I can almost see the little head, one or two more pushes and you will be done. You just need to keep pushing as hard as you can when you have a contraction and this will all be over soon. I’ll just stay right here until then.”
Again I was struck out with another contraction and did as Emily instructed, pushing as hard as I could.
“Good girl, Roxy. That was a huge effort. Your baby’s head is out, just one more contraction to go, this push should help get the shoulders out and then we are done sweetie. You are doing really well. Wait are you pushing again?”
I let out a grunt and Emily quickly shut up and went back to the task at hand. Pushing as though my life depended on it I felt an intense pressure in my ‘down there area’ before an overwhelming sense of relief.
“Oh Roxy, I’m so amazingly proud of you right now. Your little angel is here. I’ll just clip and snip this cord, wrap it up and you can have the little bundle.” Her voice with thick with emotion as she spoke and I finally flopped flat onto the bed, exhausted. Tears were pouring out of my eyes and down my cheeks, although this time they were for a different reason. I did it, I gave birth and now I had a son or daughter to love and cherish.
“Is it a boy or a girl?” Emily hadn’t told me yet and I couldn’t wait to find out.
“You have a handsome little prince, Roxy and he is gorgeous.” She stood and handed me a bundle of towels, I pulled the towels away to look at the face of my angel.
“Thank you so much Emily, I couldn’t have done this without you.” My voice was filled with so much gratitude and love. “You are truly one of the best friends I could have ever hoped for.”
“Don’t you thank me, it’s what friends do. You helped me how could I not help you when you needed me?” We both burst into tears as Emily sat next to me on the bed and leaned over to give me a hug. Just at that moment we both heard the front door slam open and two sets of feet stampeding their way into the bedroom.
Standing in the doorway was Blaze and Baydon and my breath was taken away at the sight of my gorgeous manly mate looking at me with so much love in his eyes.
“We missed it?” Blaze sounded so disappointed as he looked at Emily, the baby and I before taking a shy step forward.
“I think Daddy wants a hold,” I whispered to the baby lightly crying in my arms. I held the baby out for his daddy to take and watched as the two loves of my life bonded together.
“What are you going to name him?” Emily questioned me and I turned to look at her.
“I want you to help name him Emily; you helped me so much that I would be honoured if you chose a name for him.” Emily looked like she was about to cry as she looked around the room at all the people staring at her. Genevieve chose that moment to let out a big squeal as she clapped her hands again, laughing at herself.
“How about Emmett? That was my first mates name and I think it would suit him.” A tear slipped from her eye as she spoke about her first mate, and I knew the name was perfect.
“It’s perfect Emily. I would like for you all to meet Emmett Brady Tallon.” I looked up again to my handsome mate and the beautiful child our love had created. Tears were welling in his eyes as he looked between Emmett and me.
“Congratulations man, he is a good looking fella.” Blaze clapped Baydon on the shoulder carefully so as not to knock the baby.
“Thanks Blaze. I can’t believe I’m a daddy now.” Baydon made his way towards the bed and sat next to me. “I love you so much Roxy, I’m sorry I wasn’t here but you have done such an amazing job and I’m so proud of you.” A feather light kiss was placed on my lips and my eyes fluttered closed as I heard Emily, Genevieve and Blaze leave the room.
“I love you too Baydon. You are the perfect mate for me; I don’t care what anyone else says. You and I, we are meant to be together.”
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