I brushed my lips over his brow. "You can do this." I helped him onto all fours, "Listen to your body and push when you need to."
Parker bore down with the next contraction, a low groan tearing from his throat. His fingers dug into my fur, holding on as though I was the anchor to his world.
"You're doing amazing," I assured him. "Not long now." I didn't know how long it would be but from everything I'd read, we were getting close.
He gave another push and another. The sky outside was beginning to lighten as the first hints of dawn were streaking across the horizon.
"I can see the head," I squealed as emotion threatened to overwhelm me. "Parker, the baby's head is right there. One more big push and the head will be out."
Parker took a deep breath, and pushed. The exertion was evident on his face as bore down. The baby's head emerged, and then with the next contraction, the shoulders, and suddenly I was catching a tiny, wriggling, perfect little body.
"It's a girl," I choked out as my voice thick with tears. "Parker, we have a daughter."
She let out a furious wail, and my wolf applauded her strong healthy lungs. I placed her on Parker's chest and he sobbed as he brought his hands up to cradle her tiny body.
"Hi," Parker whispered. "Hi, baby. We're your dads and we are so excited to meet you. Welcome to the family."
I let my wolf recede, the fur disappearing as I returned fully to my human form. Parker held our daughter for the first time and I put my arms around both of them. Salty tears slid onto my lips and I licked them off. I hadn't been aware I was crying.
"I love you," I whispered against his lips. "You were incredible."
"I love you too." His exhausted voice told the story of what he'd just done.
I kissed him again, and his hand came up to cup my cheek as his thumb brushed away the tears.
Our little girl was so cute. Dark hair was plastered to her head and her eyes were squeezed shut against the brightness of the world. Her little fists waved in the air as if she was telling us she didn't want to be here. But Parker whispered to her and I was certain she recognized his voice and she calmed. I covered them both with a blanket, proud of my mate and our strong little cub.
Parker looked up at me with tear-filled eyes. "Her name is Orianna. It means dawn and she was born at dawn."
"Orianna," I repeated, reaching out to touch one tiny fist. She immediately gripped my finger. Her hold was surprisingly firm for someone so small. "Hello, Orianna. We love you so much."
We stayed like that as the sun rose with the three of us tangled together. Parker was exhausted and he handed Orianna to me and I wrapped her in a towel and took her to the window so the morning light streamed over her. My heart was so full I thought it might burst and if my wolf could cry real tears, he would have.
"She has your eyes," Parker said quietly. "Look, they're the same emerald green."
He was right. Our daughter was much more alert and focused than what I'd read in the baby books. It was probably a shifter trait, passed down through me.
"She's going to be a handful," I said, but I couldn't stop smiling.
"Good thing she has two dads who can keep up with her." Parker pressed a kiss to Orianna's forehead. "Thank you for the fur thing. It really helped."
"My wolf wanted to comfort you." I leaned in to kiss Parker's temple. "He loves you. Both of you."
"We love him too." Parker looked down at our daughter. "You hear that, Orianna? You have the best dad and the best wolf-dad. You're going to be so spoiled."
Orianna made a tiny sound that might have been an agreement, and we both laughed.
Outside, the sun had fully risen. It was a new day and we were a brand new family. Nothing would ever be the same and I couldn't wait to see what came next.
SIXTEEN
PARKER
Orianna was three months old and had impeccable timing when it came to ruining perfectly good moments.
"No, no, sweetie, not the bow." I extracted the ribbon from her tiny fist for the third time. She'd been trying to eat it for the past ten minutes, fascinated by the way it caught the light. "That's for decoration, not snacking."
She gurgled at me and her green eyes which matched my mate's stared at me. She was more alert than I would have expected from a three-month old.
