Page 21 of Zin and Celeste: A Fortis Family Christmas

“About an hour.”

Daniel nodded and turned to Celeste. “I want to get you up on your knees on all fours. It will open your pelvis and gravity can also give us a hand. Is that okay?”

Celeste nodded, and Zin helped her maneuverer into position on the bed just as the next contraction came. This time as she pushed, she could see the face of the man she loved as her arms shook from the force. Then something seemed to pop as the burning increased to levels so painful it was blinding, and she screamed.

“That’s it, well done, Celeste, his head is out. Just give me a little push and then pant for me a second.”

Relief washed over her as Celeste listened to every instruction.

“I’m so proud of you, Pixie. You are the strongest person I know, and I love you so much.”

Lauren touched Celeste on the shoulder to get her attention. “Celeste, I need you to give me one big push now and let’s get this baby out, okay?”

Celeste could only nod a response as her next wave came. After one more big push, Lauren told her to reach through her legs and take her son. With Zin’s hands cradling hers, she did just that, and her beautiful, loud son was placed in her arms as he came into the world and took his first breath.

Lauren was bustling around her helping her to turn and lay back. Ava was getting her and her son covered with blankets as they lay skin to skin to keep him warm and settling her so they could deal with the afterbirth, but she only had eyes for her child. Everything else faded into the background like white noise as Zin held them against his chest on the bed, and she gazed at her boy. Never in her life had she felt anything like it. This instant love and knowledge that she would die for this person, kill for him, and his happiness meant her own.

Celeste knew she loved Zin more than was healthy sometimes, but what she felt for her boy was different. It was difficult to explain. She looked up to see Lauren and Ava slip from the room and realised she didn’t have to because anyone with a child understood.

“He’s so tiny.”

Celeste snorted at Zin’s words and turned to see the look of absolute love on his face aimed at their son. “Tell that to my vagina.”

His eyes moved to hers then, and she saw the love shining from them. “I’m so proud of you. The strength it took to bring our son into this world humbles me. I love you both so much that it’s hard even to enunciate.”

“I know, I feel it too.”

Celeste looked at his tiny fingers and toes and thought he was the most perfect thing in the world. “What shall we call him?”

“What about Maddox?”

Celeste cocked her head, giving it some thought, and then smiled. “Welcome to the world Maddox Maklavoi.”

“I want us to get married.”

Zin pressed a kiss to her temple, and she leaned into his strength and love. “You already asked me, silly.”

Zin shook his head. “No, I mean as soon as we can. I don’t want to wait. I want you to be my wife, for the world to know what a lucky bastard I am, for us all to be one.”

“When?”

“As soon as we can arrange it.”

“I’d like that too.”

They stayed like that, wrapped up in a protective bubble until Zack knocked on the door.

“Hey.” He moved into the room at Celeste’s smile.

Walking on silent feet as all of these men seemed to do, he came closer to the bed and peered at the tiny human. “Congratulations, he’s beautiful.”

“Thank you, Zack, and thank you for bringing my man home.”

“My pleasure and as much as I hate to break this up, he needs to be seen at the hospital about his leg. Jack and Liam are here. Jack had Liam in a chopper as soon as he heard and he’s going to fly you both to the nearest hospital and have you all checked over. He can bring you back after if the doctor allows it.”

Celeste glanced at Zin in question, having been too wrapped up in her son to ask before. “What happened to your leg?”

“Just a little bullet.”

“A little bullet? Are you crazy? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because, Pixie, you were a little busy bringing a human into the world and it didn’t seem like a good time.”

Celeste had nothing to say to that. “Okay, let’s go but can we come back if it’s okay with the doctor? I’d really love to have Christmas here.”

Zin nodded. “Anything for you, Pixie.”

Celeste knew he meant every word.