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Push him out with this next one, and I will get you more chocolate than you can ever consume in a single lifetime.Kayo's words in my mind make a very unexpected laugh burst from me.
Deal.
No sooner have I agreed than another contraction hits. I squeeze my sisters' hands as tightly as possible and push so hard it feels like I'm vibrating. One moment that fucking ring of fire is there, and then...it's gone. Nicole gives a joyful cry and through Kayo's mind, I see my son's head. Dark grey skin, facing down, and his head full of hair. Then, I hear a cry shriek out and I put my forehead to the bed in relief.
"One more quick push, Leah," Nicole tells me.
I push again and the rest of my baby comes out. I begin to fall to the ground, but Nicole's hands are there to balance me. Then, Grace and Keri help turn me so I'm sitting on the ground, looking at Kayo who holds our child. His eyes are full of tears, and his mind spins in disbelief at this monster we created.
"How is he?" I pant.
"Perfect." Kayo smiles. "Green eyes." He looks down the baby's body. "Ten fingers." Down to his feet. "Ten toes." Up. "Chunky leg—" His words cut off and my heart stills. When I see what he's seeing, I gasp.
"What?" Grace asks. “What's wrong?”
"Is he okay?" Keri questions.
"She," I say low.
"What did you say?" Nicole asks slowly.
"It's a girl," I murmur, in just as much disbelief as I feel rushing through Kayo.
They all rush over to Kayo and my...daughter.
Kayo blinks a few times and then finally looks at me with wide eyes.
"How can this be?" Nicole asks.
Kayo definitely isn't the one to answer because he begins rushing from the room, only to spin on his heels and rush to a stop beside me. He drops to one knee and puts his forehead to mine.
"I love, I love, I love you," he says low. "Thank you for giving me the greatest gift."
"I love you." I kiss him. "Now go."
He smiles and rushing from the room. I laugh at seeing him do what I knew he was dying to before he remembered to tell me that he loved me, showing his daughter to his father and brother. Their shock is the same as his mother and my sisters. Then, I see Warzo throw open the door to the cavern and shout loud enough for anyone near to hear. "I have a granddaughter! A girl! We have agirl!"
Could I see my own daughter now?I chuckle.
Kayo rushes back into the room and gently places her in my arms. He's right, she's absolutely perfect. Drowsy light green eyes, pouty lips, and her father’s jet-black hair. Her fingers wrap around my finger and my heart feels like it cracks open with love for her.
"That's the perfect way to explain it," Kayo says. "I was trying to think of what it feels like when I look at her. That's perfect."
After Nicole's checked to make sure the baby and I are okay to go home, and our daughter has met her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, Kayo carries me to our cavern while Warzo proudly carries his granddaughter to join us. Then, he leaves and we're alone inside our five-room cavern. Fed and sleeping, Kayo places the baby in the crib he built for her and comes to sit beside me on the couch I asked to be placed in the nursery. Because, let's be honest, both or one of us will be falling asleep in here...a lot.
"What does it mean, Kayo? Her being a girl?" I ask low.
"For my people, for all Grounders, it means hope. Maybe a new future. But for you and me, it just means we have a daughter when we expected a son. It means we have a daughter to protect, love, and help grow. It means we have a little girl to cherish instead of a little boy, for now. It changes nothing for us."
I smile. "Except now you have two girls to love and protect."
"Exactly."
I put my head on his shoulder, exhaustion setting in. "We have a baby, Kayo."
"We didn't have a reason to discuss any girl names." He chuckles. "So, any ideas?"
"Back when there were female Grounders in your village, were there any known for being important or something? I want her name to have a meaning."
"Hmm. There was Roset. She was a fierce warrior that most of the males wouldn't even spar with because of her power and skill."
I immediately nod. "A warrior. I like that. Our daughter, Roset. The warrior girl."
"I love it." He kisses my hair and I find my head becomes heavier on his shoulder. "Sleep now, my love. When you open your eyes, I will be right here. Roset will be right here."
I let my eyes drift closed as I feel Kayo link his fingers with mine. I used to be afraid to sleep because I feared it was all just a dream. Now, I don't want to sleep because I'm afraid to miss a second of my reality. Of this sweet life I have. Of this amazing monster beside me. But like he said, because I still never have a doubt when it comes to his words or actions, he will be right there, and Roset will be right there, when I awake. And the moment when my eyes do open again, I'll feel his love for me. Always there. Always constant. Always true.
