Chapter 18 #2
Eliana blushed deeply and Sampson reached over to squeeze her hand.
Somewhere around the third round, Scarlett got up and put on music. Soon half of us were dancing in Elara’s living room, wine glasses in hand, laughing and spinning.
I found myself dancing with Sampson, who had moves I could only dream of.
“You fit here,” he said as he spun me. “With this group, with this community. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. “Without you, none of this would be possible.”
“Plus, those two men of yours? They’re good ones. Trust me, Aiden knows them. He says they’re the real deal.”
“They are,” I agreed.
The evening continued with more food, more wine, more laughter. I felt more seen than I ever had. These people, this found family, they were accepting me without reservation.
Around ten o’clock, Renee suddenly gasped and grabbed her belly.
“Oh no,” she said.
“What?” Emmy was immediately at her side. “What’s wrong?”
“I think... oh god, I think my water just broke.”
The room erupted into controlled chaos.
“Okay, okay,” Emmy said, immediately switching into doctor mode. “Everyone stay calm. Renee, how far apart are the contractions?” She pulled out her phone, dialed something, and put the phone to her ear.
“I don’t know. I’ve been having them all evening but I thought they were Braxton Hicks.”
“Elara, call Ezra,” Emmy instructed. “Tell him to meet us at the hospital. Honey, grab towels. Clean ones. Josephina, I need you to time her contractions.” Then she began speaking to the person on her phone.
It didn’t take long to figure out that she was talking to Jack.
She was off the phone quickly and back in action “He’s delivered way more babies than I have,” she joked.
I watched Emmy take charge, her training evident in every movement. She got Renee positioned on the couch, checked her vitals, kept her talking.
“Another one,” Renee gasped. “Oh god, it hurts.”
“Breathe through it,” Emmy coached. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
“How far to the hospital?” Sampson asked.
“Depends. The clinic is just over on the Ridge, then there’s the hospital in Porter’s Corner about twenty minutes way or the one in Missoula but it’s at least an hour away,” Elara said. “Ezra is on his way, too.”
“Call the clinic,” Emmy said. “But I need everyone to be prepared. This baby might not wait.”
The next contraction hit hard, and Renee screamed.
“I need to push,” she said. “I need to push now.”
“Not yet,” Emmy said firmly. “Not until I check. Cami, I need you to hold her hand. Keep her focused on you.”
I moved to Renee’s side and took her hand. She squeezed so hard I thought my bones would break.
“You’re doing so good,” I told her. “Just breathe. Emmy’s got you.”
Emmy checked Renee and swore softly. “She’s crowning. This baby is coming now.”
“What?” Elara looked panicked. “Here?”
“Here,” Emmy confirmed. “I need everyone except Cami and Elara to step into the other room. Give us space. And someone call all the Dominants. We’re going to need help after.”
The other women filed out reluctantly. I heard Iris on the phone. “Lex? It’s Iris from class. We need help at Elara’s cabin. Renee’s having the baby. Now.”
Emmy positioned herself between Renee’s legs. “Okay, Renee. Next contraction, you push. Not before. Wait for it.”
“I can’t do this,” Renee sobbed. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” I said firmly. “You’re so strong and you’re going to do this.”
“Here it comes,” Renee gasped.
“Push!” Emmy commanded.
Renee bore down, her face red with effort. I held her hand and murmured encouragement.
“Good! Again on the next one!”
Three more contractions. Three more pushes. And then suddenly, there was a baby’s cry.
“It’s a girl,” Emmy said, her voice thick with emotion. “You have a daughter, Renee.”
Emmy wrapped the baby in a clean towel and placed her on Renee’s chest. The baby was tiny, pink, and screaming her lungs out.
“Oh my god,” Renee sobbed, holding her daughter. “Oh my god, she’s here.”
The door burst open and Ezra rushed in, accompanied by Jack and a tall and a tall man with black hair and bright blue eyes. “Renee! Baby, I’m here. Dr. Berringer is with me.”
“You missed it,” Renee said, crying and laughing at the same time. “She came fast.”
“But she’s okay? You’re both okay?”
“Thanks to Emmy,” Elara said. “She delivered her.”
Dr. Berringer took over, checking both mother and baby, preparing to transport them to the hospital. Within minutes, they were taken away, Ezra following behind his wife and new daughter.
As they left, the other Dominants started arriving. Majesty and Lex were first, rushing into the cabin and immediately finding me.
“Are you okay?” Majesty asked, his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m fine. It was just... intense.”
More Dominants arrived. Tavi, Torin, and Caesar for Elara. Aiden for Sampson. They immediately started helping clean up, organizing, taking care of their partners.
Majesty pulled me into his arms. “You did good. Iris called, told us everything.”
“I just held Renee’s hand,” I said. “Emmy did all the work.”
“You were there when Renee needed someone,” Lex said, joining the embrace. “That matters.”
The cabin slowly returned to order. The Dominants cleaned while their submissives decompressed, processing what had just happened.
By midnight, everyone had headed home except us. Elara had insisted we stay for a final glass of wine.
“To new life,” she toasted. “And to new friendships.”
We clinked glasses, and I looked around at these people who’d become so important so quickly.
“Thank you for inviting me,” I said to Elara. “Tonight was... everything.”
“You’re one of us now,” she said simply. “Welcome to the family.”
As we walked back to our cabin, my hands in both of my men’s, I felt complete. I had them. I had this community. I had a place where I belonged.
“How was your night?” I asked.
“Boring,” Majesty said. “Until we got the call. How was yours?”
“Perfect. Until the baby arrived. Then it was perfect and terrifying.” I laughed. “I made friends. Real friends.”
“Good,” Lex said, squeezing my hand. “You deserve that.”
Back in our room, they helped me undress, washed my face for me, tucked me into bed between them.
“I love this,” I murmured, already half asleep. “I love us.”
“We love us too,” Majesty whispered against my hair. “Now sleep. Tomorrow we start exploring everything we negotiated.”
I smiled and let sleep take me, safe between the two men who’d become my entire world.
And somewhere with her parents cuddling her, a new had begun.
Just like mine had, when I’d decided to take a chance on these men.