EPILOGUE - SOFIA
7 Months Later
“ T his was a great idea,” I said when we climbed out of the car that had taken us to the villa.
“I told you,” Ben said with a grin and lifted my hand to his mouth, planting kisses on my knuckles. “You need to be able to breathe before the big day.”
I ran my hand over my belly. I was nine months pregnant, and I felt as big as a whale. My ankles were swollen, I had constant heartburn, and I’d gone on maternity leave a month ago already.
Ben had insisted that we come out to the Maldives for a babymoon. I’d been against it, wanting to just stay home and watch TV, but he’d insisted.
And I was glad he had.
The villa we’d stayed in for the past couple of days was incredible. It was a luxurious retreat on Hulhulé Island. Palm trees swayed all around us in a warm breeze, and the villa looked out over the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
We slept in a king-sized bed, stood together in a rainfall shower, and laid out on the private terrace for hours, soaking up the sun.
But that wasn’t all we did. I might have been very pregnant, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to do anything. We walked along the beaches, had couples’ massages at the on-site spa, and went on boat rides around the island to explore.
This morning, we’d gone snorkeling.
At first, I’d been worried about the water, struggling with the snorkel, feeling like I was going to choke or lose my breath or… something.
But Ben showed me how to do it, and we explored the corals. They were so worth it. I’d learned a lot the past few months with Ben. I’d learned how to throw caution to the wind—mostly—the way he did, and live more impulsively without planning everything meticulously.
And he’d learned to plan a little more. We were rubbing off on each other and learning how to build a life together. But life with Ben, although it had only been seven months, had been incredible. He took care of me, doted on me, but still allowed me to be my headstrong self.
And he was just as stubborn. It made for passionate fights.
And even more passionate makeup sex afterward.
He was incredible.
The Maldives really was a wonderful place to come to, and I lay back on the sun lounger. Ben was inside, getting us something to drink and I looked over the infinity pool and to the incredibly blue waters beyond. The sun was warm but a gentle breeze cooled me down again, and the scent of saltwater and tropical flowers filled the air.
I ran my hand over my belly. Soon, the little one would be here.
Ben and I still didn’t know what the gender was, and I was excited to find out. We’d decorated a baby room back home, going with greens, browns, and grays so that it could work for both genders. Neither of us minded what gender the baby was—we just wanted it to be healthy.
And I wanted it over with already. I wanted my body back.
A sharp twinge in my stomach made me cry out.
A rush of warmth spread through my body.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked, just stepping out with our drinks. “What’s wrong?”
Another twinge followed, and I gasped.
“Sofia?” Ben put the glasses down and hurried to me. “What’s going on?”
“I think—” I cried out again. “I think it’s time.” I managed to get the rest of my sentence out in a gasp.
“Time?” Ben asked, his eyes widening. “It can’t be time. You still have three weeks.”
“Not anymore,” I said when my stomach contracted tightly, and I cried out. “It’s happening now .”
“Shit,” Ben muttered. “Shit, shit, shit. I don’t know what to do here. Our plan to get to the hospital is for back home!”
“It’s going to be fine,” I said, holding the side of my belly, leaning on my other arm. “We just have to get to a hospital. There’s one on the island, isn’t there?”
“Yeah,” Ben said. “I made sure there was.”
“You did?”
“You know, just in case,” he said and helped me up.
Another contraction made me double over.
“This one’s not going to wait, Ben,” I said. “My contractions aren’t very far apart.”
Ben steadied me with one hand and with the other, he called the resort staff, ordering a car.
Everyone was on board in no time at all. The staff had a medical team, and when they were sure I wasn’t going to give birth then and there—even though it felt like it—they transported me to a speed boat that waited at the dock close to the villa. The boat sped over the water. I lay back against Ben, and another contraction rocked my body. Pressure between my legs sent terror through me.
“I can’t do this, Ben,” I cried out, squeezing his hand.
“You can do this,” Ben said. “It’s going to be fine. I’m right here.”
When we arrived at the dock, I was taken to a hospital, and a doctor in the maternity ward looked me over.
When he looked up at me, his eyes were wide.
“We’re having this baby,” he said.
“Now?” Ben asked.
“Now,” the doctor said, and I was rushed into a room where everything was ready. Stirrups for my legs, a place to check the baby was okay, space for doctors and nurses to move around me.
The nurses worked fast, helping me undress and get into a johnny before I got into the bed. The contractions weren’t far apart at all now.
I wished we were back home. I wished Dr. Richards was here. But this was what we had to work with. We were having this baby here and now, born in the Maldives.
What a crazy start to this little being’s life.
But everything with me and Ben had been like this—a whirlwind that ended in happiness.
This had to be the same way.
“Okay, you’re crowning,” the doctor said. “With the next contraction, I need you to push.”
I did as the doctor asked, and waves of pain washed over my body. I cried out, breathing when the doctor told me to, pushing when he told me to, losing all track of place and time as my body did what nature had meant for it to.
And then the baby slipped out, leaving me feeling empty, and a tiny cry filled the room.
“You did it, my love,” Ben said, his voice filled with emotion.
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
“Congratulations, you two,” the doctor said with a smile, his words punctuated by the tiny cries. “It’s a healthy baby girl.”
“Oh, my God, Sofia,” Ben said. “A girl.”
The doctor had Ben cut the umbilical, and they made sure the little girl was okay while the doctor finished up with me.
And finally, wrapped in a swaddling blanket, they put her in my arms.
“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Ben whispered, leaning over to look at the tiny face that blinked up at the world.
“She’s perfect,” I agreed. “Ten toes, ten fingers, and I think she has your nose.”
Ben chuckled. “Maybe, but those eyes… that’s all you.”
She had big gray eyes, but she squeezed them shut as she started crying again.
“Oh, baby, no,” I said.
A nurse helped me nurse her, and I was moved to a private room. Ben never left my side, staying with the baby, with me, making sure that we had everything we needed.
Finally, after an exhausting birth, learning how to nurse and adjusting to motherhood, the baby fell asleep.
I closed my eyes, and then I was gone, too.
When I blinked my eyes open again, the sun fell through the window at a different angle, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep.
I glanced into the bassinet where our baby girl lay. She was still asleep.
The room was empty, otherwise.
Where was Ben?
As soon as I sat up, looking for a phone to call him, the door opened, and Ben popped his head in.
“Hey,” he said with a smile and came into the room. “You’re awake. How do you feel?” He leaned down and kissed me.
“I feel okay. I didn’t think I’d feel this good this soon, but… I feel good.”
“Great,” Ben said with a smile. “You wouldn’t by any chance be ready for visitors?”
“Visitors?” Who could possibly visit us on an island in the Maldives?
“Well… when I called to let the family know, they insisted on flying out to meet our little girl. So… they’re all here.”
I blinked at him. “All of them?”
“Yeah,” Ben said and scratched his head. “They took a private plane, so…”
I couldn’t believe it. “Yes, I’m ready to see them.” I wanted my family here with me. I wanted them all to know her.
Ben’s smile widened. “Okay, I’ll let them know.”
The family came in a moment later, and Ben wasn’t joking. It really was all of them—Ben’s parents, all three of his brothers, Charlotte with Tommy on her hip, Luke and Amy because they were practically like family. Finally, Elena stepped in, too.
“Oh, my God,” I said, and tears rolled down my cheeks. “You all came.”
They took their turns congratulating us with hugs and kisses, and they fussed over the baby, who had woken up but wasn’t crying.
She was already so good.
“What are you going to name her?” Charlotte asked, and everyone fell quiet to hear our answer.
“We haven’t really decided on a name, but I like Carina,” I said, looking at Ben.
Carina had been one of our options if it was a girl. Pure.
“She really looks like a Carina,” Ben said.
I nodded. “Carina Blackwood.” I planted a kiss on her forehead. “Welcome to the world, little girl.”
Everyone talked over each other, saying the name to each other, nodding in approval. I glanced up at Ben, and he smiled down at me.
Right here was my whole world, my whole life.
My whole love.
With Ben at my side and baby Carina in my arms, what more could I ever want? Riches had nothing to do with money, and I was the richest woman in the world.
Thank you for reading Rebellious Hearts !