Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
ZOE
It’s early one evening when our child decides it’s time to evict herself.
Declan catches on pretty quickly as we’re curled up in front of the television watching one of his old movies.
“Are you timing those contractions?” he asks.
“How did you know I was having contractions?” I ask.
He leans in and nuzzles my cheek. “The way you suck in your breath. They’re about ten minutes apart.”
I bite my lip. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet. I’ve been trying to stay calm.”
“Because you think I’m going to freak out?”
“Maybe?” I tear up, and he brushes my cheeks with his fingers.
“What’s going on?”
My lips twitch while I think of an answer. Because I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions for months. I’m not sure why the idea of being in labour is making me a nervous wreck.
“The baby’s coming,” I whisper.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s call the doctor and check in with her.”
One phone call later, with the contractions increasing, we leave for the hospital. I’m a hot mess by the time we make it to the delivery room. And the very first nurse who does a double take at Declan gets a taste of my wrath.
“Don’t look at him,” I yell.
Declan squeezes my hand. “Sweetheart?—”
“Don’t you sweetheart me, Declan O’Leary. I hate it when other women look at you.”
He clamps his lips together.
“I’m so sorry,” the nurse says.
Declan stands and presses a kiss to my temple. “It’s okay. Zoe just gets … territorial.”
I slap his chest. “Don’t speak for me.”
“I’m sorry, my love. I’m trying my best to take care of you.”
I whimper as the pain begins to build again. “Am I really your love?”
He presses his forehead to mine. “Always. I love you, Zoe. Please can you park the jealousy until after you’ve got our baby in your arms?”
“I want my baby.”
“I know. I can’t wait to meet them too.”
This baby’s not co-operated once during scans. It’s not that we didn’t want to know the gender—we never got a chance to find out.
Something tells me Declan’s right when he says he thinks we’re having a girl. This baby’s stubborn like me.
For the next few hours, he doesn’t put a foot wrong. He feeds me ice chips and rubs my back when I need it. And he’s completely focused on me.
A little after midnight and after an hour of pushing, our daughter makes her appearance. It’s love at first sight. She’s got a shock of dark hair and dark eyes like her father. In fact, there’s no denying she’s Declan’s daughter as she has his chin too. Declan’s in tears as he cuts the cord.
I’ve never been so overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion. I want to hold and nurse her all night, but I also want to collapse and sleep for the next week.
We already made arrangements for Declan to stay in hospital with me—I don’t know if I could cope if he had to go home. I just want him and our daughter close.
“What are we going to call her?” I ask.
He chuckles. “We should have talked about this.”
“We were too busy with other things.”
I close my eyes as Declan places a soft kiss on my cheek. “I think you should name her. You did all the work.”
Stroking my daughter’s fuzzy little head, I sigh. “How about Daisy Grace? I always liked Daisy as a name, and Grace is my mother’s middle name.”
“Daisy Grace. My girl.” Declan’s voice shakes a little as he wraps his arms around us. My heart’s never been so full of love. For our daughter. For him.
It scares the hell out of me.
My biggest fear is that we’ll just be a flash in the pan for him. I think back to where this all started—when I confidently told him I didn’t need him. That might have felt true then, but everything’s changed. What if he ditches us for the life he had before?
“I’ll buy a house,” he says.
Panic rises in me. “What? Where?”
He tilts his head. “Wherever you are. Where else?”
Tears well in my eyes as I take in his announcement. We’ve grown so close—been intimate while I’ve been pregnant. Is our daughter about to live between two homes? Aren’t we enough to keep him near?
“Maybe four bedrooms. Nothing too big. Enough room for us and our little one with room to grow in case we decide to have more children. And a garden for them to play in. That’s important. We don’t need that big house.”
I let out a sob in relief, and he fixes his gaze on me. “Zoe? Are you okay? Are you in pain?”
Shaking my head, I swipe away the tears from my cheeks. “I thought … I thought you were moving out.”
“Without you?”
I nod.
Declan gathers me in his arms and strokes my back. I breathe in the reassuring scent of him . All these months together and I didn’t want to fall in love, but it’s far too late for that.
“I’m not going anywhere without you. Or our daughter. We’re a family now. I love you, Zoe Drake.”
I sniff. “I love you too. And don’t sell your other house. I love it too much.”
He chuckles. “Me too, but don’t you think it’s a bit too big? ”
“It’s perfect. The bathtub is perfect.”
His chuckle turns to a roar of laughter. “You want to keep the house because of the bathtub?”
“Yes. And maybe it’s big, but we can make it a home. And I know you love it.”
He grins. “If it makes you happy, then that’s what we do.”
I breathe out a long sigh. “I’ll miss San Francisco, but with Caitlin married and living somewhere else, there’s nothing for me here. But your life is in LA, and we’ll be there while you’re filming anyway …”
Declan nods. “Makes sense.”
“And with that big house, I don’t want Daisy growing up alone. I know we haven’t talked about the future, but …”
“I’ll give you as many babies as you want.” He kisses me softly. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Zoe.”