Bonus Chapter
Whitney knelt on the cold bathroom floor, reliving the pain of childbirth and a broken pelvis all at once. Her vision blurred with tears as she clutched her stomach, breathing through the contraction that ripped through her. “Taryn!”
she screamed for their live-in nanny, not for the reasons Fade always teased her about but because carrying two children after already having two had turned into a dangerous game.
The bedroom door burst open, and Taryn stumbled in, wide-eyed and terrified. “Whitney? Are you okay?”
she asked, tiptoeing into the bathroom like she was afraid the walls might collapse.
Whitney gritted her teeth, one hand bracing against the counter as another contraction tightened her body. “Taryn, I think the twins are coming early, something’s wrong. My phone’s on the bed. Where’s Justin?”
“I just put him down for his morning nap,”
Taryn answered, her voice trembling.
“Thank God,”
Whitney gasped, throwing her head back against the cabinet behind her. “Grab my phone.”
Taryn darted out and returned a second later, the screen lighting up as it hit Whitney’s palm. She started to call Fade, her fingers slippery with sweat, when the phone slipped and skidded across the tile floor. “Fuck!”
“I—I can help,”
Taryn offered, snatching up the phone and handing it back with shaking hands.
Whitney shoved it onto the counter above her head, not trusting her grip anymore. She shifted her legs beneath her, adjusting against the pain. “Forget it. Grab your phone and call Fade. Tell him the twins are coming, and I need to get to the hospital, but I can’t get off the floor.”
Taryn’s eyes went wide with panic, but she nodded and ran.
Whitney squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control her breathing, but her body wasn’t listening. The unbearable pressure built, and she couldn’t stop the instinctive need to bear down. She knew this was bad, this was her third pregnancy, but her first vaginal delivery after two C-sections. The twins weren’t due for another eight weeks, and the weight of them must’ve pushed her already fragile pelvis past its breaking point. She didn’t know if it was panic, pain, or her body’s fight to survive, but she was going into labor fast.
Taryn reappeared in the doorway, breathless. “He’s on his way, but he wants to know if you’re sure.”
Whitney glared up at her. “Yes, I’m fucking sure!”
Taryn winced but dutifully repeated the message word-for-word into the phone.
Whitney felt the urge to push take over again, and she knew she wouldn’t make it to the hospital. With a groan, she yanked down her pajama pants, her breath catching as the pain from her pelvis intensified, and then came the unmistakable burn. “Oh, fuck,”
she gasped.
Taryn’s eyes went even wider as she took in the sight of Whitney, half-naked and fully in labor on the bathroom floor. “He said he’s almost here!”
“No!”
Whitney panted. “The babies—”
She couldn’t even finish the sentence before her body took over again. The first twin slid into the world faster than she expected, silent and small.
Taryn froze, staring at the baby in shock. “Oh my God—”
“Towel!”
Whitney barked, her voice breaking. Taryn scrambled and handed over the nearest one. Whitney quickly wrapped the tiny boy, her hands working frantically to clear his face and then, blessedly, the baby let out a sharp, angry cry. Relief flooded her as she cradled his warm, squirming body against her.
“Whitney?!”
Fade’s voice bellowed through the house like a wrecking ball.
“We’re in here!”
Taryn called, dashing out to lead him.
Fade barreled into the room seconds later, wild-eyed and breathless. He took one look at his wife on the floor, their newborn son already in her arms, and dropped to his knees beside her.
“Justin’s awake,”
Taryn said faintly from the doorway.
“Go get him,”
Whitney said, her voice ragged. “We’ve got this.”
As Taryn rushed off, Fade pressed his forehead against Whitney’s, brushing damp hair from her face. “You’re incredible,”
he whispered, kissing her sweat-soaked skin. “EMTs are on the way. Marilyn’s sending them.”
But Whitney was already pushing again. “Fade—”
Her voice broke into a cry of pain.
“Wait, wait—stop!”
Fade’s hand shot out, his eyes going wide. “Cord—”
She froze, panting as he carefully untangled the umbilical cord from around their second son’s neck. “Okay,”
he said after an agonizing second. “Go.”
The second baby slipped free into Fade’s waiting hands. But this time, there was no cry. “Fade,”
Whitney whispered, her voice trembling. “He’s not breathing.”
“I’ve got him,”
Fade said, though his voice was tight. He rubbed the baby’s chest, his big hands so gentle and desperate. “Come on, little guy…”
Nothing.
“Fade—”
He didn’t stop and kept working, kept coaxing him, until finally, the baby’s tiny mouth opened, and a wail filled the room. Fade sagged in relief, his face breaking into the brightest smile Whitney had ever seen.
“You’re fucking indestructible, babe,”
he whispered, his lips brushing hers before his forehead dropped to hers.
And just as the sound of boots filled the hallway, Whitney let herself finally breathe.