Epilogue
Malika
While Malika was certain this child would be as beautiful as its parents, right now, she didn’t care. She wanted it out.
She had made a grave error in judgment. Her hardy Djitanian desert ancestors would have taken painkilling medication if it had been accessible to them. She, on the other hand, had made the ridiculous decision to give birth in Burning Scrub.
Seven months ago, it sounded like a wonderful idea.
Belle told her she was healthy, and the pregnancy was normal, and Malika had been confident of her threshold for pain.
After thirteen hours of labor, she’d lost that same level of confidence, along with her will to live, and she would gladly place the baby up for adoption in exchange for an epidural.
An epidural, however, would not be forthcoming. Belle refused to administer one because she wasn’t a qualified anesthesia professional, although she did have a helicopter on standby in case of an emergency.
An emergency that only Belle got to determine.
The heartless woman did not care that Malika was dying.
“Just a few more pushes,” Belle said.
She was lucky that Jayce stood nearby. He kept his hand on Malika’s leg so she couldn’t kick the doctor in her beautiful face.
Malika took comfort in the knowledge that Belle was also pregnant—six months along—and that every time Malika screamed from the sharp, crippling pain of a contraction, Belle felt it too.
Jayce—luckily for him—had eyes only for his dying wife, and paid no attention to Belle, other than to guarantee her safety from his wife’s well-aimed foot.
This wasn’t Belle’s first delivery, however, and after two more pushes, true to her word, baby Evan Hillary Adeel Hanson made his loud, angry entrance into the world.
Jayce forgot about Malika in his haste to take the baby from Belle, who, with the help of the multitalented Pearl, had more doctor duties to attend to after she confirmed little Evan was healthy.
Malika, also conveniently forgetting she had cursed natural childbirth only a few short minutes ago, was now grateful for the log cabin Jayce had built for them in Burning Scrub so she could give birth at home. She could sleep in her own bed.
And she needed to sleep.
Once Belle was satisfied that everything was in order, and after issuing strict instructions for Jayce to contact her if he had any concerns, she and Pearl departed, leaving the young family alone.
They would not be alone for very long. Vanessa had been summoned when Malika’s labor began, and she would spend a few days with them to help with the baby.
Malika’s sisters and her mother were on their way too.
They would stay in the guest lodge for several weeks, where they’d stayed last fall for her wedding to Jayce, and Benny had graciously offered Adeel a thirty percent discount because they were family.
But for now, it was Jayce, Malika, and baby Evan.
Malika snuggled deeper into her pillow with her hands tucked under her cheek. Jayce rocked their son in a chair in front of the fireplace that faced the foot of their bed. He saw she was awake, watching them.
“Do you remember the first time we met, when you kidnapped me?” she asked him.
“Quit saying I kidnapped you, especially in front of our son. You don’t want Evan to grow up thinking his dad’s a felon, do you?
” Jayce grinned at her. “How could I possibly forget? I didn’t think I’d ever be able to father children after the knee to the procreators you gave me.
This little guy right here is a miracle baby. ”
“That’s the moment I’m talking about,” Malika said. “You curled into a ball, rolled around like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, and you said, Fudge on a stick. That’s the moment I should have known.”
“Should have known what an awesome, honorable cowboy I am and how much you were going to love me?”
“I should have known you were the worst kidnapper ever. Which leads to something else I should have known. Adeel only pays for the best. Therefore, he had plans other than kidnapping for you.”
“I like Adeel,” Jayce said. “You don’t need to sell him to me.”
“He set us up. He intended for us to marry.”
Malika’s heart couldn’t get any fuller. Her beloved eldest brother had arranged for her to come to Burning Scrub so she could meet Jayce. He had, indeed, done as well for her as he’d done for their sisters.
If anything, he’d done even better.
The End