Page 31 of My Boyfriend's Protective Daddy

I raise my eyes to see Zane and Alyssa rushing through the door. They walk over to me, and we all exchange quick, tense hugs, the anxiety in their faces undoubtedly mirroring my own.

“How is she?” Zane asks.

“I have no idea,” I say. “The doctors haven’t told me shit.”

“I’m sure everything is fine,” Alyssa says, giving my hand a quick squeeze.

“You guys don’t have to be here. I know you’ve got important things to do with your café opening and all,” I say.

“We don’t open for another month,” Zane says. “And there’s nowhere else we need to be that’s more important than right here.”

“Exactly,” Alyssa says. “We weren’t going to let you go through this alone.”

“That means a lot, you guys. Thank you.”

“You didn’t think we wouldn’t be here, did you, old man?” Zane says.

“My question is, why aren’t you in the room with her?” Alyssa asks, her eyebrow arched and her tone light and teasing.

I purse my lips and look away for a moment.

“Out with it,” Zane presses.

“Because she had them toss me out. She said I was making her more nervous by being in the room with her,” I admit. “In my defense, this is a high-stress situation, and I’ve got zero experience with it. I think it’s understandable.”

“You yelled at the nurses, didn’t you?” Zane says with a laugh.

“I didn’t yell,” I grumble.

My son and his fiancée share a look and a laugh. “He yelled,” they say in unison.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys are hilarious.”

“She’s giving birth. That’s pretty high stress for her too, you know,” Alyssa says. “I’m sure your frantic not-yelling-yelling wasn’t doing her any favors.”

“I know, I know. I just… I mean… I didn’t get the chance to be there with you, kid, so this is all new to me,” I say.

“It’s like you always tell me, old man. All you have to do is just be there for her. She’ll tell you what she needs,” Zane says. “It’s pretty good advice.”

“I’m better at giving advice than applying it to my life.”

“Clearly,” Alyssa says with a laugh.

“I’m glad you two are enjoying this.”

“It’s always nice to see you nervous and twitchy,” Zane says. “It reminds us that although you’re like a cyborg most of the time, you actually are human.”

I laugh. “I’m not like a cyborg.”

“Yeah, you kind of are sometimes,” Alyssa says with a grin. “Personally, I like seeing you nervous and jumpy. It’s adorable. I like knowing you have a soft and squishy side. And I know Cassie likes that too.”

“Mr. Teague?”

My heart leaps into my throat as I spin around to see a nurse standing in the doorway of the waiting room. Her face is serious for a moment before she breaks into a broad smile.

“How is she doing?” I ask. “I mean, how are they doing?”

“Would you like to meet your daughter?” she asks.

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