Page 29 of Mafia's Broken Omega

Please, Avery. I don’t think a trip to the store in your condi–

That last comment had been cut off with a stern glare from my largely pregnant husband. My protests about going to the store had fallen on deaf ears. He was hell-bent on going, and no amount of logic or reasoning was going to stop him.

We had spent months preparing for this moment, but all those plans went straight out the window when I was faced with the actual reality of having a baby. The cart was full of items we had selected–including several boxes of the peanut butter cookiesAvery couldn’t get enough of. I left the cart in the aisle and hurried him into the car. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

Why hadn’t we had Davison drive us? Oh yeah, because Avery insisted that he wanted it to be just the two of us to go on this outing.

After getting Avery into the backseat, I hopped in the front. I fired off a quick text to my contact at the hospital to let them know we were on our way. We had opted for a hospital delivery rather than utilizing the Ferrini house, because as much as I loved Andro, I didn’t wish to be indebted to him for all the things. Plus, I had plenty of connections at the local hospital. The tires screeched as I peeled out of the parking lot. The town car handled nicely and was imposing enough that people got out of our way.

"You’ve got this, Avery. You’re gonna do great." The words spewing out of my mouth were more for me than for him. I’d never been great in emergency situations. I caused emergency situations, I didn’t deal with them.

"Just breathe." His voice was surprisingly calm. “Don’t get us into an accident.”

When I glanced at him in the rearview mirror, I saw Avery grinning at me through clenched teeth. “I need you to get us all there in one piece.”

I inhaled a long, slow breath and nodded as I blew it out. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re the one who’s supposed to be panicking.”

Avery laughed. “No one needs to panic.” He grimaced and started panting quickly through a contraction. Sweat beaded on his brow and was soaking through the oversized T-shirt he wore.When he could speak again, he groaned. “Okay, I’m gonna panic a little. I can’t have this baby in a car.”

He was trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, but every word he said sounded like a ticking clock in my mind. His contractions were just a few minutes apart and getting closer with each round. "Remember how you told me to breathe?" I turned onto the main street where the hospital was. Almost there. "Now's the time for you to practice."

The sound of his laughter steadied my nerves as I pulled up to the emergency room doors. I left the keys in the console so they could move it or tow it or steal it for all I cared. I just needed to get my omega inside. "We’re here now. You doing okay?" I opened my door to grab him.

"More worried about you." He had his door open before I got to it and was already trying to climb out.

“Here, let me.” I carried him close to my chest as I ran through the double doors. “Help!”

Nurses appeared on both sides of me, and I was quickly lowering Avery into a wheelchair as they led us into the artificially bright lobby.

“Mr. Mennetti, welcome. We’ve been expecting you, and we have everything ready.” The nurse stared at us with kind eyes and a bright smile.

I was a mess, but Avery was cool and collected, just like he'd been in the car. "See?" he whispered as he squeezed my hand. "Nothing to worry about."

I finally exhaled, then leaned down and kissed him. “You were right, as always.”

Just a few minutes later, Avery was reclined in a bed with a doctor and two nurses orbiting around him. His breaths grew more ragged as he squeezed my hand.

“You’re doing great.” I wiped the hair from his brow and kissed his forehead. “So good.”

He bore down when the doctor told him to push, and I held my breath, wishing I could transfer my strength into him.

The delivery room was sterile and bright as his chest heaved from the exertion. All I could do was stay close and let him crush my fingers with each powerful squeeze. "You've got this." I wanted to come up with something more reassuring and witty, but all I could do was repeat those words again and again. “We’re going to meet our little girl very soon, love. You’re doing so great.”

"Just one more big push." The doctor’s voice was smooth and confident, bringing me a sense of calm that I desperately needed. At least one of us knew what we were doing. If my enemies could see me now…

I tuned out the activity around me and focused on breathing with Avery, keeping him centered while he welcomed our daughter into the world.

When the nurse placed our baby girl on Avery's chest, I was speechless. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the impossibly small, impossibly perfect bundle with dark hair and deep dimples. My heart caught in my throat as I kissed Avery. “You did it, sweetheart. She’s perfect.”

Avery looked down at her with a soft and loving expression. "She looks like you."

“I hope she’s smart and sweet and kind like you.” I looked at them both, the two people who were now the center of my universe. Nothing else I’d been dealing with truly mattered, as long my little family was safe and sound.

He reached out, took my hand. “I love you, Cord.”

I pressed my lips to his. “I love you too, Avery.”

Our baby girl was snug against the man I loved more than I thought possible. I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I wanted to shout to the world about this miracle we'd pulled off. Instead, I just watched my mate fall in love with our sweet baby.

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