Page 60 of Merciless Promise
“That marriage wasn’t real, but the one we have soon will be. I love you so fucking much, and the thought of never seeing you again made me?—”
“I love you, too.” I dropped my head back, and when his eyes met mine, my lips parted as he seized my mouth with his. I clung to him as he ate at my lips and mouth before pulling away.
“Are you sure that you’re okay?” he asked me again. “I can take you to the?—"
“I am. You’re here with me, and everyone that mattered survived. All I want to do now is go home.”
“You heard the lady,” he said to his men, and they headed straight there.
ONE YEAR LATER
“...and here is your son,” the nurse said to me as she handed him to me.
I quickly held him against my chest as I stared down at the most perfect little face. Granted, he was less than an hour old, but I’d already felt as if I could see some of myself in him. It was quite surreal because a year and a half ago, a child was the last thing I had wanted. Marriage, too.
As I looked over at Ekaterina, I now couldn’t imagine wanting anything less. My grandfather had forced my hand, but in doing so, he made me grab everything I never knew I wanted. Thankfully, I had matured over these last sixteen or so months, and I could finally appreciate my wife, and now son, as the blessings they truly were.
I turned my attention back to my son. He already had a head full of hair, but unlike his mother’s dark mane, his was as light as spun gold. Blond males ran in our families, and the newest Brannington was poised to carry on that tradition.
“You look like a natural already, Daddy,” my wife said to me, and I grinned.
“He’s absolutely perfect,” I said to her before moving closer to her bed.
She’d had a long labor, which culminated in Dr. Kane performing an emergency cesarean on her. With the lack of progress, as they called it, and her worsening blood pressure, the decision had been made, and she’d been put under general anesthesia. I was truly glad to see her awake, and knowing she’d not yet had a chance to hold her son, I took a seat in the chair beside her bed.
“Allow me,” I said to her when she reached out for him. I could see her grimace, and I suspected she was still in a great deal of pain. “I’ll help. You just need to take it easy.”
“Okay, okay,” she said to me, then smiled wide as I set our son in her arms.
As if he already knew her, I watched his tiny hands ball up into small fists as he snuggled against her chest. I imagined she would want to feed him soon, but for now, mother and baby were content to just be together.
And I was content as well. The flurry of activity as they’d readied her for delivery had scared me more than I would ever admit, but everything turned out for the best. Our son was here, and neither mom nor child were in distress any longer. With both of them doing well, I felt the huge weight as it was lifted off my shoulders.
“I imagined this moment so many times,” she murmured to me.
“I have, too. I thought labor and stuff would go by much easier, but you’ve always been difficult on your best days, so of course our son would inherit that attribute from you, too.”
She smiled. “We have to be difficult to put up with you.”
I gave a shrug, but never stopped smiling at her. “So, have you given thought to a name yet?”
I knew we had discussed several of them, but the medical staff had already asked once while she’d still been out, and I hadn’t known what to say. There were so many things in our lives that I took control over, but this was something I’d wanted us to do together. I once thought I would get rid of her once my son was born, but that had been before I’d known the truth...Before I had broken a foolish vow...Before I had fallen so completely in love with her.
“I have some ideas,” she said to me, and I arched my brow as I waited for her response.
When she didn’t say anything, I cleared my throat. “So, who is he going to be?”
“A Brannington, first and foremost,” she said before adding. “I’m thinking Kieran James Brannington. Do you like that one?”
“I do,” I said as I brushed my hand over her cheek, then did the same to Kieran as he slept.
“I love you,” Ekaterina said to me.
“Is tú mo ghrá!”
A yawn escaped her, and I knew she needed her rest. I suspected the nurse knew it too because she came to retrieve our son and return him to the nursery. Ekaterina went to sleep right after, but I lingered around for a short while before sending out the announcement of my son’s birth to my grandfather and cousin. Not long after, I received a series of congratulatory text messages from others within the organization. It had been a long time since the birth of the last Brannington, and if I had my way, I intended to have as many kids as my wife wanted to provide to me. Daughters...Sons...It didn’t matter as long as all were healthy.
I did have some work to handle while here at the hospital, so I slipped out of the room and soon made it downstairs to my carinside the parking garage. After returning a few calls, I sat there for several minutes as the adrenaline from the earlier excitement began to wear off, and reality hit me. I not only needed to protect my wife, but I had child who would look to me for guidance, protection, and most of all, love.
