Page 59 of Make Me Yours
The architect blinked between us, unsure if he should keep talking or run for cover. I managed a smile. “Sorry. Married life.”
Another contraction rolled through me, sharper this time. I inhaled slowly, counting the breath like the nurse had shown me, but it was no use pretending. The warm trickle of fluid on the floor erased all doubt.
“Oh,” I whispered. “Okay, that’s… new.”
Sawyer was on his feet before I could blink. “Lilly?—”
“My water just broke.”
He looked down, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like a prayer, and then sprang into motion. “Well, so much for finishing the blueprints.”
The architect stammered something about towels, but Sawyer already had my bag in one hand and his arm around my waist.
“Come on, Hope,” he murmured as he helped me toward the truck, “don’t make your mama deliver you in the architect’s office.”
The ride to the hospital was a blur of phone calls and Sawyer’s hand squeezing mine every time another contraction hit. By the time we reached the small community hospital in Lovelace, my breaths came in ragged bursts.
The nurse took one look at me and said, “No time for the doctor. We’ll set up right here.”
Sawyer’s eyes went wide. “Here? As in—this room?”
“Here,” she confirmed, already pulling gloves from a dispenser.
I barely had the strength to roll my eyes at him. “Guess you’re not leaving my side now.”
He let out a shaky laugh. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
They transformed the hospital room around us in minutes—bright lights, sterile sheets, the rhythmic beeping of machines. The world narrowed to Sawyer’s face and the sound of my own breathing.
“Breathe with me, sweetheart,” he said softly, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “Just like we practiced.”
“Practiced,” I groaned between clenched teeth. “You weren’t the one doing the hard part, cowboy.”
He chuckled, low and tender. “No argument here.”
The nurse gave us gentle instructions, and Sawyer echoed them like he’d memorized every word. I didn’t think I could love him more until that moment—until he steadied me through every wave, whispering small things only I could hear.
When I thought I couldn’t do another push, his voice caught, rough with emotion. “You got this, Lilly James. You’re stronger than you know.”
The next few minutes stretched into forever. Then, suddenly, there it was—the cry that split the air and stopped my heart.
The nurse smiled. “Congratulations, you two. It’s a girl.”
Sawyer let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob. The nurse placed the baby against my chest, and I felt her tiny heartbeat flutter against my skin.
“Hey, Hope,” I whispered, tears spilling freely now. “You decided to show up a little early.”
Sawyer leaned over us, his big hand trembling as he brushed a fingertip along her cheek. “She’s perfect,” he murmured. “Just like her mama.”
I looked up at him—this man who’d once sworn he’d never need anyone—and saw the same awe I’d seen on that back porch when he said,I do.Only now it was multiplied by something new: family.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead, lingering there until I felt his tears dampen my skin.
Soon, the chaos quieted. The nurse dimmed the lights and left us alone. Hope slept between us, wrapped in a pink blanket that looked far too small to hold such a miracle.
Sawyer snapped a few pictures, careful not to wake her. “Gotta let the guys know they owe me cigars.”
I laughed softly. “You and your bragging rights.”
