“Okay, one last push, Anna. Come on, you can do it,” the doctor instructed.
I grabbed her hand and made sure she couldn’t grip my hair again as she took a deep breath and pushed, squeezing her eyes shut. Her whole torso rose off the bed from the effort.
“Come on, Baby Girl, you can do it. Come on, push, Anna,” I encouraged. After what seemed like forever, she let out a piercing scream and then slumped back down on the bed, panting for breath.
“You did it, Anna. It’s a little boy,” the doctor announced.
I heard a baby cry and I felt my heart stop. Holy shit, I’m a dad! I couldn’t breathe. We had a baby. I looked back at Anna to see that she was smiling at me tenderly, her eyes glistening with tears. A sense of gratitude washed over me, making my whole body tingle. She’d made me a dad. This was honestly the best day of my life; the way Anna was looking at me made my heart ache.
“You were right,” she laughed quietly.
I bent my head and kissed her on the lips. Her hand went to the back of my head, holding my mouth to hers for a couple of seconds. When I pulled away, I grinned. I was happier than I had ever been in my life. I had the most incredible girl, and now we had a little baby boy.
“Thank you,” I said gratefully.
“You’re welcome, Pretty Boy,” she laughed. I pulled back, and she looked at the doctor, who was wrapping the baby up in a blanket. “Is he alright?” Anna asked worriedly, moving up on the bed.
“He’s perfect. Ten fingers and ten toes,” the doctor replied, walking over with a little bundle in her arms. She held him out to Anna, who took him immediately, looking down at him.
“Oh God, he’s so beautiful,” she murmured, pulling the blanket back to get a better look. A tear rolled down her face as she looked at him lovingly. I moved forward and leant over the bed so I could see. She shifted the baby in her arms, tilting him towards me. He was amazing, a perfect, little, scrunched up, dirty-looking baby with a mass of brown hair. His eyes were closed, and he was crying quietly as Anna rocked him gently. He looked just like his momma – incredible, and the most beautiful thing in the world.
“He looks just like you, Anna.” I hesitantly reached out a hand to touch him. As my fingertip touched his face, I felt my heart speed up. He was so soft. His skin was flawless and creamy-looking, even though he was covered in mess and blood. “Hi, little guy. I’m your daddy.”
“Want to hold him?” Anna asked smiling, still crying happy tears.
Oh crap, I have no idea how to do that. “Um, yeah okay,” I nodded, looking down at him. How was I supposed to take him? What was I supposed to do if he cried?
Anna laughed quietly. “Stop stressing, Ashton. Hold your arm out and I’ll pass him to you.”
I sat on the edge of her bed and cradled my arms, wincing and feeling sick with worry. She shifted him in her hands and placed him so his head was in the crook of my arm. I tensed my back and stayed completely still. He weighed hardly anything at all.
“Relax, Ashton.” Anna laughed and rubbed her hand on my leg reassuringly. The little baby in my arms was so special that I felt emotion bubbling up inside me. I was lost for words. I couldn’t take my eyes from him as his eyes fluttered open and then closed again. “My two boys,” Anna breathed.
I smiled and looked away from the perfect bundle in my arms, to his perfect momma. “I love you, Anna, so much,” I promised.
She smiled at me tenderly as she stroked the baby’s face with the back of one finger. “I love you too. I’m so sorry I shouted at you,” she said, looking at me apologetically.
I laughed and shook my head. “Would you slap me if I told you it was kind of a turn-on?” I asked, grinning.
“If you weren’t holding my son right now, then hell yeah, I’d slap you,” she answered, shaking her head disapprovingly but laughing at the same time. “Seriously though, he was so worth all of that pain. So if you want to make babies with me again anytime soon, I’m up for that.”
I laughed. “I’m always up for that, you know me.”
“I know, pervert. Maybe after I’ve had some sleep,” she joked. “So, what should we call him?” She settled back against the pillows, her hand still stroking his cheek.
I looked down at the little baby in my arms. A name sprang to mind instantly. “How about Cameron?”
“That was your dad’s name,” she said quietly. I nodded, looking up at her to see if she liked it. We hadn’t discussed names much; just a couple that we both agreed on, like Will and Kaden, but he didn’t look like either of those. “Cameron Ashton Taylor,” she cooed as a wide smile crept onto her lips. “I love it. It’s perfect.” She bent her head and kissed his forehead softly.
“Ashton?” I repeated. We hadn’t talked about a middle name.
She nodded. “Well yeah, he needs to have his daddy’s name, silly.”
After we’d both had plenty of cuddles, the doctor took him back, weighing him, checking him over and cleaning him up a little. Once he was decked out in a tiny, little white baby grow, he was placed back into his proud mommy’s arms. My heart ached at the sight of them together. I couldn’t keep the ecstatic grin off my face.
“I’d better get some photos and make the announcement,” I suggested, pulling out my cell phone. Anna chuckled, adjusting my son so that I could get a few good pictures. After sending them to Nate, Rosie and Anna’s parents, I settled down onto the bed next to her, still in slight disbelief that I was now a father.
“Your mom’s gonna be so mad that she’s not going to be first one through the door to visit,” I stated, shaking my head and imagining the panic on Melissa’s face when she heard the news that her only child had given birth to her first grandchild. They were currently in England so Tom and Melissa would have to wait a couple of days before they could meet the new Taylor family addition. She wouldn’t be happy about that at all. She was ridiculously eager to be a grandmother.
“I know. She’ll freak. She’d already ordered me to cross my legs before she went,” Anna chuckled. “Nate will be psyched that he gets to be the first to meet him though.” She stroked her finger across Cameron’s cheek, smiling down at him. “Are you going to ask him today about being Godfather?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. Nate was going to flip out when I asked him; he’d been on countdown to Anna’s due date too, just like I was. He was already referring to himself as ‘Cool Uncle Nate’. Anna and I had talked about Godparents before the baby was born and were planning on asking Nate and Rosie because they were our closest friends. We lived in LA so we saw Nate all the time; he practically lived round our place. Rosie lived a couple of hours drive away, but we still kept in contact and saw her whenever we could. She and Anna spoke on the phone for hours on end at least once a week. On the up side, Rosie was moving to LA soon too for a new job, so that would make seeing her even easier. Anna couldn’t wait to see more of her best friend.
I sighed contentedly and wrapped my arms around the love of my life, dipping my head and planting a soft, lingering kiss on her temple. “I love you, baby momma,” I whispered, holding her tightly. She smiled and pressed her face into my chest. My cheeks were starting to hurt where I hadn’t stopped smiling. I’d known her for a total of five and a half years now, yet she still managed to take my breath away everyday. I hoped I never took her for granted because I was the luckiest guy in the world to have her love me like she did. Every day I thanked my lucky stars that I’d met her and that I had the chance to make her happy again.
Sounds of cooing came from Cameron’s direction, so I looked down at him, cradled protectively in her arms. I was awed by him and his tiny frame. It was hard to believe that this little boy was something that mine and Anna’s love had made. He was less than an hour old, yet I loved him so very much already. I knew I would give my life for him in an instant, the same as I would for Anna.
Reaching out, I picked up his little hand, just marvelling over his tiny fingernails. “Thanks for keeping up your end of the bargain and not hurting your mom too much when you came out. I promise to keep up my end of the bargain and be the best dad in the world,” I murmured quietly. Anna chuckled, chewing on her bottom lip. I smiled at her before bending and kissing the tips of Cameron’s fingers. “It’s you, me, and your momma now. Us Taylor boys have to watch out for your momma. She’s just incredible, and you are one lucky little baby to have her.”
When I looked up to Anna, I saw that she had tears in her eyes. I sighed and shook my head in disbelief. After all this time, I still had no idea how I managed to get a girl like her to fall in love with me. Nothing had ever felt so precious to me. My little family. I stroked her hair away from her face before bending in and pressing my lips to hers softly. This girl and this baby were my world, and the only things I needed out of life. I just hoped I could somehow make them as happy as they both made me.