Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3 (36 page)

I’d take her dressed or naked. It didn’t matter. She mattered. My best friend, my lover, the soon to be mother of my child—my woman. Mine, only mine.

I never ever expected to feel this way. I’d never felt possessive towards a woman before. Sophia was different. I knew emphatically, I’d kill to protect her and our child. That told me a lot.

She took the final step and, at last, was before me. Noel placed her hands in my outstretched ones and my fingers closed around hers. There were no sweaty palms or trembling nerves, just the immediate little jolt I got every time I touched her.

The little jolt that had started out as pure unadulterated heat but now was so deep in layers I wondered if I’d ever find the bottom of what she could make me feel.

The demons that used to gnaw at my gut torturing me with feelings and emotions I didn’t want, had been silenced by our love. Love that I knew had banished them forever.

Like our hands, our eyes met and held. A soft smile graced her lips. I was not just looking into the face of the woman I loved more than anything. I was a man looking into his future and knowing I’d made the right choice. There were no doubts, no niggling concerns.

It was perfect.

Sophia was perfect.

We were perfect together.

The ceremony flew by…our hands joined and our eyes linked. Everyone and everything else dimmed into the background today.

It was our day.

“I now pronounce you man and wife.”

Before, that had been a sentence I’d never expected to hear, and now, one that felt more right than I could ever have expected.

“You may kiss the bride.”

Oh yeah…it just got better, if that was even possible.

An amused twinkle flashed in her eyes and she tilted her lips up to me in invitation.

One I’d never been able to refuse.

My lips met hers and I ran my hands up her arms and over her bare shoulders. One hand fisted in her long, thick hair, the other wrapped around her shoulders and held her in place against me. Her hands had wrapped around my waist and she was clinging to me tightly.

Our kiss started out hot and got hotter—much hotter.

What was meant to be a gentle press of lips, a traditional sealing of a union, fast became more. Our mouths, sought, connected, and celebrated. It was hardly surprising, really. We were far from chaste in our need and desires for each other.

Cheers went up and, reluctantly, we parted.

“Congratulations,” became a chorus.

“If Sophia wasn’t already pregnant, then that kiss would just about have done it,” Mark joked and everyone laughed. It wasn’t the first time something like that had been said.

Sophia was grinning with happiness and laughter. “I think it was one just like it that did the job. Only difference was alcohol!”

We both gave each other a knowing grin. Yeah, it was a wild night. I had another night planned for my bride, sans alcohol this time. Maybe it would be wild, maybe it would be, tender? Most likely it would be both.

One thing I was sure of though, this time lots of “I love you’s” were going to feature in the proceedings and definitely no chaotic scrambles from her arms. After all, from here on out, her arms were the only place I wanted to be—home.

It was time to start right now. I leaned over and whispered into her ear, “I love you, Sophia Louise Harris.”

A shiver ran through her body at my breath on her ear and neck. She turned in my arms and whispered right back, “I love you too Seth Justin Harris.” Then, the little witch nipped me on the ear lobe and breathed, “How long before we can start the honeymoon?”

I didn’t even need to think about it. “It’s our day. Right now, if you want.”

She didn’t hesitate, just wriggled closer.

“Perfect. I noticed a little room off the side of the ladies room. You game?”

A chuckle slipped from my throat and my dick flinched in my trousers. Was I game? What a question.

“Lead on, babe.”

I didn’t have to encourage her twice. She took my hand and tugged me from the chapel.

To our gathered family and friends, she called, “talk amongst yourselves. Pregnancy emergency.”

I noticed a few shocked and concerned faces as we rushed past.

“Not to worry everyone, just the sort of emergency only I’m equipped to deal with.”

Laughter and groans chased us out into the foyer.

“That’s it, Sophia. You can push on the next contraction.” Dr Collins looked up at me from between my legs.

This was it. The last fight to bring our son into the world.

Would he be fine?

Perfect like babies are supposed to be—full of promise and possibility?

My body was covered in more sweat than any workout and pain was an ocean surrounding me.

“Why didn’t I call for an epidural earlier?” I gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Because…”

“Shut up, Seth,” both myself and Nancy chimed in. Logic had disappeared right about the time the pain became one big, endless leaden blanket. Now, I’d do anything for a few seconds of reprieve.

Our little man had grown rapidly in the last few weeks and now my belly was large and distended with his form. In fact, he’d got to the stage where the doctor had decided a planned c-section would be the best option due to his size. Only problem was, the planned arrival was next week.

My little guy was having other ideas. He’d decided next week was too long to wait and decided to make an appearance on his own. Why was I not surprised? I just knew he was going to be as headstrong and determined as his father.

The savage and intense pain started to rip through my back and radiated around my front again. There was no retreat and no surrender from it’s grips.

“Push, Sophia,” Dr. Collins instructed.

I did my best to fill what little room in my abdomen was left with a big breath, locked my jaw, and pushed downwards with everything I had.

“Keep pushing, right through, hold it.”

I was no stranger to pain or hard work.
“Just another rep, Soph,”
I told myself.

I pushed and held to the point of exhaustion, my body trembling from the exertion.

“Rest.”

The pain rolled back and I sucked in shallow, panting breaths.

“You’re doing great, sweetheart,” Seth soothed in my ear and wiped a cold wet cloth over my face and neck. It felt wonderful.

Everyone hovered—waiting for the inevitable.

And here it came again…

“Again, Sophia, push. Keep pushing.”

I tried to do as the doctor asked but had no idea if I was or not. The world became black and hazy and my abdomen was filled with more pressure than I could ever imagine possible.

I was being ripped apart by this monster child.

Time and time again, I pushed. It was like an endless set of mores, exhaustion dogged me, and only shear will and pride alone were holding me in the fight.

“Good job, Sophia. His head is crowning, but we need to move this along,” Dr. Collins said. Something in his voice told me it was becoming more dire.

Seth dropped a kiss on my head. “You can do this.”

“I’m so tired.” Never once had I ever complained in training. Never had I been so exhausted before.

I just wanted it to be over.

“I need you to give me a couple more strong pushes, Sophia, this baby needs to be born.” His voice was definite, no room for quibbling. Something was wrong.

Nancy was beside the doctor and a frown crossed her face, before she nodded about whatever they were whispering.

Did I hear right? Was the cord around his neck?

Fear engulfed me as well as exhaustion and pain.

What was wrong?

I didn’t know if I had another two rounds of that in me, nor did I know if my son did either. This needed to be over, it was time to go for the knock out—now.

“Focus, Sophia.”
I willed myself as I pulled together what fragments of energy and strength I had left in my listless body.

This was it. I could do this. I had to do this.

It started again…the intense radiating pain.

I held tight, letting it build and build until I couldn’t resist pushing anymore.

Now!

I summoned every last ounce of strength and fight I had and pushed against the pain. It was the enemy of myself and my child, it had to be defeated.

The pressure was too intense to describe as it resisted my barrage.

“Ahhhhhhh,” the most primitive battle cry of the birthing suite ripped from my lungs.

Then, I felt it start to crumble and I knew this was it. I was going to close it out this round. The pressure started to ease and movement flowed through me, pain was toppling, falling.

“Well done, Sophia. That’s it. Rest. Get down here, Seth, and cut the cord.”

The doctor placed my son on my belly, slipping the cord from around his perfect neck as he raised him up. My son was beautiful, the type of beautiful that you never understood before you experienced it. Even traces of blood and white vernix couldn’t detract from the beauty of our son.

I reached down and cupped my hand over the back of his head momentarily before Seth and the doctor cut the cord that had tethered us together during his creation—the tether that had somehow held strong and produced the miracle he was.

Perfect. He looked it, surely he had to be?

Before I had time to think on it further, he was passed from one doctor to another.

Moments later, a lusty cry split the delivery room and a dozen or more medical staff breathed a sigh of relief.

A wave of relief washed over me and I collapsed back on the bed, exhausted.

Seth was back at my head and pulled me into his arms.

“So proud of you, babe. You did it. You brought our son into the world. I love you, Soph.”

Words wouldn’t form for me. I was overwhelmed with exhaustion and emotion.

He pressed his lips to me.

“It’s time to say hello to your mum and dad, little man,” Nancy chortled as she passed me our son, looking a little more together and wrapped in a stripy baby blanket.

I cradled him in my arms and kissed his forehead.

My baby, our baby.

He was really here.

I moved back slightly to let Seth take a look at our son. His arm came around me and he perched on the edge of the bed.

“Welcome to the world, little man.”

Seth kissed his forehead, just as I did before him.

“We did good, Soph,” Seth said proudly. I couldn’t have agreed more.

The three of us stayed like that for a few moments. Me cradling our son in our arms, Seth with his arms around me. All of us together, a new family.

“I’m really sorry to break this up, kids, but the doctors want to get started with the tests they discussed before his birth.”

We’d expected this. And I can’t say I was happy about it but I knew.

It was a formality. My baby was fine.

Nancy moved over closer and I dropped a kiss to his forehead once more before moving to pass him over to her.

She shook her head no.

“Seth, you take your son. You go with the doctors. I’m going to get this pretty mum all tidied up for her men..”

I smiled up at Nancy gratefully before placing our baby in Seth arms—a father who I knew would protect our child with his life.

Seth dropped a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll look after him, babe.” And I knew he would. Knowing that was the only thing that kept me sane as I watched them walk out the door, feeling a huge sense of loss at their departure.

“They’ll be back soon. It’s normal to feel like you are.” It was as if Nancy could read my mind. “The little man is a fighter, just like his mum and dad.”

“You’re right, Nancy, he is. They were both worth fighting for.”

“The love of your life always is.”

“Well, I think there’s nothing more to do than get this little lad back to his mother for a feed. Now we know everything is good, best thing to do is get him nursing,” the pediatrician announced. I held my son closer to my chest and he snuggled in tighter just like his mother always did.

“He’s really fine?” After all we’d been through, I needed to hear him say it.

“He’s perfect. I can’t find a thing wrong with him. The only hint that something happened is the little indentation in his belly, where the needle went in to drain the fluid.”

It was all so hard to believe and very fitting really.

“That’s his badge of honour I guess. His trophy for winning his chance at life.”

The doctor nodded in agreement, “he really is a miracle but it’s his mother he needs right now.”

My miracle. Sophia and my miracle.

And the doc was right, our son needed his mother just as I needed to see my wife and let her know the good news.

Nancy was waiting for me in the corridor outside the neonatal ward. The pediatrician gave her the file and instructions to get our son feeding as soon as possible.

“All good then?” she asked as the doctor retreated back into the ward.

“Better than all good.”

“Knew it,” she boasted. “Right, I know a beautiful lady that is very keen to see her husband and son.”

I looked down at my son in my arms. “Well, let’s not keep her waiting any longer.”

We were walking back through the maze of hospital corridors to the fancy private maternity suites. It was a far cry from the rooms I’d had. These rooms were more like high-end hotel suites. They’d want to be for what they cost. Only the best for my wife and child.

There was something I needed to do. Something I needed to say.

I cleared my throat to get her attention.

When she looked across at me in question, I raced out with it.

“Thank you, Nancy. You were right from the beginning. You said one day I’d thank you and, well, today’s it. I’ve got it all now. Sophia and a perfectly healthy son. You knew all along, didn’t you?”

Her lips pulled together as if she was about to say something, then stopped. A glassiness shone in her eyes.

“I just had a feeling this would all come out right for you. The love of a good woman will do that you know.”

I did know that.

She nodded, neither of us needed to say anymore.