Bride for the Space Cowboy (Match Made in Space #2)

20. Kayden

Chapter Twenty

KAYDEN

When Nadine sits up in the darkness, I immediately jolt awake. “What is it?” I ask.

“The baby is coming,” she says.

She might as well have struck me with a bolt of lightning. I sit up swiftly. “Let’s go!”

“Kayden, we don’t have to rush. The doctor told us when I felt my first contractions, it would still be hours before the baby came.”

Her tone is soothing, and she doesn’t even sound worried. Meanwhile, I’m barely listening to her as I fling on my clothes and tap my communicator for the medical team.

Nadine is full with our child. It’s a little girl, and we have chosen a name. Delia, after my mother.

Nadine has been calm throughout her pregnancy. Meanwhile, according to her, I have started to drive her crazy over the past few weeks. And not in a good way.

She stands and wraps herself in a loose, flowing robe.

When my communicator beeps, indicating the medical team is here, it’s all I can do not to fling my wife over my shoulder and cart her out. The only reason I don’t is because it might harm the baby. I wrap an arm around her waist, walking beside her as she moves toward the front of our house. “Go get my bag, please,” she tells me.

I’m usually a man in control, but I’m not now. I’ve forgotten we have a bag ready for her stay at the birthing center. I race to the closet off the entryway and fetch it. By the time I get back to the door, Nadine sits in a small hovering craft we use for medical transport in the main part of town. It feels as if nothing can happen fast enough for me as I bark out orders while the medical team goes about their business quickly and efficiently.

Just before we arrive at the medical center, Nadine reaches over and curls her hand into mine. Her touch soothes me instantly.

“I’m safe. I’m having our baby, and it will be okay,” she says softly.

I look into her eyes, and the infinity pulse burns in my chest. I take a slow breath before leaning forward to give her a lingering kiss. “I’ll calm down when you have our baby, and you are both healthy and safe.”

The next few hours are a blur. I know logically that Nadine is in the best hands. Our planet is renowned for its medical care. Different aliens from all over the galaxy travel here specifically to receive our medical care. Yet I’m a wreck. My emotions are a jumble and all tangled up inside. While I’m with Nadine, it feels as if every moment is hazed with my anxiety.

Finally, I hear the cry of our baby girl. One of the nurses stops beside me. “Mama and baby are safe and well,” she says.

Tears roll down my cheeks. She guides me over to Nadine’s side, where they’re placing our little baby girl in her arms. When humans mate with us, sometimes our offspring have tails, but not always. In this case, our baby girl has a sparkly pink tail. When Nadine holds her close, her tail curls around her hips.

For the first time in weeks, I can relax. The infinity pulse beats between us, encircling our baby in protection.

Nadine looks up, her face flushed and her smile tired. “I told you it would be okay,” she whispers.

It is so much more than that. I brush her damp hair away from her face and lean forward to dust a kiss on her forehead. “I love you,” I tell her.