Bitter Love

Chapter Eighteen

I'm so glad you guys are liking my new story Falling Apart. It means so much!

Anyway, I only have like three more chapters left of Bitter Love. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it!

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Chapter Eighteen

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Tristan had banned me from going up and down the stairs by myself since I was in the final stages of my pregnancy - six months! - so it was just my luck that I went into labor when I was trying to sneak downstairs in the middle of the night.

He appeared while I was doubled over from the latest contraction, one hand cupping my stomach, the other clutching the bannister. "Cade," he growled. "I told you not to go down the stairs by yourself."

"Sorry," I breathed.

He sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

I looked up at him with pained eyes. "Call Adam and take me to the hospital?" I panted.

Tristan's face paled. "You're in labor?" I nodded and he cursed, coming down towards me and lifting me up into his arms. He carried me to his jeep and put me in the back seat, strapping me in before running back to get the back.

While he drove, he called Adam to let him know that we were on our way. I was panting heavily, pain overwhelming my body as the contractions hit me every few minutes. "Call...Jeb..."

Shakily, he did so. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, everything seemed to pass by in a blur. I was led into a room in the maternity ward. I was glad werewolf births were similar to human births, so it wouldn't matter who would deliver our baby.

I refused to let Tristan hold my hand because I would no doubt crush the bones there even though he argued I wouldn't. Delaine and Lily were there as well, with Jebadiah waiting outside, so I at least had someone to grab on to. I'm pretty sure I scared Tristan out of having another child with me because I said, and I quote 'I will kill you if you knock me up again!'

But after three hours, Andrea Lucy Reighner was finally born. She was named after mine and Tristan's mother. She was stunning, with black hair and Tristan's blue eyes. And her skin was soft and flawless.

Tristan was crying as he held his baby girl, standing beside the bed. "I'm a dad," he whispered, leaning in closer to kiss Andrea's head lovingly.

I smiled up at him tiredly. "Can I hold my baby now, before I pass out?" I asked, laughing a little. Giving birth to Andrea was extremely painful - even though she was a half-human, half-werewolf, hybrid baby. And I was momentarily glad that it wasn't Xavier's child I had given birth to because he was a werewolf, but not just a werewolf. He was a born Alpha. Which reminded me that giving birth to Andrea had also hard because she was a born Beta.

He gently laid Andrea in my arms and sat beside me, wrapping one arm around my shoulder. "You were amazing," he whispered, kissing my temple as his finger gently ran down our little girl's lovely cheek.

"Are you glad you didn't hold my hand?" I asked teasingly as I admired the baby I was carrying, not believing that she was mine. My daughter. No, our daughter.

"A broken hand would've been worth our baby, Cade," he murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder. "She's so beautiful. She is as beautiful as you are."

"She looks more like you than me," I laughed.

 "I don't see it. I think she looks like you." Tristan turned my head away from Andrea and pressed his sweet lips to mine. "Thank you for the greatest gift a man could ever ask for. Thank you so much."

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Three months later, I woke up to Andrea screaming at the top of her lungs. Bleary eyed, I pushed Tristan's arm off from over my stomach and dragged myself out of bed to the nursery. I became a little more aware when I saw the door was slightly open and then Andrea abruptly went quiet.

A little worried, I quickly walked into the room and stopped dead when I saw Michael standing by the crib, looking down at his new sister, one of his hand down to gently run over Andrea's cheek. My heart warmed and I quietly went to stand behind him, leaning over to watch Andrea as she gazed up at her brother with a curious look in her eyes.

 When she saw me, she became more animated, kicking out her legs and making loud, cooing noises. I chuckled and Michael turned around. He smiled up at me with an almost astonished look in his eyes. 

"She's so pretty, Mom," he told me.

I nodded. "She is very pretty," I agreed. "How long have you been up, baby?" I asked, running my hand through his long-ish hair and rubbing my thumb over his cheek.

"Not long. I heard Andrea crying and I came to see why," my nine-year-old son explained.

"I'm sorry she woke you," I said, pulling him closer and holding me to me tightly. Frustrated at my diverted attention, Andrea began to sob, her eyes trained on my face.

Michael laughed. "I think she's jealous," he told me.

Kissing his cheek, I reached into the crib and lifted her up. She quieted down almost instantly, her head resting comfortably against my chest. "Go back to sleep, baby," I said to Michael. "Andrea is just hungry."

"Good-night, Mom," he hugged me around the waist, then kissed his sister's cheek. "Night, Andi," he whispered to her before bounding off to bed. Tristan came in right as I had pulled down my top, so Andrea could feed.

He just looked at my face, my chest, his child, then back to my face with a blank expression on his face. "I can't believe I'm jealous of my own daughter," he muttered.

I tried not to laugh too hard when I realized what he meant by that. "You're freaky," I muttered, cradling Andrea to my chest. Tristan came closer and pressed his chest against my back, looking at our child over my shoulder. He held his hand out and Andrea grasped his pinky as she alternated between staring at Tristan and me.

"She's stolen your boobs from me," he finally murmured, his breath whispering over the skin of my neck. I leaned my head back agaisnt him.

I chuckled. "Oh stop. You've had them for the two years before she was born," I pointed out.

Tristan pouted, his arm wrapping around my waist. The other hand was still held captive by Andrea. "But they were mine first," he whined. I closed my eyes as a smile graced my lips.

"You're so silly," I said lovingly.

"Me? I'm not the one who fell asleep while eating," he laughed. I opened my eyes and looked down at Andrea and Tristan was right - she had fallen into a deep slumber.

I ran my hand over her fine, black hair. "She's a newborn, remember? They sleep a lot."

Tristan took her from my arms and kissed her on the head before setting her down in her crib gently. Then he turned around to take me into his embrace. "How could I not? Her sleeping means more time with my beautiful wife."

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his neck, not bothering to fix my shirt. He was probably going to take it off soon anyway. "Take me to bed, Mr. Reighner."

Tristan grinned. "As you wish, Mrs. Reighner."