I WAS HOPING I WOULD BE ONE OF THOSEcrazy ladies who was only in hard labor for an hour before magically getting her baby. Twenty-four hours later, I was close, but I still didn’t have my kid.
“I hate you.” I was a sweaty mess as I gripped my own thighs and prepared to push again. Everything hurt. It felt as if something was trying to rip its way out of me. In a way, that’s exactly what was happening. I tried not to think on it too hard, especially since Rex had expressed his belief that in the most recent ultrasound our daughter looked like the face-hugger fromAlien.
That was not an image I needed in my head.
“Okay, Ruby.” Miles was all smiles as he sat between my legs. He’d been smiling since the moment he walked through the room. “Are you ready for your baby?”
“I’ve been ready for more than a day,” I growled. “Get this thing out of me.”
“It’s time.” He gave me a reassuring look before glancing up at Rex. “Are you ready to be a father?”
Rex nodded. “Yeah. It’s time for Rexanne to meet the world.”
I growled my distaste for the name at the same time a contraction ripped through me. The next fifteen minutes were a blur. I hated everybody in the room—especially Rex because he’d gotten me into this situation—and I just wanted to go to sleep.
When the baby finally came in a messy final push, I fell back on the bed. I could hear the baby screaming and knew she was okay, so I allowed my eyes to close. By the time I’d opened them again, Rex had cut the cord—something he declared absolutely disgusting—and the baby had been cleaned up a bit and was being handed to me.
She was big—almost ten pounds—but still tiny. The look she gave me suggested she wasn’t all that thrilled with the past twenty-four hours either. Her expression was all me. She had a full head of dark hair, which came from both Rex and me, but she had her father’s strong chin and big eyes.
“Look at that.” Rex sounded winded. “I’ve never been so tired in my whole life.”
I shot him a dirty look. “Really?” I readjusted the baby and stared into her eyes as she made disgruntled noises. “She’s kind of cute, huh?”
He laughed. “I think she’s beautiful, although she’s a little red.”
“The birth was a trauma for her too,” Miles noted. His smile remained. “Do you guys have a name yet? I know Rexanne isn’t her real name.”
“Lorelai,” Rex said automatically. “We’re going to call her Rory.”
I cast him a dubious look, suspicion cutting through the haze of exhaustion. “I didn’t agree to that.”
He made a face. “You said we would compromise.”
“And we’re going to compromise.” I managed a smug smile, but it took effort. I was starting to think my mother’s idea for a night nurse—just for the first two weeks—wasn’t the worst idea in the world. I was seriously drained. “I was thinking we could call her Chloe.”
“I already told you Chloe is too French.” Now Rex was the annoyed one.
“I like it.” I wasn’t backing down. Not for anything. “Chloe Elizabeth Rexanne Stone Carter.”
Rex’s mouth fell open. “You’re giving her five names?”
I shrugged. “Do you have a problem with that? You got Rexanne. That should make you happy.”
“But…” He trailed off and I waited.
When the silence had stretched for several seconds, I managed a smug smirk. “You got your way. What’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking,” he muttered. “I always had a crush on Lorelai fromGilmore Girls. That was the name I really wanted.”
I’d already figured that out myself. Well, not theGilmore Girlspart. I knew that Lorelai was the name he was really bucking for. “I don’t like that name. I think you should be happy with the name I picked.”
“But…” Rex looked at Miles for backup. All he found was amused awareness staring back. “Fine,” he said finally. He reached into his pocket and came back with a jewelry box that I wasn’t expecting. “I’m still getting my way too, though.”
“What’s that?” I asked, confused. “Is that a push present?” I’d told him that was unnecessary but apparently he hadn’t listened.
“No, your push present is with Zach. He remembered the exact bear you wanted as a teenager. I managed to get it. He’s bringing it as a surprise.”
“The exact Charlie Bear?” I was floored. “How did you get it?”
