“You are always my priority.” I nodded and smiled in a way I knew Harmony would accept. Cash hated that smile, but it was the one the Nyght Nymphs knew. The truth was, I had never been anyone’s priority. Not since my mom was taken away.
Not until Cash.
He made me a priority.
“Beck needs you more right now.”
Harmony searched my face, as if she didn’t want to believe me, but ultimately, just like always, she took me at face value. No one ever dug deeper. They accepted what I said as truth.
Until the Silver Shadows.
“We’ll talk about this later,” she said, and I nodded.
She returned to her stool and lifted the blanket to check Beck’s progress. “You are at eight centimeters. It won’t be much longer,” Harmony said with a smile.
“Blade, why don’t you sit behind her? Support her back and hold her,” I suggested.
“Not sure she’ll let me.” Though he moved into position.
Since coming to the clubhouse, I had gotten to know the brothers and their old ladies. Blade and Beck were always bitching at each other. Not a day went by, hell, or even an hour, when they didn’t snipe at each other. But the way they looked at each other said everything you needed to know. The complete devotion between these two was inspiring.
Cash looked at me that way. Like I made the sun shine just for him. I could only hope he saw a smidge of what I felt on my face when I looked at him.
“She’ll let you.” I helped Beck lean forward while Blade scooted in behind her. When she leaned back, her eyes closed tightly, and she grabbed her belly. “Remember to breathe, Beck. In and out.”
When the contraction stopped, she fell back against Blade, and he kissed her head.
“I should have gone to the hospital. I want an epidural.”
“Unfortunately, most doctors in the hospital won’t allow an epidural once you reach eight centimeters, so you probably wouldn’t get one now even if you were there,” Harmony explained.
“You’ve got this, Becca. After everything we’ve been through, this should be a piece of cake,” Blade encouraged.
“Cake,” she breathed. “I can’t wait to have cake, and cookies, and coffee. Hell, I’d be happy with liver and onions.” Her body shuddered when she said liver and onions, leading me to believe it was something she despised. “I can’t wait to have something other than turkey and dry bread.”
“Why, is that all you’re eating?” Harmony asked, her hard glare focused on Blade.
Harmony was just like her name described. She was peace and love unless she knew a woman was being abused. Then she was anything but. I placed my hand on her shoulder, and when she turned to me, I shook my head.
“It’s all Junior here will let me eat without throwing up. If it weren’t for my stepmom, Maureen, and the smoothies she was able to make for me, there would be nothing left of my body.”
“Your doctor didn’t have anything for you?” Harmony asked.
“They tried. But nothing worked except Maureen’s smoothies.
“Let’s take a listen and make sure baby is doing well in there.”
When we entered the room, I had quickly put together the supplies we needed. One thing I could say for Patch, he was organized and efficient. He had everything we would need.
I handed Harmony the gel and the Doppler, and as soon as we heard thethump, thump, thumpof the baby’s heartbeat, any tension in the room dissipated. I would never tire of hearing a baby’s heartbeat. The idea of a new innocent life hit me in places I thought were dead.
I thought back to that night at the diner when Cash asked if I wanted kids. I suspected he did, but the thought of being responsible for someone innocent terrified me. So many things could go wrong in pregnancy and childbirth. And even more that could happen afterward.
Every Nyght Nymph had a story. Even Syrena—maybe that was why I kept quiet. She wasn’t any less damaged than the rest of us. None of us had been safe as children. Val got pregnant at sixteen, and her babies were stolen immediately after birth. She didn’t even know about Dante until a few months ago.
She spent the rest of her life searching for Amber. And even when she found her, it wasn’t safe to be with her or tell her who she really was. I still thought of Val as Wonder Woman. And if she couldn’t protect her kids, how did I ever think I would be able to protect mine?
Beck leaned forward and screamed as the contraction ripped through her body. Blade was quiet, the concern clear on his face. I admired her ability to scream. For years I had let the monsters scream for me. Never wanting to be a burden, I kept everything to myself.
