Chapter 88

(**Rayne**)

*Four months later*

The last four months passed peacefully, with only a few minor chaotic moments here and there. Tyson and Cyra left with Declan to travel to Canada. Parker had a few rough moments when he learned his parents had been in a relationship with them. However, when she pointed out that he had been in a similar situation in his past, he just nodded his head and dropped the topic.

Declan admitted that there was genuine love between the four of them. His love for his mate, Fiadh, was stronger than what he felt for Tyson or Cyra, but what he felt for them was almost as powerful. So, it just proves to everyone that you can love more than one person in the romantic sense.

Arabella decided to stay in California until after Rayne’s baby was born. She made the loft apartment where Edmund lived her own space. Gone is the lumpy bed, ratty couch, and cracked dishes that Edmund insisted on for himself. She painted the walls a pale green, added a cream-colored leather sofa, and a large canopy bed with a thick hunter green comforter.

Lynn stayed too but refused to sleep in their guest room. She claimed her small house would do just fine, but she ends up spending most days in the loft with Arabella. Rayne has loved having the two of them with her during the rest of her pregnancy.

They are like mothers to her, while neither of them tries to be her mother. Arabella feels the pain of that loss often as it reminded her of Edmund. Rayne’s mother is the ghost between them that keeps Edmund from accepting Arabella as his second chance mate.

Rayne will never forget her mother, nor will she ever stop loving her. She doesn’t want her father to either, but he deserves to have what the Moon Goddess has given him. Maybe one day, once his grief is no longer as fresh, he will take that chance. Until then, Arabella waits patiently for the day when she has to decide she should accept his rejection.

Parker thinks Arabella will end up accepting Edmund’s rejection so they can both move on with their lives. It is probably what is best for them, but Rayne can see the hurt that Arabella tries to hide when she is in the loft that he lived in.

Life can be such a mess sometimes.

A sudden pain sears through Rayne’s belly as she is leaving the loft after grabbing a few more of the baby blankets that they stored up there. Over the last few days, she has been having these pains, but they subside shortly after they start. So, thinking this is just the same, she continues back to the house to put the finishing touches on the nursery.

It has been done for months, but every time she goes in there, she makes Parker rearrange the entire room again. The last time she made him move everything, he told her it was the last time. That was until this morning when she asked him to do it again.

So, while he was moving the furniture to where she wants it, she went up to the loft to grab a few more blankets. When a second pain hits her as she walks in the back door, she stops in her tracks to just breathe through it. The sudden gush of wetness down her legs and onto the kitchen floor makes her look down in complete shock.

“Parker!”

Yelling his name was pointless since he was already running out of the nursery towards the kitchen. Excitement quickly replaced the fear on his face. Her water just broke.

“Don’t move, I will grab your bag, then we will go to the clinic.”

Parker dashes back down the hall to grab her bag off the floor right by the bedroom door, then he rushes back into the kitchen. With her bag in his hand, he opens the back door, rushes out to the jeep, then he comes back inside to scoop her up in his arms.

“We will be at the hospital soon.”

“Not without me!” Arabella says from the driveway. “Let me save us all some time.”

With a wave of her hand, Arabella transports the three of them and Rayne’s bag to the clinic where Dr. Dillon works. Parker carried her into the clinic and straight to the reception desk. In record speed, a nurse called for Dr. Dillon and had Rayne in a room.

Arabelle then left to go round up the troops. Everyone from Shadow’s Retreat wants to be there in the waiting room. Lynn showed up on her own after Arabella called her to tell her it was time. Parker made jokes about the waiting room turning into a party.

By the time Dillon arrives, the nurse had hooked Rayne up to more machines than she can name. Parker refuses to let go of her hand. Once the nurses leaves the room, Dillon sits on a rolling chair between the bed and the fetal monitor. Her eyes are going over the readings.

When she looks up, her eyes show concern. “The baby’s heart rate is very low. Since your labor hasn’t progressed very far, I am going to continue to monitor your baby. If there are further signs of distress, I will take you into surgery for a c-section.”

Rayne grips Parker’s hand as Dillon tells her this.

“My nurses and I will go prep the operating room now, just on the off chance that we will need it. I prepared my nurses for anything so if you feel that something if off, call for one of them. I will do everything in my power to help you deliver this baby safely.”

Dillon leaves the room after giving Rayne’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. When she is gone, Parker sits on the bed facing Rayne. His eyes are full of love for her and fear of what could go wrong. Without saying a word, he opens his arms as she leans toward him.

The moment his arms are around her, the tears she had been holding back slip down her cheeks. From the day she learned she was pregnant to the day she heard her baby’s heartbeat for the first time, there has been fear in her mind in the back of her mind. Now that fear is heightened further by the thought of losing her baby.

“Hey, our little one will be alright. Close your eyes for me.” Parker says.

She does what he asks.

“Now, concentrate on the sound of our baby’s heartbeat.”

“It is low, but steady. Oh, Parker, we are having our baby today. Are you ready for this?”

He leans back so that she can see his face. There is nothing but love and joy on his face. “I am ready to face this next part of our journey with you. I will be by your side every step of the way. Even through all the diapers.”

Rayne laughs at him. “First one is all for you, Daddy.”

He looks at her with a stunned expression on his face at her calling him that. It is like he just now realizes that he will be called that for a very long time to come by their child. She cups his face in her hands, then brings his lips to hers for a quick kiss.

She breaks the kiss when a contraction hits her, which causes her to scream in pain and surprise at the strength of it. After breathing through the contraction, she leans back on the pillows behind her, sweat beading her forehead.

“Wow, that was the first contraction. That shit hurts.”

Parker stands up when there is a knock at the door. A petite brunette nurse opens the door, then comes in to check the fetal monitor. Her face gives nothing away as she reads the printout that the machine is giving her. After taking a note of her readings, the nurse leaves the room.

Twenty minutes later, another contraction hits causing Rayne to squeeze the hand that Parker gave her. When it passes, he helps her lean back on the pillows, then wipes the sweat off her forehead. The door opens a few minutes later, but instead of a nurse, this time it is Dillon.

Dillon walks straight to the fetal monitor to study the readings. When she looks up, all the fear Rayne had comes rushing back. Parker takes a step closer to the bed to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

“I am sorry, Rayne, but the heart rate is slowing down. We need to get your baby out now. I am going to do everything I can to see your baby safely into this world.”

Dillon calls for a few orderlies to come in the room to wheel Rayne to surgery. Her room becomes utter chaos as two orderlies and a nurse arrive. Dillon tells Parker that he will have to go to the waiting room. When he grips the rails of the hospital bed and growls at Dillon, she nods her head in acceptance that he will go with Rayne no matter what.

*Two hours later*

The c-section was a success. After being wheeled back to her room, they took her baby to be cleaned up and then have all her vitals checked. Parker was spilt on his needs to be with both his girls, but Rayne made him go with their daughter. She wanted to make sure one of them was always with their baby.

Arabella joined her once she was back in her room. An enormous bouquet of calla lilies now sits on the bedside table with a bunch of balloons attached to it. The biggest balloon is a pink flower with ‘It’s a Girl’ on it. From the look on Arabella’s face, she has known the gender of the baby for a while now.

“I have a surprise for you, Rayne, but I will wait until Parker and your daughter are in here.”

“You don’t need to get us anything more than you already have. You have done so much already just by being in our lives.”

As if speaking his name conjured him, Parker comes into the room, still in his disposable surgical gown. In his arms, now wrapped in a pretty pale pink blanket, is their daughter. Arabella gets up off the bed so that Parker can give the baby to Rayne. She closes the door to give them privacy.

Her beautiful baby girl has Parker’s reddish-brown hair but her pale green eyes. “What should we name her?”

Parker looks at their daughter with a thoughtful expression. He strokes his hand gently over her downy soft hair. “Amalia Edwina Donovan.”

Rayne smiles at him, then looks at her daughter. “My little Lia.”

“It has an exquisite ring to it. Much like this one.” Arabella pulls a small black pouch out of her pocket, then hands it to Parker. “We refined the protection spell, eliminated the flaw, then added a little extra to it. What is in that pouch is for her and Orla. To protect them always. Now for your surprise.”

Arabella walks to the door then opens it and steps back out of the way. Rayne looks up in shock as her father’s scent enters the room. Edmund gives Arabella a cordial nod, but then he walks straight to Rayne. He hugs her the best he can while she still has Lia in her arms.

“She is beautiful, Rayne.”

Edmund’s voice is thick with emotion as he sits in the chair beside the bed. There are tears of joy in his eyes as he looks at his granddaughter for the first time. When he reaches out to touch her cheek with a finger, his hand trembles. Before his hand reaches her cheek, Lia grips it in her fist, causing them all to laugh.

“I think she is happy you are here.”

“I am happy I am here too.”

She glances over to where her friend was standing, only to find Arabella gone. Rayne will talk to her later about it.

Rayne looks at her father, her daughter, and her amazing mate. This is a life she never imagined she would have. Five years ago, she didn’t want a mate, she only wanted her freedom. Now everything is different. What she has in this room is everything she never knew she truly wanted.

Love. The kind that is true and lasting. The forever kind of love.

“I have something for you,” Edmund says.

He reaches into his pocket, then pulls out a black velvet box. With a trembling hand, he holds the box out for Rayne to take. When she takes it from him, a tear slips down his cheek.

With her free hand, she opens the box. Inside is a ring. The band is rose gold with an oval-cut moonstone. On each side of the band, etched into the gold, are small wolves. Their heads are up towards the moonstone like they are howling at it.

“It is beautiful. Where did you get it?” Rayne asks.

Edmund is silent for a moment, but when he speaks again, his voice is softer, full of emotion, and a tear slips down his cheek. She puts the box on her lap and reaches out to take his hand. His reaction tells her who the ring belonged to.

“One survivor from Jade Moon had it with her when she joined me in Canada. It was your mother’s. I gave it to her on the night of our mating ceremony. I give it to you now. Wear it until the day when Lia finds her mate. Then pass in on to her.”

Quietly, Parker takes Lia from her so that she has both arms free to hug her father. The moment his arms are wrapped around her, a sense of peace settles over her. This time, the tears that fall from her eyes are not tears of sadness. Life took so much from but gave some much back in return.

“I love you, papa.”

“Always and forever, my little Rayne shower.”

“Do you think mom is proud of me?”

Edmund pulls back from the hug, then smiles at her. “I can see her smiling face now. She would be so proud of everything you have done with your life. All of it. You lived through so much and came out stronger than ever. Now, look at what you have right now. A mate who worships you, a beautiful little girl, and out there in that waiting room is the family you chose.”

Rayne looks to the door, then to Parker. He nods his head. “All of them?”

“All of them, my love.” Parker says.

He sits on the bed with Lia in the crook of his arm. He reaches out with his free hand to Edmund, who takes it. Edmund then grasps one of Rayne’s hands. With her free hand, she reaches out to lay it over Lia’s head.

Together they form a family.