Page 60 of Bound To You

Maria states, "The doctor is ten minutes out."

"She hasn't got ten minutes,” my momma frets, but then she gets serious. “Alexandr, hold the towel out, ready to take the baby then place him on Sofia's chest. Maria, I need you to cut the cord. Sofia, bare down and push on your next contraction; our boy wants to meet his family."

I nod, squeezing Damian's hands. He squeezes back, kissing my head, then leans his cheek against mine.

"You've got this baby. Look at our daughter; you did it with her, and now you do it with our son. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," he whispers lovingly.

Tears fall fast down my cheeks. Our mother's eyes are glossy. Alexandr clears his throat to hide his emotions.

Another contraction comes, and I push.

"That's it, Sofia, push, push," my mother urges, tears are now falling from her eyes. I scream and push, before slumping back against Damian. "Okay, Sofia, I want you to do it again on your next contraction." As she says the words, my next one arrives. I push as hard as I can, squeezing Damian's fingers. "Here's the head; keep going, Sofia. That's it, nearly there." I push again, my body tiring; I don't think I can do anymore. It hurts so much. But then I hear the amazing sound of my baby boy's cry. Damian lets out a sob from behind me. Alexandr has tears running down his face as his mother openly cries as she cuts the cord, while my mom looks on like a proud grandmother.

"He's beautiful, Sofia. Well done, sweet girl."

She passes the baby to Alexandr, who holds him in the towel, love shining through his eyes. He then places him on my chest, and a sob breaks free as I look into his bright blue eyes. Damian places his hand on the back of his boy's head.

He whispers in my ear, "Thank you, moya lyubov. Thank you for giving me another chance. Thank you for giving me two perfect babies, and thank you for giving me your love."

I sob again, as we both embrace our son.

About twenty minutes later, Maria cleans me up after I gave birth to the placenta. The doctor comes and checks us both out, and he's happy, congratulating us before he leaves again. He said he'd come back in a few hours. There's a knock on the door ten minutes after the doctor leaves, and my father, father-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and all our friends come in with a very excited Mila. Both Damian and I grin when she runs over to us. Damian picks her up and holds her close so she can see her baby brother.

"Maksim," she says sweetly, and I smile, and stroke her hair. I have never been so happy.

My father comes closer, leans down, kisses me on the forehead, and places his hand softly on the baby's head.

"Maksim?" he asks. I look at Damian, who smiles, giving me a nod. I look at my father, then at Dimitri, who, by the looks of it, did not hear what we called him.

I announce, "Maksim Tommaso Volkov, after his grandfathers." Both men's eyes gloss over, realizing we gave him their middle names.

Family.

After everyone has had a hold, I notice Alexander looking a little off. I look at Sergi and see he's noticed, too. He nods and starts an argument with him about who the best uncle is, making me chuckle. It brings Al back to us, and then they leave so we have some family time. I'm lying in bed, freshly showered, with Damian beside me. Mila lies on top of her dad with her hand holding her baby brother’s, who is lying asleep on my chest. Damian looks at me, his right arm under my head, playing with my hair.

"I love you, Sofia."

I smile, my eyes glossy, my emotions running high, feeling all the love in the world.

"I love you, too, Damian. Always have, always will. I'm bound to you for eternity."

He smiles, then leans down and kisses me softly yet passionately. When he pulls back, he kisses my nose, and then looks at our children. I sigh and lean into him.

Finally, after everything, I am happy.

I got my happily ever after.