I snuggle up next to Bruno on the couch, patiently waiting for Alex to come back home. I should've went with her, but then I'd probably be ruining her reunion with Xiu. Suddenly, the doorbell is rung twice. I immediately spring up from the couch, and make my way to answer the door.

Alex stands there, and she has a wide smile spread across her face. I reach out for her hand, pulling her inside and embracing her. I smile at the feeling of her large stomach pressed against mine, and I can feel it shift slightly as Rosie begins to move around.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I should've given you a key." I whisper into her ear, and she smiles.

"It's okay, baby." Alex replies softly, and her voice makes my bones vibrate.

She still manages to do that. I love it.

Alex kisses me briefly, and her thumb glides down my palm as her lips gently wrap around mine. We hug again, and I rest my head on her shoulder while caressing her upper back. We walk over to the couch, and I smile at Bruno as he looks up at us.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted." Alex groans, plopping onto the couch.

"Same." I reply, and I sit next to her.

Alex went over to Savannah's new apartment for a few hours, and she's glowing even more than she was when we woke up this morning. That endearing smile is still plastered on her face, and it brings even more liveliness to those chocolate brown eyes.

"Damn, you get more and more beautiful as time passes on, don't you?" I ask, and she blushes.

"Oh, stop." She says sheepishly, and she smiles.

"I mean it." I say.

As her pregnancy has progressed, she's growing more and more beautiful than I remember. I'm not saying that she wasn't gorgeous before, but she exudes so much happiness and radiance and it automatically makes me feel better.

"Well, thank you. I just had a really good time with Savannah and Xiu." She says, and I smile.

"That's good. I know you've been missing her lately, and you've been so stressed so you deserved a day where you just get to relax and not worry about the wedding."

"Yeah, but you deserve that, too. I mean, not only are we preparing for the wedding and for Rosie, but you still work so much at the hospital." She says, and I shrug.

"I can deal with a lot of things at once, but it's different for you. You've got a baby inside of you, and I don't." I bluntly say, and she sighs.

"You do have a point. I'm lugging an extra thirty pounds, I think." Alex replies, scrunching up her nose as she estimates a number.

I wrap an arm around her, and her head rests on my shoulder. We watch the movie together, laughing at the jokes and our smiles never leave our faces. Once the movie ends, we begin channel searching for another one.

"Ooh, babe! Let's watch The Notebook!" Alex exclaims, and I groan internally.

"Why don't we watch something more action packed?" I ask, and she frowns.

"No, I want to watch something more romantic." She whines.

It's not that I have a problem with romance movies, it's just that I want to have some control over the channels. We already are mimicking what married couples do, by arguing over what we're watching and little trivial things like that. I smile at the thought, because I really cannot wait to say that she's my wife.

I turn the channel, and she snuggles up with me. She pulls the blanket over her lap, and she gently caresses her stomach.

"Hi, Rosie." She says quietly.

"Gosh, our little girl is growing so much." I whisper, and smile when I see her stomach shift again.

"Daddy and I can't wait to meet you. Every single day we'll love you unconditionally, and you'll always feel special." Alex says, and I see a small tear escape from her eye.

I lift her chin, and she smiles as I wipe it off her face. It's so nice to see Alex crying happy tears instead of crying tears of sorrow and grief. My fingertips begin to vibrate as they glide across her soft skin. Alex hesitates as she leans in, but I close the space between us and place my mouth on hers.

It starts as a gentle, slow kiss. Our lips drag across each other, making it hard to pull away. Her lips feel so supple, and much more gentle than I remember. Alex fuses our lips together, deepening the kiss. My tongue passes through, and swirls around with hers as if they're dancing. We both smile, and I kiss her on the cheek before returning to her lips.

She clasps her hands on either side of my face, continuing to smile brightly at me. We both have slightly labored breathing, and I feel a small tear forming in my eye.

"I don't know how my life would've been if you weren't in it." I whisper, and she smiles.

"If you weren't in my life, it would have no meaning."

As that last word leaves her lips, and the next kiss becomes so electrifying and intimate that I would stay glued to her mouth if I could. My hands pull her waist closer to me, and our mouths steal the plethora of words that we wanted to say. My fingers begin to trace Alex's spine, which coaxes a sigh out of her body.

There's no greater feeling than this, and I know that once the wedding is over, it'll be great to know that she's officially mine and only mine.

I want that taste of her lips engrained on my tongue for eternity. All of these flames that burn so deep inside me are never going to burn out, and they'll only continue to intensify as the years continue.

I love her. This is who I truly love.

Not some girl who somehow managed to capture my attention. Not some girl who was selfish and tried to make the whole relationship about herself and the love wasn't reciprocated.

Alexandrianna Hawkins is the only woman who's meant for me, and I'm the only man for her.

~~~

Weeks turn into months, and Alex is now very close to her due date. Her stomach is obviously much bigger than it was a couple of months ago, and Alex's hormones have peaked again. Most of my pantry has been rummaged through and eaten by Alex, and she still isn't very satisfied yet.

I wrap my arms around her, and my hands rest on her stomach.

"Ugh, I'm tired of waiting. When's this damn baby gonna come?" Alex asks irritably, and she stuffs her mouth with sour gummy worms.

"Whenever she's ready, just give her some time." I say, and she groans.

"Isn't there such a thing as forcing labor to happen? Like, the doctors can manually make my water break?" Alex asks, and I nod.

"You're correct, but I'm sure that you don't want to do that."

Alex turns her head, and she looks slightly puzzled. Her eyebrows are furrowed, and she has slightly pursed lips.

"And why the hell not? I'm the one giving birth to the baby, not you. Since when did you decide that you can tell me how to use my own body?" Alex fumes, and my eyes widen.

"Alex, calm down! I was just saying that—"

"I've been under so much stress lately. I'm as fat as a god damn hippo, and I've been trying to put the pieces together for our wedding!" She exclaims.

I understand how much stress she's under because Rosie could arrive at any moment now, and the wedding is getting close and all of the details haven't been finalized and we're running out of time. But I do know that Alex tends to waver before actually making up her mind, and inducing her labor is something that she doesn't want to do.

I know my girl.

Alex walks away from me, and she looks out of the window. I walk up behind her again, and she sighs before crossing her arms. My lips connect with her temple, and my fingertips tingle again as they make contact with her skin.

"I didn't mean to offend you, babe. I know you've been really stressed lately, and so have I. You deserve to relax, because once Rosie comes I know we'll have our hands full."

Alex turns around, covering her face in embarrassment. I frown, and place my hands on her shoulders.

I either grab her shoulders or waist to soothe her, and it didn't take long for me to figure that out. I can just tell by how quickly that worried look is wiped off her face and replaced with a small grin or the sparkle returns to her eyes.

"I'm sorry for overreacting, I'm just so anxious. I know we've been preparing for Rosie for so many months, but I don't know if I'm going to be the mother that Rosie needs." Alex admits, and I frown.

"How could you say that?" I ask, giving her a quizzical look.

"You'll definitely be an excellent father for Rosie, but I'm not sure about myself. I'm stubborn and indecisive and—"

"Charismatic, patient, and everything else that a daughter could need. Look baby, I understand that you have doubts sometimes but that doesn't mean that you won't be a good mother." I exclaim, and she sighs.

"You are just saying that because—"

"I love you and because I mean it. Once you hold Rosie in your arms, you'll realize that no other woman was meant to raise her but you. She's our own flesh and blood, Alex. You'll create a bond with her just like ours, and it'll be unbreakable." I say reassuringly, and our eye contact doesn't break.

"You really know how to make me feel better." Alex says, and I smile.

"You're my girl, and I know exactly what makes you feel better." I cheekily reply, giving her a wink.

I pull into my embrace, and my lips remain on her forehead as her hands gently caress my upper back.

"We got this, babe. Don't worry."

~~~

A couple of days later, Bruno and I are just relaxing on the couch. I've had really unpleasant back pain for a while, and it only seems to intensify instead of calming down.

"Ow," I whimper, and adjust my sitting position.

"You okay?" Rian asks from the kitchen, and I shake my head.

"I've been cramping all day, and it won't stop." I groan, and he furrows his eyebrows.

"It's probably another false alarm. You've had a lot of those recently." Rian informs me.

"Yes, but I'm at the end of my third trimester." I state.

I feel another sharp pain in my stomach, and then it hits me.

Am I going into labor?

"Okay, it isn't getting better. They're just getting worse. Oh, God." I groan, and I breathe in and out.

Rian stands there looking perplexed and not sure what to do.

"You're a doctor, come over here and do something!" I yell.

Rian rushes over to me, and he kneels down in front of me and tells me to breathe. I'm overwhelmed instantly by this reality that not only am I going into labor, but that our child will be here very soon.

"Okay, baby just breathe. It'll be okay." Rian says softly, and I follow his instructions.

The awful feeling comes back, a lot sooner than the last contraction. My body writhes in pain again, and there's nothing that I can do to try and alleviate it. Rian gets up and stands behind the couch, leaning over and whispering into my ear as his hands gently caress my shoulders to comfort me.

Suddenly, I feel a popping sensation in my stomach. I frown, and then I gasp when I feel my sweatpants become extremely soggy. I look down, and there's a huge wet stain, and some of it trails down and covers my feet. It looks like a giant puddle in my lap, still streaming down.

My water just broke.

My heartbeat increases as the realization sets in, and more of the watery fluid continues to gush. It won't stop or slow down, it's just uncontrollably coming out.

"Rian!" I yell, and I hold onto my stomach.

"I know, I know! Let's go to the hospital." Rian says, and he grabs my hand.

I'm lifted up from the couch, and I'm clenching my butt cheeks, desperately trying to stop the fluid, but it's pretty much pointless. I hold onto my stomach as he helps me to the car.

Shit!

Before he unlocks the car doors, he sprints back in the house before he returns with a towel. Rian puts the towel on the passenger seat, and he carefully lowers me onto the seat.

He begins to speed off to the hospital, occasionally looking over at me to see if I'm okay. The water hasn't stopped leaking, but the flow isn't as heavy as it was before.

"I'm sorry if I leak through and ruin your seats." I say, still panicking.

"I don't give a damn if my seats get ruined, Alex. It's totally fine, I just care about getting you to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible." Rian says.

It's getting worse.

Our baby is coming.

My face contorts in pain as another sharp twinge from the contractions sends pain throughout my entire abdomen.

Just breathe, Alex. It'll be okay.

"Oww, baby. This hurts!" I whine, and he reaches over and grabs my hand.

As I'm squirming in the car seat, I feel his lips graze across my knuckle. Rian gently kisses my hand, and the contraction subsides.

"Are they getting closer together?" He asks, and I nod.

"Yeah, they're lasting longer, too." I sigh.

I prepare myself for the next one, and everything is spinning around me. I'm extremely lightheaded, but I keep breathing in and out to try and calm myself down.

Rian holds onto one of my hands as he uses the other to speed to the hospital, and he occasionally looks over at me to see if I'm okay.

No, I'm not fucking okay!

Once we arrive at the hospital, Rian picks me up and carries me inside. Another contraction comes, and I scream as that vise grip tightens in my stomach again.

"Can we get some help over here?" Rian yells, and everyone looks at us.

Nurses immediately come rushing to our aid, and we follow them into a room. Another burst of pain strikes my abdomen, and I shriek as it continues. In the bed, I feel the woman insert her fingers inside of me, and my eyes widen.

"Woah, what are you doing?" I ask through a scream.

"Just trust her, Alex. It's going to be okay."

"Okay, I'm going to need you to push." The woman says, and I begin sweating more than I already was.

"Wait, what?! No, no, no! I can't be ready to push yet—"

As the last word leaves my mouth, I feel other sharp pain, and another yell comes from my throat. My grip on Rian's hand is so strong that my knuckles turn white.

The nurse begins to count, and I push as hard as I can. It's so much more difficult than I was expecting it to be, and definitely more painful. The sudden nausea blindsides me, and I feel much worse. My entire body trembles as the nurse continues to instruct me, and Rian kissing my hand doesn't even calm me down like usual.

"Rian, I'm scared. I'm so scared." I weakly say, and my tears obscure my vision.

"It's going to be okay, baby. You can do it." Rian says gently, kissing my cheek.

"No I can't, I'm too weak!" I exclaim, and I sigh.

The sweat is continuing to grow heavier on my brow, and my heart is racing. Deep and animalistic grunts are forced out of my body as I push again, and the pain is even more unbearable. Rian never lets go of my hand, and he continues to reassure me that everything's going to be okay.

No it's not!

I'm going to die. This is too much. I know I'm not strong enough to continue on.

Seconds turn into minutes, and the minutes turn into hours. Rosie won't budge no matter how hard I push, and I become even more frightened.

"Okay, we need you to push. If you don't, the baby will begin to lose oxygen." The woman informs me, and my heart sinks.

No. Rosie can't die.

More tears fall from my eyes, and Rian kisses my cheek.

"Well, if I can't push her out of me could you just cut her out?!" I ask frantically.

"Yes, if we don't see any progress we'll have to perform an emergency c-section."

My eyes widen, and I look over at Rian with complete worry.

I don't know how I'm going to get through this.

"No, I can't do this!" I scream.

"Yes you can. Just continue to take deep breaths in and out and push." The woman says.

My nails dig into Rian's hand, but he doesn't say anything. I look around and notice the other nurses preparing things when Rosie is finally out of me. Rian looks panicked but calm at the same time, and I can't suppress my sobbing.

His mouth briefly connects with mine, giving me a small amount of comfort. The look on his face also assures me that I am strong enough and that I don't need an epidural. He believes in me, and the last thing I want to do is disappoint him. Just like during the cheerleading competition, I wanted to earn that trophy.

It's that same feeling because I know he's counting on me, but this time it's more important because instead of some trophy it's our fucking child!

I feel another large gush followed by a slight pop, and I sit up and look down.

"What the hell?" I breathlessly say, in complete confusion.

I notice the lady holding carefully onto something, and I gasp once I realize that it's Rosie's head.

Oh my God. That's our daughter.

Even though her head is covered in blood and mucus, she still looks beautiful. I get distracted for a moment while looking at her face.

Her entire fucking head is sticking out of my vagina.

I stare back up at the ceiling, getting myself ready to push again. The pain takes over my body again, and I writhe in absolute agony.

"Ow! Holy shit!" I screech.

This is without a doubt the worst thing I've ever felt.

"It's okay, baby. She's so close, just a couple of pushes and she'll be out." Rian softly says, and I smile.

"I love you."

Rian kisses me, and smiles back before looking back at the woman who's delivering our baby. I push as hard as I can, desperately trying to get Rosie out as fast as possible. My legs begin to shake, and everyone begins to commend me on how well I'm pushing. After a while of silently pushing, a bloodcurdling scream comes from my mouth, and I'm pretty sure that I made Rian temporarily deaf.

"Get her out!" I desperately demand.

I'm getting coached on how I should push, and I feel nothing but relief when there's an empty feeling and the sound of crying.

She's here. Our daughter has finally arrived.

"8:26 p.m., congratulations!"

"Thank you." Rian and I say in unison.

I don't know how, but I survived.

"We did it." I sigh, running my hands through my hair.

"You did it. Honestly, that was so remarkable."

I sit up right, leaning over and kissing him. Now I feel completely relieved knowing that my fiancé was by my side during the entire labor and that our daughter is safe.

"Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" The woman asks, and Rian beams.

"Of course!"

I smile while watching him struggle at first, but then excel and finally get it cut. Rosie's crying starts to die down, and the people dry her off and begin to stick something down her throat and nose. Rosie coughs before continuing to cry, and I smile.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" I ask, watching them weigh her.

"Just like her mommy." Rian says, and I smile.

"She's six pounds and four ounces."

After they get her measurement, twenty inches, they finally hand her over to me. I carefully caress her soft cheeks before kissing them, and I gently rock her to get her to stop her crying.

"Rosie, it's okay. Mommy's here."