*Best Friends To Lovers*
BOOK ONE.
THE LARSSON LEGACY SERIES.
SIENNA
Beau Larsson is the love of my life.
Best friends, our relationship is the kind where you completely lose yourself, which is something I can't afford.
I gave him everything and...
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Three and a bit months later...
The day is here. I'm in active labour and ten centimetres dilated. The huge pool we have blown up in the living room is warm and soothing while I grip the plastic edges with my nails, groaning into the harsh contraction.
Beau steps into the water to wade his way towards me, settling his knees on either side of my hips while Delilah rushes over to wipe my face with a wet washcloth. When we asked for her to be in the delivery room, she got totally overwhelmed, letting us know she wouldn't miss it for the world.
"You're doing so good," Beau whispers in my ear, stroking up and down my back. "I know it hurts, baby."
Hurt is a slight understatement. I feel like my organs are trying to escape out of my vagina along with the baby.
"Ouch!" I cry, shuffling my body from side to side as the pain intensifies. "I'm starting to regret saying no to the drugs."
"I brought the gas and air, Sienna. Do you need some, sweetheart?" My midwife Jenny asks, and I nod, gratefully grabbing the mouthpiece from her. "Deep and slow breaths whenever a contraction hits, okay?"
My stomach cinches hard, so I breathe deep, sucking every bit of the gas I can to try to lessen the pain. I feel entirely undignified right now as I spread my knees at the pressure in my pelvis, boobs almost popping out of my bikini top.
"I'll breathe with you," Beau says in my ear when he presses up behind me to kiss my ear. "In through your nose, hold, and push out of your mouth."
Those hours spent reading baby books to each other and attending every prenatal class possible feel useless now as my body tries to deal with this excruciating pain. It's close to unbearable.
"Beau," I cry, dropping the mouthpiece when it all becomes too much. "It's hurting. Ow! I can feel them. I think they're coming!"
Jenny is quick in action, doing all the necessary steps to check me over before she announces the baby is crowning and it's time to push. I float back into Beau's arms, relying on him to hold me up while Delilah holds my hand from the side of the pool.
"Now, when your next contraction hits, I want you to push along with it, okay? Then when the contraction stops, you do," Jenny says, stepping away for a minute to grab something while I look up into Beau's pale face.
"Don't be scared," he whispers, able to read my face right away. "I'm here. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"You look scared, too," I say, welcoming the sweet kiss he plants on my lips.
He brushes our noses together. "Just hate seeing you in so much pain."
A contraction builds, forcing me to press down on his knee and squeeze Delilah's hand as I give my first push a go. It's hard, and I'm unsure if I'm doing it right, but I stop as soon as the contraction does and try to catch my breath.
