CHAPTER 17

BLAIR POV

My legs ache, knotted from hours spent crossed-legged. But I can't tear my gaze away from Nathaniel Paul Damian. They say birth is beautiful. But beautiful? Honey, there was nothing beautiful about that. Pushing a whole human out of...well, you get it. Shocking doesn't even begin to describe it.

Still, the aftershocks of that chaos haven't worn off. My head's spinning, trying to catch up with the reality that I, Blair, am now a mother.

But then Nathan lets out a gurgle, those impossibly blue eyes fluttering open for a brief moment. And just like that, the terror, the pain, the sheer ick factor - it all melts away. This tiny, perfect person, nestled in my arms, makes it all worth it. Sure, I won't forget the crazy ride that led to their arrival. But Nathan's presence is like a warm blanket, pushing the bad memories back, back, back.

Eight weeks home, and Nathan was my lifeline. The rest of the world was a blurry mess, a constant current of exhaustion dragging me down. I didn'