He then went to work, assessing Alexandra and barking orders to Kim and me.

Breakneck handed me a basin. “Go fill this with boiling water. Tell the women to keep a pot constantly boiling.”

With a nod of my head, I hurried out of the room. When I got outside, I almost tripped over Deacon, who was sitting with his back against the wall.

He raised his haunted eyes to mine. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Breakneck is with her, and things are progressing as they should.”

Deacon nodded and then hung his head. I knelt down beside him and took his hand. “She isn’t going to stay mad at you, Deacon. Pain does things to you, makes you say and do things you don’t mean.”

“If something happens to her or the baby because of me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

“Listen to me. Alexandra is young and strong. She’s had a perfectly healthy pregnancy. She will be fine.” I rose to my feet. “I have to go get the water.”

Without another word to him, I sprinted to the kitchen. Thankfully, Boone’s wife, Mary, had had the presence of mind to have a pot of water already heated up.

When I returned with the boiling water, Rev was seated beside Deacon, his arm slung over his brother’s shoulder. I gave him a fleeting smile and then hurried back into the room. Mama Beth had replaced Kim at the bedside. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding Alexandra’s hand and keeping her as calm as she could.

Everything seemed to start happening at a whirlwind pace. I tried to help Breakneck when he asked me, but I felt completely and totally clueless. Some moments felt like the hands on the clock were spinning out of control and others seemed to drag by.

“And there’s the head. You need to keep pushing now.” A beaming smile lit up Breakneck’s face. “He’s got a head full of gorgeous hair.”

“He does?” Alexandra asked.

“Yes, dark hair just like you and Deacon.”

At the mention of Deacon’s name, Alexandra’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Deacon,” she murmured, then turned to me. “Please get him for me! He didn’t get to be there when Willow was born, and I don’t want him to miss seeing his son come into the world.”

I spun on my feet and dashed to the door. As I flung it open, I prayed that Deacon was still just outside and hadn’t gone to do something stupid like get drunk. My heart leapt at the sight of him still sitting beside Rev with his head buried in his hands. “Deacon, come quick. Alexandra is asking for you.”

I had never seen anyone move so fast. He was on his feet in a flash and by my side. He didn’t wait for me. Instead, he barreled on inside and went to Alexandra’s side. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” he murmured over and over again as he bestowed tender kisses all over her face.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’ll give Rev my cut right now if you want me to leave the club.”

My head spun over to the doorway where Rev stood in open-mouthed disbelief at his brother’s suggestion. We then both looked back to the bed to await Alexandra’s response.

She gazed up at Deacon. “How could I ask you to do that? This club is your life.”

“You and our children mean more to me than anything in the world,” he replied.

“Let’s just leave things as they are for right now. How’s that?”

Deacon brought his mouth to Alexandra’s and kissed her passionately. “God, do I love you.”

“I love you, too. But I need to push now.”

He immediately stood upright. “Okay. What do I need to do?”

She laughed at his bewildered expression. “Just hold my hand and talk to me when the pain gets bad.”

“I can do that.”

Now that Deacon was taking care of Alexandra, I went over to Rev, who still stood in the doorway. I wasn’t sure if we should stay in or go, but when Alexandra met my gaze, she said, “Stay.”

“If you’re sure.”

“You’ve already seen the worst part. Might as well see the best. Besides, it makes sense for his godparents to be in the room.”

Together, Rev and I smiled at her. It was an honor to be a part of seeing life come into the world. It was a double honor to be named the baby’s godparents. So Rev closed the door behind him.

When things got dicey for Alexandra with the pain, Rev would squeeze my hand. I knew in some ways he could imagine me being in that much pain, which would kill him. Deacon certainly wasn’t faring well at seeing Alexandra hurting.

The mood in the air shifted, and with a hearty cry, Deacon and Alexandra’s son came into the world. After cleaning his lungs and cutting him free from Alexandra, Breakneck held the wailing baby out to me. I momentarily froze.

“Annabel, aftercare for infants isn’t terribly different from aftercare for animals. Prepare the baby for Alexandra to hold.” At his encouraging look, I grabbed a waiting blanket and took the baby into my arms.

“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” I murmured to him as I wrapped him up.

As Breakneck dealt with the afterbirth and made sure Alexandra was okay, I took the baby over to the tub of warm water and began to gently clean him. At the contact with the water, his cries grew louder, and Deacon came to my side. With a smile, I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I promise I’m not hurting him.”

“That’s not what I thought at all,” Deacon replied, but I could tell his fatherly instincts to protect his son were kicking into overdrive.

Once the baby had been washed and dried, I took a fresh blanket and wrapped him snugly in it. When I turned around, Deacon was staring expectantly at me. “Ready to meet your son?”