Chapter 35.

“Maverick!” I screamed, clutching my belly as another wave of pain ripped through me like a white-hot knife. “Maverick, my water just broke—wake the fuck up, young man!”

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My heart pounded so violently that it echoed in my ears. No one told me it would feel like this. Sure, I’d heard stories—watched those calm, smiling mothers on birthing videos—but this was nothing like that. This pain was feral, ancient, raw. My body felt like it was being split apart and remade from the inside.

The contractions came in cruel, stabbing bursts, leaving no time to recover between them. My hands trembled as I gripped the sheets, nails biting into the fabric.

Maverick shot upright, his hair a messy halo, eyes wild with sleep and shock. “What—what happened?”

“My water broke!” I sobbed, the words catching in my throat as another contraction hit.

That was all he needed to hear. He was out of bed in a heartbeat, half-panicked, half-focused.