Chapter 118 She's in Labor Too

Chapter 118 She's in Labor Too
The rustic elegance of the Stark lake cabin had been completely transformed, currently buried under a mountain of pastel decorations and tissue paper. It was the ultimate family celebration: a joint baby shower and gender reveal for both Claire and Leona.
In the center of the living room, two oversized, neutral-colored boxes sat on the coffee table.
Claire was practically bouncing on her toes, gripping David’s hand tightly. Beside her, Leona leaned back comfortably against Owen’s solid chest, his heavy arms wrapped securely around her waist, his hands resting protectively over her visibly pregnant belly. Down around their legs, Olive and Hazel were impatiently tugging at the ribbons on the boxes, wearing matching denim jackets that had Big Sister embroidered across the back.
"Alright, on three!" Diane announced, holding up her phone to capture the moment while Thomas, Tate, Ben, Sarah, and Maya crowded around. "One... two... three!"
Leona and Claire pulled the massive bows at the exact same time. The cardboard flaps fell open, and dozens of bright, brilliant blue balloons floated up toward the vaulted wooden ceiling.
The cabin absolutely erupted into cheers. David let out a loud whoop, spinning a laughing Claire around in a circle. Owen tightened his arms around Leona, burying his face in her neck. He pressed a firm, lingering kiss right below her ear, his deep voice rumbling against her skin.
"A little boy, Leo," Owen murmured. "We're having a son."
Olive, absolutely thrilled by the sudden appearance of balloons, jumped up and down, trying to catch the blue ribbons dangling from the ceiling. "Blue! Momma, blue!"
Once the initial shock and joyous celebrations settled, Diane gestured to the absolute mountain of beautifully wrapped gifts taking over the living room. It was time for the shower portion of the afternoon, and the logistics needed to be managed.
Owen immediately stepped up, clapping his large hands together. He looked at David, Tate, Ben, and Thomas.
"Alright, gentlemen. The ladies have serious business to attend to in here, and we are officially in their way," the Zenith CEO declared, seamlessly shifting into dad mode. He easily scooped a giggling Olive up under one arm and grabbed Hazel with the other. "We are on toddler and grill duty. Let's move out."
With the men successfully banished to the massive back deck, the cabin fell into a much more relaxed, comfortable rhythm.
Leona and Claire claimed the plush center sofas, kicking their feet up as Diane, Sarah, and Maya started passing out the gifts. For the next hour, the living room was filled with the sound of tearing wrapping paper, happy tears, and the soft oohs and ahhs over tiny blue onesies, miniature baseball caps, and plush stuffed animals.
It was incredibly special for Leona to share the moment with Claire. As she folded a ridiculously tiny pair of blue denim jeans, Leona looked out the large glass doors toward the deck.
The grill was fired up, sending the mouth-watering scent of sizzling hamburgers and barbecue chicken drifting through the screen door. David and Tate were currently acting as human jungle gyms, tossing a screaming, delighted Hazel between them.
Off to the side, Owen was standing by the grill with the spatula in his hand. Olive was standing securely on a heavy wooden patio chair right beside him, wearing her signature sunglasses to block the afternoon glare. She was aggressively pointing at the hamburgers, clearly offering her father strict, unfiltered culinary advice on how to flip the meat. Owen was nodding along seriously, completely indulging his tiny, bossy sous-chef.
Leona smiled, her hand resting softly on the swell of her stomach. She already had her Superman, and her two beautiful, chaotic girls. And now, they were adding a little boy to the funny farm.
Life simply couldn't get any better.

The penthouse was finally, blissfully quiet. Getting Olive and Hazel down for the night had been an absolute marathon, and Leona was completely exhausted. She had been dragging all day, a heavy, deep ache settling into her bones.
She crawled into the bed with a heavy sigh, curling onto her side. Owen immediately shifted behind her, pulling her close and gently, steadily rubbing the small of her back until she completely relaxed and drifted off into a deep, much-needed sleep.
But it didn't happen like it did with Hazel. There was no slow build-up, no mild, warning cramps.
A few hours later, Leona was violently ripped from her sleep by an immense, blinding pain that completely stole the breath from her lungs. She let out a sharp, choked gasp, immediately curling into a tight ball and clutching her side.
Owen was awake in a fraction of a second. "Leona, what is it?"
Before she could even manage to form a word through the agonizing contraction, a warm rush of fluid soaked into the plush mattress beneath her. Her water had just broken.
"Owen," Leona gasped out, gripping his forearm with white-knuckled intensity. "He's coming. Right now."
The formidable billionaire didn't panic. He grabbed his phone off the nightstand, hitting a speed-dial number as he scrambled out of bed to find Leona a clean pair of sweatpants.
"Marcus," Owen barked into the phone, his voice pure, commanding adrenaline. "Bring the SUV around to the private garage immediately. I'm bringing Leona and the girls out. She's in active labor."
He threw the phone down, quickly helping Leona pull on some dry clothes between her agonizing, breathless contractions. "I've got you, baby. Hold on."
Owen sprinted down the hall to the nursery, somehow managing to scoop both deeply sleeping toddlers into his massive arms at the exact same time. He rushed back, wrapping his free arm securely around Leona's waist to support her weight as they hurried out of the penthouse.
When the private elevator doors slid open, Marcus was already standing there waiting for them, looking completely calm and prepared. Knowing exactly what his boss needed, Marcus immediately stepped forward and gently took the two heavy, sleeping toddlers from Owen's arms.
"I've got them, sir," Marcus assured him quietly, balancing Olive and Hazel easily against his chest.