Chapter 162 Chapter 162

Chapter 162 Chapter 162
Talon’s POV

We sat on the couch for a long time, listening to the quiet hum of the woodstove while the wind blew past the outside walls of the house. No calls to take, no computer screens to check, and no corporate issues to deal with. Everything was completely quiet. Around eight o'clock, we went into the kitchen to grab some dinner, squash soup Kira made from our garden harvest and a couple of thick slices of bread.

Marcus knocked on the mudroom door a few minutes later, kicking the light frost off his boots before stepping inside with his clip tool.
"Evening, boss," Marcus said, giving a quick nod. "Just finished the late walk around the yard. Backup generator has a full tank, the greenhouse vents are shut tight against the freeze tonight, and all the barn locks are secured."

"Good work, Marcus," I said, setting my bowl down on the counter. "Did you get the plow attached to the truck?"
"Done," Marcus said, grinning. "Spare tires are swapped, and the blade is mounted. We're ready for whatever snow hits us next month."
"Expecting a heavy winter?" Kira asked, pouring him a fresh cup of coffee.

"Upstate winters get pretty rough," Marcus said, taking the mug with a nod. "But we've got enough firewood and supplies stored up in the barns to sit out a two-week blizzard without any issues."
"That's the plan," I said, leaning against the counter.

We talked with Marcus for a few more minutes about the woodpile inventory and winter maintenance before he headed back out to his quarters near the secondary barn. After we finished eating, Kira and I walked down the hallway to the east wing and stood in the doorway of the nursery. The small night-light on the wall gave off a soft glow, lighting up the wooden crib and the simple gray rug on the floor. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as we looked into the quiet room where our kid would be sleeping in a few weeks.
"All set?" I asked softly.

She turned her head, resting her cheek against my chest. "Completely ready."
"Me too," I said. The winter cold was coming, but the house was warm, the barns were stocked, and everything was right where it belonged. We walked back down the hall to our bedroom, turning off the hall lights as we went, leaving just the soft glow from the living room stove shining across the hardwood floor.

Kira's POV

By the first week of December, a heavy blizzard had swept down over the Oakridge acreage, covering the lower pastures, the fences, and the driveway in two feet of snow. The world outside our windows was completely quiet and white, cut off from everything else. Inside the main house, though, it was warm. The woodstove in the living room was burning a steady supply of oak, sending heat through the house. The air smelled like woodsmoke and the pine wreath we hung on the front door.

I was sitting in the wooden rocking chair down in the nursery, wrapped in a thick wool blanket, watching the soft glow of the night-light hit the white oak crib Talon built. My lab tests were done for the season, the property was prepped for winter, and everything had narrowed down to this room and Talon pacing quietly out in the hallway. A sharp contraction hit my lower back, making me hold my breath for a second. I closed my eyes, held onto the arms of the rocking chair, and breathed slowly through it. Before the contraction even finished, the nursery door pushed open.

Talon stepped inside wearing a dark thermal shirt, canvas pants, and his work boots. He looked over at me right away, taking in my posture. He didn't need me to say anything, he knew the drill. He walked over to the chair and knelt down on the floor beside me, placing his hands on the armrests.
"How far apart?" he asked, his voice steady even though I could hear how fast he was breathing.
"Down to four minutes," I said, giving him a quick smile and reaching over to touch his arm. "I think he's ready."

Talon let out a quick breath, a small smile breaking across his face. He pressed a kiss to my hand, then laid his palm flat over my bump.
"Marcus has the plow mounted on the heavy-duty tractor and the path cleared down to the main gate," he said. "The truck is warmed up by the barn, and the hospital is waiting for us."

"You've got this set up like a military operation," I teased softly.
"Just making sure we get there without any issues," he said, standing up to help me out of the rocking chair and wrapping his arm around my waist to steady me. "Ready to head out?"
"Ready," I said, leaning against him for a second before we headed for the door.

The drive down the mountain road was smooth despite the snow. While the wind blew powder across the road, Talon kept the truck moving steadily. Marcus had already cleared the thickest drifts with the tractor plow, so within forty minutes, we pulled right up to the entrance of the regional hospital. The next few hours inside the delivery room went by in a blur of monitors, nurses, and steady focus. Talon stayed right by the side of the bed the entire time, holding my hand and keeping me grounded through every single contraction.

Then, right as the afternoon light outside turned into deep winter twilight, our baby was born. The doctor wrapped him in a warm blanket and handed him straight to me. Talon leaned over the bed, his hands resting on my shoulders as we both looked down at the baby in my arms. He had a full head of dark hair, tiny hands, and was fast asleep against my chest.
"He's finally here," he said quietly, reaching out with one finger to touch our son's cheek.
I looked up at him , smiling through the exhaustion. "Meet your son, Talon."
"Our son," he said softly, leaning down to kiss my forehead, then the top of the baby's head.

Two days later, the blizzard had cleared up, leaving bright blue skies over the valley. When Talon drove us back up the gravel road to Oakridge, the sun was hitting the snow on the pine trees. Mr. Gable had hung a wooden sign across our front gate that said Welcome Home!, and Marcus was standing by the equipment shed, giving us a wave as the truck pulled up the driveway. Talon parked near the mudroom, carried the car seat up the porch steps, and unlocked the front door. The warmth of the house hit us right away, carrying the smell of burning wood and coffee.

Talon walked straight down the hallway to the east wing nursery and set our son gently into the wooden crib. The baby let out a small sigh, settling right into the green blankets under the warm light.