Chapter 171 Ryker

Chapter 171 Ryker


Ryder’s POV

Barry moved into position at the end of the bed, his expression calm and reassuring despite the intensity filling the room. “All right, Brianna. On this next contraction, I need you to push.”
I tightened my grip around Brianna’s hand while my other rested gently against her shoulder. I leaned close enough that only she could hear me. “You’ve got this, Princess. I’m right here. You’re not doing this alone.”
She turned her head toward me and managed a weak smile before taking a deep breath. Another contraction crashed into her. Her body tensed as she cried out, squeezing my hand with enough force to make every bone in my fingers protest. I welcomed every bit of the pain if it meant she wasn’t facing this alone. Watching her fight through each contraction was torture. I had stood on battlefields surrounded by blood and death without flinching, yet nothing had ever made me feel as helpless as seeing the woman I loved hurting while I could do absolutely nothing to stop it.
Barry kept his voice steady. “That’s it. Keep pushing. You’re doing great.”
Brianna nodded through gritted teeth before bearing down again. Every muscle in her body strained with determination. Sweat clung to her forehead while loose strands of silver hair framed her face.
“Come on, Princess,” I whispered, brushing damp hair away from her eyes. “You’re almost there.”
She squeezed my hand again before giving one final, determined push. Then suddenly… A tiny body slipped into Barry’s waiting hands.
The room instantly fell silent. Barry moved with practiced efficiency, quickly clamping and cutting the cord before handing our child to Henry across the room.
My eyes never left them. Henry carried the baby to the warming table while Barry remained focused on Brianna.
I waited. One second. Two. Three. Nothing. No cry. The silence settled over the room like a heavy blanket.
Every terrifying possibility raced through my mind so fast I couldn’t separate one from another. My heartbeat pounded in my ears while my lungs forgot how to work.
I looked at Brianna. She was already looking back at me. The fear in her eyes mirrored everything I was feeling.
“Ryder…” she whispered. “Why isn’t he crying?”
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. I couldn’t bring myself to answer because I didn’t have one.
Henry continued examining the baby while the silence stretched longer than it should have. Then, without warning, a loud, healthy cry echoed throughout the room.
Relief slammed into me so hard my knees nearly gave out. I released a shaky breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding while Brianna’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
Henry looked over at us with a broad smile. “Congratulations. You have a healthy baby boy.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. A son. We had a son. Everything else disappeared. The fear. The panic. The endless waiting. None of it mattered anymore.
Henry carefully wrapped him in a soft blanket before walking back toward us. He gently placed our little boy against Brianna’s chest. Almost instantly, the crying stopped.
Our son settled against his mother’s heartbeat as though he’d already decided there was no safer place in the world.
I reached out with a trembling hand and rested it carefully against his tiny back. He was unbelievably small. His dark hair already covered the top of his head, and his little fingers stretched before curling into a tiny fist around the edge of the blanket.
I couldn’t stop staring. He was absolutely perfect. A smile spread across my face without permission. “I think he has your nose.”
Brianna laughed softly through her tears as she looked down at him. “I think you’re right.”
“And your lips.” She glanced up at me. “I was hoping he’d get your eyes.”
“We’ll have to wait and see.” I gently rubbed the center of his tiny back with one finger, amazed by how something so small could completely change my world in a single heartbeat.
I leaned down and kissed Brianna’s forehead before resting mine against hers. “You did it, Princess.”
She smiled, her eyes never leaving our son. “We did it.”
Emotion tightened my throat. No matter how many victories I’d celebrated, nothing could compare to this moment. I looked down at the little boy peacefully sleeping against her chest before lifting my eyes back to hers. “So…” I said quietly. “Have you decided what we’re going to call this handsome little troublemaker?”
She smiled immediately. “I already have.”
“Oh?” I raised my brow.
She nodded her head. “Ryker.”
The name settled over us so naturally it felt like it had always belonged to him. I looked down at our son again before repeating it softly. “Ryker.” The more I said it, the more it fit. A grin spread across my face. “I love it.”
Brianna looked at me hopefully. “You do?”
“I really do.” I leaned over and kissed her temple. “It’s a beautiful name.”
As if he somehow recognized it, Ryker let out the tiniest little sound before snuggling even closer against Brianna. A laugh escaped both of us. “Looks like he approves,” I said.
“I think he does.”
Before either of us could say another word, the door swung open. The family had clearly run out of patience. Trixie entered first, unable to hide the excitement shining across her face. She hurried to the bedside before stopping long enough to admire the tiny bundle lying against Brianna. “Oh, he’s beautiful.”Coban and Caden weren’t far behind. Both of them smiled with unmistakable pride as they looked down at their grandson. “I’d say he definitely takes after his mother,” Coban said.
Caden laughed. “Good thing. That saves him from Ryder’s oversized ego.”
“My ego is perfectly reasonable,” I protested.
Atlas folded his arms with an amused grin. “The man spent the entire walk here spinning in circles because he forgot where the maternity ward was.”
“I was in a hurry,” I rolled my eyes.
“You were buffering,” Cassian corrected.
Theron chuckled. “I’ve never seen anyone panic quite that impressively.”
“I handled it well.”
Kevan laughed loud enough to fill the room. “You tried running toward the kitchens.”
“That was one time.”
“It was three.”
Everyone laughed. Even Brianna couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Clara stepped closer to admire Ryker while Elara stood beside Brianna with tears glistening in her eyes. “Our family just keeps getting bigger,” Elara said softly.
“It does,” Trixie agreed, gently brushing one finger across Ryker’s tiny hand.
The little boy immediately wrapped his fingers around hers. A chorus of soft laughs spread through the room.
Every person crowded around the bed took turns admiring him, pointing out whose features he might inherit and offering congratulations while the room filled with warmth, laughter, and more love than I could ever put into words.
I listened to every voice around me, yet none of them mattered as much as the quiet sound of my son’s breathing.
Standing beside Brianna with my hand resting gently against Ryker’s back, I realized I’d never felt more complete than I did in that single moment.