Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 489

Chapter 489

Madeline’s POV

The pain started as a slow, steady wave, rolling up from my lower back and tightening across my abdomen in a grip that made me instinctively clutch the edge of the nightstand. I took a deep breath, counting in my head as the contraction passed, and when I looked at Marcus, I saw the exact moment it clicked for him.

“Was that another one?” he asked, jumping up so fast from the chair beside the bed that he almost dropped the phone in his hand.

“It was,” I confirmed, trying to keep my voice calm despite the tension thickening the air.

Marcus started pacing the hospital room, running his hands through his hair in a way I immediately recognized as pure panic.

“I’m not ready,” he blurted, spinning to face me with wide eyes. “Madeline, we’re not ready. We haven’t even picked her name yet!”

I would’ve laughed if another contraction hadn’t started at that exact moment. I gripped the edge of the bed, breathing through the pain while Marcus continued spiraling.

“And the nursery!” he went on, completely oblivious to the fact that I was mid-contraction. “I wanted to paint the guest room myself. Pick the perfect color. Do those glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling…”

“My love…” I tried to interrupt, but he was in full meltdown mode.

“And the books! I promised I’d read all those parenting books. I’m still on chapter three of the first one! I don’t even know how to change a diaper properly. In class they used that doll and I put the diaper on

backward…”

“Marcus,” I tried again.

“And what if I don’t know how to calm her when she cries? What if I hold her wrong? Babies are so small, Madeline. So fragile. What if-”

The contraction passed, and instead of the usual lingering tension, I was hit with a sudden, uncontrollable wave of laughter. It was the sight of Marcus-this man who had protected me from very real, very terrifying threats-now completely undone by the thought of his daughter being born.

I laughed so hard I had to hold my stomach, tears streaming down my face as Marcus stopped pacing and stared at me with an expression somewhere between confusion and mild offense.

“What?” he asked, clearly not seeing what was so funny.

“You,” I managed between laughs. “You’re… you’re more nervous than I am!”

“Well, someone has to be!” he shot back defensively, though I could see a small smile starting to creep in at the corners of his mouth.

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I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my laughter, and reached out my hand to him.

“Love… hey, love?” I said gently. “Remember what we learned in class?”

Marcus blinked, confused.

“What?”

“Breathing,” I explained patiently. “Smell the flower…”

I inhaled deeply through my nose to demonstrate, and Marcus finally seemed to get it. He stepped closer and took my hand.

“And blow out the candle,” I finished, exhaling slowly through my mouth.

Marcus laughed, a genuine, relieved sound, and started doing the breathing exercises with me. We stayed like that for a few minutes, syncing our breaths, and I felt the tension ease out of both of us.

“Smell the flower,” I coached softly.

“Smell the flower,” he repeated, inhaling.

“Blow out the candle.”

“Blow out the candle,” he echoed, and we exhaled together.

We were so focused on the exercise that we didn’t notice the door open until a familiar, amused voice

cut in.

“Great, I see you paid attention in class,” said Nurse Paula, who had followed us throughout my prenatal care. “Now… would you mind telling me which one of you is actually in labor?”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Paula always had a way of making even the most tense moments feel lighter. Marcus, on the other hand, froze mid-breath, looking visibly embarrassed as his cheeks

flushed.

“I-I mean…” he started to apologize, but Paula was already at my side, checking the monitors and asking professional questions about the timing of the contractions.

“It’s okay,” she said with a warm smile as she examined me. “It’s normal to be nervous. I’ve seen fathers a lot calmer than you pass out in the delivery room.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Marcus muttered, making Paula laugh.

After a few minutes of examining me, she stepped away from the bed and scribbled something on her

clipboard.

“It’s still going to take a little while,” she said, her tone professional but reassuring. “The contractions are regular, but you haven’t dilated enough yet. I’ll be back in half an hour to check again.”

“Thank you, Paula,” I said sincerely.

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“You’re welcome, sweetheart. And you,” She pointed at Marcus with a playful finger.”…breathe. Smell the flower, blow out the candle, remember?”

Marcus gave an embarrassed smile as Paula left the room, closing the door behind her. The silence that followed was comfortable, full of anticipation now, but no longer panic.

I reached out my hand to him again, and Marcus came immediately, sitting on the edge of the bed and lacing his fingers through mine.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said softly, looking into his eyes. “Everything will be fine. She’s going to be born. beautiful and healthy.”

Marcus held my hand in both of his, lifting it to his lips and kissing my fingers gently. I saw something shift across his face-an expression I recognized as the exact moment an idea took shape.

“Aurora,” he murmured, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.

“What?” I asked, tilting my head.

He looked at me, and there was a new certainty in his eyes, a conviction that hadn’t been there minutes earlier.

“What do you think of Aurora?”

Something warmed in my chest, an emotion I couldn’t fully put into words. Aurora. The light that comes after darkness. The beginning of a new day.

“As in… a new dawn?” I asked, my voice softening.

Marcus nodded, a beautiful smile spreading across his face.

“A new dawn, a new beginning, a new life…” He paused, his eyes shining. “After everything we’ve been through, she’s our aurora.”

Tears filled my eyes, but they were good tears. Tears of joy, relief, and love spilling over.

“I think it’s beautiful,” I managed to say, my voice thick with emotion. “Our little Aurora.”

Marcus leaned in and kissed me, gentle and full of promise. When we pulled apart, he had that mischievous smile I loved so much.

“Perfect,” he said with comical seriousness. “Now that we’ve got the name, I can move on to panicking

about the next item on the list.”

I laughed and pulled him closer.

“What’s the next item?”

“Figuring out how to assemble that crib Zoey gave us,” he admitted, making a face. “I’m pretty sure it has more screws than it actually needs.”

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“Marcus Kensington, you survived my mood swings, lived through my morning sickness, and endured my three-a.m. food cravings,” I reminded him with a smile. “You can handle assembling a crib.”

“You have way more faith in me than I do,” he replied, still smiling.

“I have all the faith in the world in you,” I said.

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