The Bond Between Us ( Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1129

Herman wasn’t fooling anyone—least of all himself.

This was just his way of returning the favor to Mr. Walker.

You scratch my back, I scratch yours, right?

Mr. Walker rushed to the maternity ward, nerves jangling. Autumn was in the OR. She was older, so a natural birth was off the table—a C-section was the only option.

He paced restlessly outside the operating room, glancing at the clock every few seconds. After what felt like forever—though it was barely half an hour—a nurse stepped out and called, “Family for Autumn?”

“That’s me!” he shot forward.

“I’m Autumn’s husband. How is she? How’s the baby?”

“Mother and son are both safe,” the nurse said with a smile. “It’s a boy, six pounds four ounces. She’s still being stitched up, but there’s nothing to worry about.”

The moment he heard “boy,” joy flooded Mr. Walker’s face. He’d waited so long for this day.

Soon, a doctor brought out the baby, bundled up in a tiny onesie. He was a few weeks early, but healthy as could be—no need for the NICU.

Mr. Walker grinned as he took his son in his arms. “So this is my boy.”

“Congratulations, Mr. Walker!” The hospital director hurried over, trailed by a whole entourage of hospital higher-ups.

Everyone chimed in with their congratulations. “Mr. Walker, congratulations on your beautiful son!”

“Look at that forehead—he’s destined for greatness!”

“He’s the spitting image of you, Mr. Walker!”

The flattery was thick in the air—who cared if it was true? It was the moment to say nice things.

Mr. Walker was practically glowing, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. Having a son at his age—nothing could top this.

Soon after, Autumn was wheeled out and settled into the best private room, with everything ready and waiting for her.

The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, so Autumn was still out cold. Mr. Walker placed the baby in the bassinet and ushered everyone else out, wanting a quiet moment.

He quietly rocked the little crib, studying his son’s face. The longer he looked, the more he realized—the baby didn’t really look like him.

Those eyes, that brow… they looked an awful lot like Devin.

He carried the baby over. “See? Out like a light. Drank some formula and fell right back asleep.”

Newborns—eat, sleep, repeat.

Autumn’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at her son. A guilty feeling twisted inside her. The baby really did look like Devin. Was he really Devin’s child?

She snuck a glance at Mr. Walker, looking for any sign he’d noticed. But he was still beaming, so she swallowed her worry and asked, “Have you picked out a name yet?”

“I have. He’s Shawn,” Mr. Walker said with a big smile. “It means fruitful and abundant. We’ve worked so hard all our lives—for our children to have it better.”

Seeing how much he cared eased Autumn’s nerves. “That’s a wonderful name.”

Mr. Walker set the baby back in the crib and asked, “So, what happened? Why did you go into labor early?”

“It was just a freak accident,” Autumn said. “I was walking around the neighborhood when a delivery guy on a bike came out of nowhere and scared me. I lost my balance and fell.”

Hearing that, Mr. Walker’s heart started pounding. He remembered Herman’s dinner invitation earlier that night, and his face darkened.

He got it now. This was Herman’s “return gift.” Not long ago Anastasia had nearly been in an accident, and now today, it was Autumn’s turn.