Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 73515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73515 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Not break, just go into labor,” Merrick growled, his gaze drifting down to where I was rubbing my rounded belly.
“I wish.” I glanced at Deacon, who’d come down for a visit while he was on leave from the Navy, and whispered, “We’ve tried every single thing the doctor recommended at my last appointment, and nothing has happened yet.”
I’d only met Deacon a few times, but I should’ve known that I couldn’t slip anything past a SEAL. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “What kinds of things have you tried?”
“The doctor had some great suggestions.” Merrick’s eyes took on a roguish gleam as my cheeks filled with heat. He flashed me a sexy smirk, and his dimples popped in his cheeks. “My favorites were—”
Luckily, he was sitting next to me so I could slap my palm over his mouth while he talked about how we’d tried sex and nipple stimulation to kick-start labor. I kept my hand there as I explained, “Spicy foods, fresh pineapple, and exercise.”
“Exercise.” He grinned at Merrick. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”
Merrick nipped at my fingers, and I yanked my hand away with a yelp while a shiver raced down my spine. Then he arched his brow and quipped, “Well, all three letters are in there, so I guess it’s close enough.”
It took me a moment to unscramble the letters in “exercise” and realize he pulled out one of the e’s, the x, and the s to spell out “sex.” I pushed away from the table to stand and murmured, “Well played.”
Merrick’s dark gaze swept down my body, his eyes going wide when I cried out as liquid gushed down my legs. “Holy fuck, your water broke!”
He jumped to his feet, sweeping me up into his arms to carry me out to the car. Deacon followed us, and when Merrick’s hand slipped trying to put the seat belt on me—for the third time—he shoved him out of the way. After helping me, he stood and slammed the door shut. Merrick was standing there, staring at me, so Deacon cuffed him on the head and said, “Move your ass, sailor.”
Merrick broke out of his daze when I grasped my stomach and groaned as a contraction hit. He raced to the other side of the car and jabbed the key at the door. He obviously missed because Deacon cursed as he came up beside him. He snatched the keys and pushed Merrick toward the back door. “I’ll drive,” he sighed, getting into the driver’s seat while Merrick climbed in the back with me. He held my hand as another contraction hit, and I cried out. “How do I always end up being the one to drive to the hospital when one of your women has a baby?” Deacon muttered as he pulled the car out of the driveway.
When the pain passed, I panted, “What do you mean?”
“Skip the story and focus on the road, jackass,” Merrick growled.
I dug my fingers into his arm. “Don’t make him stop. The story will help distract me from the pain.”
“Don’t worry, Audrey. Your husband may be a badass, but so am I. He can’t make me stop talking until I’m done,” Deacon assured, smirking at us through the rearview mirror.
“Wrong, I could shut your mouth if I really wanted.” Merrick stroked his palm over my belly. “But lucky for you, Audrey wants to hear what you have to say, so I’m not forced to demonstrate exactly how I’d do it.”
Deacon deftly worked his way through traffic, following Merrick’s directions for the quickest route while telling me about how badly one of the other SEAL guys, Huntley, had done when his wife had delivered their first baby. My laughter over hearing how he’d passed out drifted into a groan when the strongest contraction yet hit me.
Merrick glanced at the Patek Philippe watch strapped to his wrist. “They’re coming too close together. Drive faster.”
“Fuck,” Deacon hissed. “LA traffic doesn’t exactly make it easy to pick up speed, Shadow.”
“Figure it out, man. I don’t want my wife giving birth to our first child in this car,” Merrick growled.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “No way in heck am I having Kohen back here when we’re only a couple of miles from the hospital.”
I was starting to doubt if we’d make it as my contractions started to last longer, and I cried out in relief when we finally pulled up in front of the hospital. Merrick jumped out of the car and grabbed a wheelchair before lifting me out. As soon as he shut the door behind us, the tires squealed as Deacon pulled away from the curb. Merrick got me settled and rolled me into the hospital, pausing near the doors to hold my hand when another contraction hit. Then he yelled, “We need help over here,” when we got inside.