Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Fuck,” I breathed, dropping my head.
As delivery day had gotten closer, I wasn’t the only one whose anxiety had ratcheted up. I’d been keeping an eye on Noel as she grew more and more worried about having to go to the birth center. Ariel was going to freak out and Noel didn’t like any kind of hospital settings—I’d seen her at her last appointment. All she’d had to do was pee in a cup and get her belly measured and she’d still been strung tight as a guitar string the entire time we’d been in the building. She was terrified, but I’d figured that she’d eventually just realize it had to be done and prepare herself.
She hadn’t.
Her hands were trembling as she reached out and cupped my cheek in her palm. “We’ve got time,” she whispered, giving me a tight smile.
“How far apart are we talkin’?” I asked wearily.
“Five—” She paused, her eyes on me. “Three or four minutes.”
She was trying to wait until the last possible second to leave, and while I understood it, I was suddenly terrified that she was going to have the baby in the front seat of her car.
I rose to my feet. “Stay put,” I ordered, kissing her head.
I found Bas and Cian in the garage.
“It’s time,” I called, making both of them freeze.
“Yeah?” Bas asked, his expression morphing into a huge smile.
“Oh, yeah,” I muttered, rubbing a hand down my face. Fuck.
Fuck.
“I’m gonna call the midwife.”
“Fuck yeah,” Cian muttered, his eyes bright.
“Bas, you know that thing you ordered?” He nodded. “Better get it.”
“Oh, motherfuck,” Cian hissed, his smile falling as worry took over.
The girls were oblivious as I called my mom and the midwife, and Noel called Esther. When that was done, Noel pushed to her feet.
“I’m going to take a shower,” she announced.
“You think that’s smart?” I asked dubiously, looking down at her hips.
“He or she is not going to fall out,” she snapped. Her eyes got wide and filled with tears. “I’m sorry.”
I wanted to laugh at the epic mood swing, but I didn’t.
“No worries,” I assured her, holding her hand as she slowly walked across the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Where you going?” Ariel called, watching us.
“Mama’s gonna take a shower,” I replied. “Stay there. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay,” she said, turning back to what she was doing.
Her things were in my shower, thank God, because I was pretty sure I would’ve had a stroke if I had to help her over the edge of the tub in the girls’ bathroom. She said the contractions were three minutes apart, and I believed her, but they sure seemed like they were happening faster than that and lasting a fuck of a long time.
“Don’t know why you need a shower,” I grumbled as I helped her undress. “You had one this mornin’.”
“And I had you after that,” she informed me breathlessly. “I’m showering.”
I frowned at her. She raised her eyebrows.
I helped her into the shower and stood right outside the glass door, keeping an eye in case she needed me.
Her clothes had been moved into my room and when she pulled a dress out of a drawer a few minutes later, something inside my chest clenched.
She hadn’t worn a dress in weeks.
“It’s loose,” she explained, pulling on a little bra with no clasp. Her tits had gotten huge and none of the other ones fit. I fucking loved it. She sat down to put on her panties and I kneeled, helping guide her feet into them. I pulled them up as she rose and reached for the dress. “I don’t want anything tight on me,” she gritted out, pausing for a moment.
“Baby,” I chastised, helping her with the dress. “You waited too fuckin’ long to tell me.”
“I know.” She grimaced, her fingers digging into my arm. “I’m sorry.”
The girls squealed downstairs, and I figured my mom or Esther had arrived.
“You know how much I love you?” I asked as she walked back into the bathroom.
I kept close but let her do her thing as she put on deodorant, moisturizer, and pulled her hair into one thick braid.
“I know,” she said softly, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror.
“We’re gonna have three babies soon,” I whispered, kissing the side of her neck as I ran my hand over her belly. It was disconcerting how hard it was. “Can’t wait.”
“Me either,” she replied. Taking my hand, she glanced around the bathroom and then shut off the light. I let her lead me out of the room and back down the hallway, stopping a couple of times so she could lean against the wall, panting.
Jesus Christ.
At the stairs, my stomach churned. I moved in front of her, just in case she became unsteady, and helped her down, one by one. When we got to the bottom, she smiled at me, her eyes already looking tired.