Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Blake!” Ava rushes over to where Blake just walked through the doors that lead to the delivery rooms. My brother-in-law looks nervous and excited and proud. “How is she? Is she okay? What’s happening?”
“She’s gorgeous and perfect,” Blake replies and pats Ava on the shoulder. “I told you all that you didn’t have to come so early. We’re probably in for a long day.”
Blake’s all doctor as he looks at each of us, relaying what’s going on. My stomach’s in knots and has been since Blake called me earlier. My little sister is having a baby, and I know that medical advances have come a long way, but childbirth is still dangerous and painful, and damn it, she’s mine. I want to protect her from anything that could hurt her, and I can’t when it comes to this.
It makes me feel powerless, and I fucking hate that.
“We’ll be here for the long haul,” Easton assures Blake. “Don’t worry about us.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Brooks, Blake’s oldest brother, agrees.
Darby squeezes my hand in hers, and Blake turns to Ava.
“She’s asking for you, Darby and Juliet. She’ll want you to stay for the whole thing, Ava, but she says she needs a minute with all her girls.”
“Me?” Darby asks, looking stunned. “But—”
“Come on, the woman in labor gets whatever she wants,” Ava says, taking Darby’s free hand and pulling her away. Darby blinks up at me and then follows Ava down the hallway toward the delivery rooms.
“Everything is normal so far,” Blake assures us. “I don’t like that she’s several weeks early, but it’s not dangerously early.”
“Three weeks isn’t terrible,” Blake’s mom reminds him as she rubs a circle on his back. “She’s going to be fantastic. They both are.”
Blake stays with us while Harper takes her time with the girls. Part of me wonders what they’re saying, and then I realize that I likely don’t want to know. As long as it’s helping Harper, she can have whatever she wants, just like Ava said.
Xander’s in Denver, about to take the ice for an afternoon game, otherwise he’d be on a plane home. The season is almost over for him. In fact, today might be the last game, depending on if they win or lose, because they’re at the end of playoffs. Either they’ll move on to the finals after today or they’ll be done for the season.
Someone turned the game on the TV in the waiting room, and the team should take the ice any minute.
“Did someone call Xander?” Brooks asks me as he comes to stand next to me.
“Yeah, I spoke to him about an hour ago,” I tell him. “How are you and Jules doing? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
My friend’s face softens. His face only softens when he thinks of his wife.
“We’re great. She’s pregnant. We haven’t really announced it, but I think she’s in there telling the girls now, so the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Congratulations.” I clap him on the shoulder, truly happy for my friend. I know that Brooks waited a long damn time for Jules to come back into his life, and I’m glad they found their way back to each other. “We’ll be here in this waiting room for you guys soon, then.”
“The hospital is going to get sick of all of us,” he agrees. “Maybe Connor will just build them a bigger maternity wing, since we’re all having so many babies.”
I smirk, but he might not be wrong. Connor is his little sister’s husband, who just happens to be a billionaire. Billie’s due with their first child any day now.
I glance over at the TV and see that the hockey game has started. Dad and Easton, along with several of the Blackwell clan, are watching, and then the doors open and Darby and Juliet come out, wiping tears from their cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Wildfire?” Brooks asks his wife.
“Nothing, we’re happy,” she says and smiles over at Blake. “She’s asking for you.”
“I’ll keep everyone updated,” Blake says as he hurries back to his wife.
Darby immediately walks into my arms and hugs me close, her face pressed to my chest.
“You okay, beautiful girl?”
“I’m great. Harper is so fucking amazing. Everything is fine in there. I know you’re worried.” She pats her hand over my heart and smiles up at me. Christ, she’s the sweetest thing. “She was monitoring things at home, but then her water broke, so Blake insisted she come in here. There won’t be a baby for a long while. Her spirits are good, and she seems happy. Ava will stay with her until after the baby comes.”
I nod, not surprised in the least that Harper wants Ava by her side through her delivery. My sisters have been attached at the hip since they were kids.
We settle in to chat with friends and catch snippets of the game, waiting for any news about Harper and the baby.