I stare at him blankly as he pulls up to the gate and grabs a parking ticket.
“I get that, but why? You just needed to drop me off.”
He’s quiet as he parks the truck in a corner spot. Whatever, I don’t have time to wait for him to decide when he wants to talk to me. I hop out of the truck and start walking toward the elevator. Jaxon is hot on my heels. I add a sway to my hips to fuck with him. He wants to stalk me and go back to ignoring me—good for him. I’ll give him the extra show.
The admin at the front desk administers guest passes and directs us to the labor and delivery waiting room on the third floor, which is where I find my family waiting. Of course, I’m the last to arrive. Even Dani’s parents beat me.
I hope that Jaxon miraculously disappears from behind me before anyone sees him, but of course, my luck, that is not the case. My sister is the first to look up, and she adjusts in her chair, jolting upright as she smacks Finn’s arm and nods in our direction. I’m sure Lauren meant to do it discreetly but fails miserably. I’m pretty sure the sound of her smack echoes throughout the entire floor.
I ignore the stares and drop in the seat next to her and pretend I didn’t just arrive at the hospital with my archnemesis. I glance back over at him, and he’s standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking unsure of what to do. Good—serves the asshole right. Maybe he should have just dropped me off.
“Any update? Are the babies here yet?” I hope my question can bring the attention off me.
Lauren looks back and forth between the two of us. Okay, no such luck, I guess.
“Hello, Earth to Mrs. Reynolds.” She whips her head toward me and smiles. Yeah, she’s so mushy like that. She always smiles at her new last name. Gag me.
“No update yet.” She leans over, propping her arm on our shared armrest. “What’s going on?” she asks in a hushed voice.
I look back over in Jaxon’s direction to find Finn now chatting with him. I shrug, unsure how to explain it, so I go with the simple version and pray she doesn’t ask why because I haven’t figured that part out yet. “My car wouldn’t start, and Jax offered me a ride.”
Her eyes widen, and I’m pretty sure her mouth hits the floor in shock. “Oh, it’s Jax now? Huh? You guys on a nickname basis now?” Her tone is teasing, and all I get the chance to do is flip her the middle finger before we’re interrupted by Finn leading Jaxon over to the empty seats across from us.
It’s been two hours, and Jaxon is still here. He even made a coffee run to the cafeteria so no one had to leave. Although it was a hard pass for me since that is not coffee and basically liquid sludge.
All conversations come to a halt when Kyler appears in the waiting room. It was so quiet as we waited with bated breath for news. His expression gives absolutely nothing away, and it’s killing me.
Are the babies here?
Is everything okay?
Were there complications?
Everyone quickly stands. “It’s official,” he shouts. I’ve never seen my brother so happy; not even on his wedding day was his smile this big. Wow, my brother is officially a father. How the fuck did that happen? “They’re here.”
The room erupts in cheers, and tears trickle down my cheeks.
“Dani is getting settled, and then the nurses said I can bring you guys back, but Dani needs to rest, so you guys will have to cut your visit short.”
There are a few boos in the crowd, mainly from Dani’s father, Adam, who is sporting a “Proud Grandpa of Twins” shirt. I wonder if Christopher Lawson had been here or even still in our lives, would he share the same excitement? Does he even know or care that he’s a grandfather? Now is not the time to ruin a happy moment thinking about him.
I walk up to where my brother is standing next to Finn and Jaxon, along with Dani’s brother, Zach. I interrupt their conversation, pulling him into my arms. The hug is a tad awkward because of our height difference, but I don’t care.
“I’m so happy for you, Kyler. I am going to spoil the shit out of those babies.” He squeezes me tightly before letting me go. I have to wipe more tears using the corner of my sleeve.
He laughs. “I have no doubt about that.” He puffs out his cheeks, blowing out a harsh breath as reality sets in. “I’m never sleeping again.”
His father-in-law comes up behind him and slaps him on the shoulder. “You’ll sleep again in eighteen years.”
A look of fear appears on his face as he laughs awkwardly. Poor guy. I know he has a plethora of babysitters lined up to watch those babies, though, so that he and Dani can sleep or do whatever it is they choose to do. I prefer not to think about Kyler and how these babies got into this world.
“Everyone ready?” Ky asks, clearly eager to get back to his wife and children.
Our large group follows, and I bring up the rear. I stop when I see Jaxon hasn’t moved and is glancing around the room like a lost puppy.
I turn back and walk over to him. “Not coming?” I mean, he’s waited this long. Might as well go meet the babies.
He places his hands in his pockets and shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t want to crowd the new mom. I should get going anyway.” He pauses. “Unless you need me to stay and give you a ride home.”
I give a soft smile. “No, that’s okay. I’ll catch a ride home with my sister.”
“Right, of course.” He grips the back of his neck and looks down at a spot on the floor. Was that disappointment in his voice?
“I’ll be sure to let Dani know you were here and send your regards.”
He looks up, nodding a nonverbal thank-you. Why am I standing here, stalling?
“And Jaxon, thank you for the ride.”
He shrugs. “It was nothing. Just—”
“You being a gentleman again?” I tease, using his words from earlier.
“Now you get it.” He smirks, and something inside me has me craving to reach out and touch his cheek. Instead, I push his bicep and cover my teeth with my lips to suppress the moan of feeling the muscle flex underneath my touch.
“Shut up,” I tease.
“Kate, you coming?” Lauren shouts from behind me.
“Well, you better go,” he says, tilting his head over my shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Kate.”
With a small wave, he turns and heads toward the elevator. I’m still frozen in place, so my eyes are still on him when he looks back over his shoulder and smiles. I clear my throat and shake off whatever that was. I ignore my sister’s stares and goofy grin as I pass her to meet up with the rest of the crowd to meet the newest members of the Lawson family.