I give Eloise a nod. “Okay, honey,” she says in her calm voice. As soon as that contraction starts, you push… push now, honey… push now.” But Grace doesn’t need coaching. Her body is on autopilot, and this baby is coming regardless of what she does or doesn’t do. Holding her hand, Eloise brushes a lock of sweat-drenched hair back from Grace’s forehead as she groans with effort. She looks over at me and then turns back to Grace. “Okay, Grace, honey. The baby’s about to be born—you’re about to be a mom. Do you want a mirror so you can see your baby being born?” Some women want to watch their child come into the world, but I have to bite my cheek yet again as Grace shakes her head violently.
“No!” she shouts. “Oh my fucking god,no!” And then she howls in pain as her body tenses up again.
Three more good pushes and the baby is born. I’m not someone who spouts all kinds of crap about birth being a beautiful, miraculous experience, but there is something awe-inspiring about watching another human come into the world.
I hold the baby while Eloise asks Dylan if he wants to cut the cord since the dad’s not around. The look on his face is sheer terror, but I can see the moment he steels himself and decides to do it.
“Um, alright,” he mumbles, and I motion him over, showing him exactly what to do, and he follows directions perfectly—all the while keeping his eyes trained on the cord, not straying anywhere close to where the other end of the cord is still attached to his sister. When he finishes, the biggest, most dazzling smile crosses his face, causing my knees to literally get weak. Fuck, this man is beautiful.
“You did it, Grace. He’s here.” I wrench my focus back to baby and mama, setting the wee one gently into Grace’s arms. She cuddles him close to her as Eloise covers them both with a warm blanket. And that’s the exact moment the nurse from maternity walks in.
Chapter 3
REED
“Hi,I’mColton,”saysthe young, good-looking nurse from Maternity. He’s wearing light gray scrubs, and he sports a surprising number of tattoos up and down both of his muscled arms. He sure doesn’t look the part of a typical nurse, but hey, the world is changing. More power to him.
I can’t resist giving the guy a raised eyebrow and an exaggerated eye roll. “Sorry, dude, it’s all handled down here. We weren’t joking when we said the baby was coming quick. Show’s over.”
Colton’s jaw drops, and he flushes the cutest pink color as he takes in the fact that he’s missed the main event. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” he whispers, obviously upset he wasn’t here in time.
Stepping back from Grace’s bed, I shoot him a smile. “No worries, man. It’s okay—you couldn’t have known how quick it was going to happen. You can, however, help me finish up.”
The baby is on Grace’s chest, and she appears to be both awed and overwhelmed as she looks down at him, tears streaking down her face.
“Hi!” she sobs to the little one, who, remarkably, has stopped crying for the moment and is staring up at her. Babies can’t see much at all at first, so it’s fascinating how he stares intently at his mother. Dylan is standing beside Grace again, and I can see wetness in his eyes too, which makes my heart do a strange little flutter. A second later, the baby starts screaming again, effectively ending the special moment. Eloise and Colton talk Grace through the next few minutes. After dealing with the less-than-romantic aftermath of childbirth, which includes a few stitches to mama’s nether regions, I finish up and check in with Grace to see how she’s doing.
Satisfied that all is well, I turn to walk over to the desk, where I’ll finish her admissions paperwork, but looking up, I find Dylan’s chocolate-brown eyes focused on me, and a bolt of electricity shoots up from the base of my spine. There is something about this guy. Looking into his eyes, I get this strange sense that I’m really seeing him, seeing the actual person inside, not the mask everyone else wears. It makes me want to look at him for hours. For about half a second, I think about asking him out, but I shut that shit down immediately. I’m far too fucked-up an individual to get into a relationship with someone who seems so… good. I would do nothing but screw up his life, and I don’t want that shit on my conscience along with everything else that’s there.
Just then, a commotion reaches my ears from the entry doors, and a small stampede of humans is galloping toward me at high speed. The lady at the head of the group looks frantic, wearing a plaid flannel pajama top, buttoned up crookedly, with an old fisherman’s sweater tossed over her shoulders.
Right behind her are three guys about my age, and right behind them is an older gentleman who’s walking briskly but doesn’t appear to be as rattled as the rest of his clan.
Then I do a double take, realizing that one of the three guys is Jackson Cullen, the famous action star.Jesus H. Christon a piece of toast.How had I forgotten that when Dylan and Grace’s brother was here after his fall, Jackson Cullen was here with them. I don’t follow celebrity news at all, but you’d have to be living under a rock not to know that the superstar recently got engaged to his boyfriend, a home renovations expert from Seattle. Somehow, I’d never put two and two together that these were the same people I’d met.
The two guys, alongside the famous ginger actor, both look like they’ve just walked off a construction site. The smaller, dark-haired guy is wearing paint-splattered coveralls, and I recognize the other one as Mason, the brother with the bad back. I’d forgotten how big he was. Dude must be over six foot five, with light brown hair and a neat beard.
I’m on autopilot, so I’m about to step into stern-doctor mode when Dylan steps past me. I’m certain it’s my imagination when I hear his breath hitch as he steps around me, his chest brushing against my arm for a split second. His gaze moves off me to the stampeding family members, and he mutters something under his breath that sounds like “thank fucking god,” heavy emphasis on the “fucking.” Once again, I have to bite my lip hard to keep from embarrassing myself with laughter.
Chapter 4
DYLAN
JesusChrist,it’s about fucking time my family shows up.As soon as I see the frenzied horde of Campbells burst through the ER doors, I breathe a sigh of relief. The cavalry has arrived.
“Where is she? Is she okay? How dilated is she? Has anyone called Derek?” My mother shouts the series of questions like they’re all one long sentence. I brace myself because while I know their arrival means I’ll be able to leave soon, I will have to stay long enough to get everyone up to speed on what’s happened so far.
“Mom, it’s fine,” I say, stepping forward. “Grace had the baby a few minutes ago.”
My mother’s face blanches. “What? That’s too fast for a first baby. Is everything—” Before she finishes her sentence, I feel someone brush up against my arm, andholy shit,it’s like something out of a movie. When the skin of Reed’s arm touches mine, I swear I feel the jolt of electricity right down into the pit of my stomach. Our gazes collide, his eyes big and round.Did he feel it too?I wonder, but the moment’s over almost before it’s begun. Probably my overactive imagination.
Reed gives my mom a warm smile as he holds up both hands to stop her from charging into him.
“Grace’s little one just arrived, and everything looks great. It was a fast delivery, but aside from being caught off guard, everything went perfectly, and both mama and baby are fine. The nurses just need a few minutes to clean everyone up, and then you can talk to her while we get them admitted.” He smiles at her again. “Oh, I’m Dr. Reed Morrow, by the way.”
“Oh, um, okay,” my mom says, and while I’m sure she’d like to press for more information, she manages to hold back, at least for the moment.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Morrow,” Dad says, stepping up to stand beside my mom. Then he narrows his eyes. “Have we met? You look…”