“What would I do? It’s not like you need me to spy on George.”
He shrugged. “We can figure that out later. You’re a smart woman of many talents. I’m sure we can find a use for them. But even if you don't want to do that, you should be on the board. Simon seems to think a new board won’t give me the same type of grief as the last one, but if you’re there, I’ll have one person on my side." He tilted his head and grinned. "Unless, of course, you disagreed with me. But even in that case, I would trust that it wasn’t related to a secret agenda to defraud people."
I sat back, letting the idea sink in, and it wasn't all that bad. What appealed to me was the flexibility, and of course, being able to work with my husband. I enjoyed the work I had done before, although with George out, what would I do? Maybe James was right. Perhaps my research and information organization skills could be used in another way. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got about it.
I turned to look at him. "I like the idea."
They saytime flies when you're having fun, and I discovered just how true that was. Spring blew into summer and summer turned into fall, or as closely as it could happen living in the middle of the desert. During that time, James returned to the company and was able to do all the things he wanted to do. In a matter of months, the company had grown not just in profits, but in reputation as well. Although James occasionally took a business trip, now people came to see him.
The new board worked well together, and this time, the members were all on the same page as James. That didn't mean there wasn't occasional questioning or pushback, but it was always about what was best for the company. There'd been a small blip in the growth of the company in July when George was arrested, but by then, James had done the work necessary to show it was a whole new company.
As it turned out, working in real estate and financing had a great deal of need for research and organizing information, so I was busy. I mostly worked from home but sometimes came into the office.
When we weren’t working, we spent time with Amelia and Max, and of course, I spent time with Vivie. In fact, I felt a little guilty that my life was going so well. When she returned from New York after a few weeks at home, it was clear that she’d seen her ex and it hadn’t gone well. But she threw herself into her new writing career, and I have to say, I thought it was a crazy idea, but last week, she published her first book and she topped the bestseller list at online retailers.
Even my parents came to visit. Actually, they showed up at the gate of our community, but after I’d talked to the staff there about not letting just anyone in after Dean’s surprise appearance, my parents had to wait until I okayed their entry. The good news was that they behaved... mostly. There was no hiding their desire for James to invest or somehow partner with my father. The partnership with Dean’s father fell through, although interestingly enough, it was due to Dean’s behavior, not because I didn’t marry him. Dean had started taking more duties in his father’s business, and apparently, some of his decisions were really bad.
So yes, life had been really good, although in mid-August, I was the size of a tanker. I worked at home because it was most comfortable, especially with the frequent naps I took. Sleeping was a challenge. I think the babies enjoyed dancing inside my belly and frequently made me uncomfortable or sent me rushing to the restroom when they bounced on my bladder. Sometimes, they were on alternating schedules. While one was sleeping, the other was practicing soccer or vice-versa. It made sleeping difficult.
Maybe nerves impacted my sleep as well because I was nervous about labor and delivery and becoming a mother. Even so, I was ready to be done being pregnant.
Tonight, James came home early and made dinner. Then we relaxed on the couch to watch a movie. It was nine when it finished, but even at that early hour, I was ready to go to bed. I went to our bedroom while James went to his home office to check on business he had in Hawaii, where it was a few hours earlier.
I changed into a large T-shirt that barely fit over my belly and then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
When I finished, I felt a drip down my leg. "Oh, God? Am I incontinent now?" But then the drip turned into a whoosh and liquid flowed to the floor. I gripped the edge of the counter, looking at myself in the mirror, seeing shock and maybe terror on my face. My water had broken.
"James." I continue to stand, gripping the counter, trying to relax my nerves. "James!"
"You need something, Reyna?" His voice was in the bedroom, coming closer. He knocked on the bathroom door.
"Come in."
He stepped in, his eyes immediately narrowing as he saw me. "What's wrong?"
I looked down at the puddle of liquid on the floor. "I think my water broke."
His expression immediately mirrored mine. Shock and terror. "Shit." He rushed out of the bathroom.
"Where are you going?" I managed to make it to the doorway, wondering how I was going to clean up the mess. And then it occurred to me that maybe that wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment.
James was running around the room like a chicken with his head cut off. "Where's the go-bag?"
"It's in the car already." Seeing him in a total panic calmed me for some reason.
"Right." He stopped and looked at me. "It's early, isn't it? I thought they said the babies were due in September."
I nodded. "But they said twins can come early, remember?"
He gave his head a shake like he was trying to clear out the clutter. "Right.” He strode over to me, taking my arm. "Come on, we gotta go."
I resisted. "I can't go like this. I don't have any pants on."
"Holy hell." He ran to the dresser, opening all of them before he found one with a pair of yoga pants.
He brought them to me, but as I took them, a wave of tightness squeezed through my lower belly, causing me to bend over. "Oh, God." I sank to the edge of the bed.
"No, no, no, no, no, baby. We gotta go."