Kresley leans back to look at me. “The boys loved Eli. They’re going to make great big brothers.”
“That warms my heart to hear,” I say. “Thank you, Kresley.”
They leave and I turn to Chloe with a wicked grin blooming on my lips.
“You heard the witch. Off to bed with you.”
Chloe groans. “Emma can suck it.”
“I guess I missed the memo,” I say. “I didn’t realize Emma treated you like a three-year-old. Is that where I went wrong all these years? Treating you like an equal?”
“We’ll never be equals, Skyla.” She moans even harder. “I’ll always be better than you.” She manufactures a short-lived smile. “Now help me get upstairs. She leans her elbow on the counter and reaches for me with her other hand.
“Why in the hell would I help you?”
“Because you think you’re a good person, Skyla. It strokes your ego knowing you went out of your way for someone, and now you’re going to go out of your way for me.”
“I’m not going out of my way for you, Chloe. You can haul your own fat ass up those stairs. I’m feeding my fat ass more of that cake.”
“Please, you can eat all the placentas you want later. Just help me into my room.”
“It’s my room, Chloe,” I say, snatching a sugar cookie in the shape of a diaper off a half-eaten platter.
Logan pokes his head in through the backslider. “Your mom and Demetri are watching the kids. Gage, Coop, Wes, and I are going to get these gifts to where they need to be. We’re going to head to Whitehorse first. Everything okay in here?”
“Yup. Have fun.” I blow him a kiss as he ducks out.
“Whitehorse, huh?” Chloe lands her other elbow over the granite while panting up a storm, her enormous bulge forces her to straddle her legs just to keep upright.
“That’s where the surplus goes. But I’m having the baby at home.”
“Home? You mean Mommy’s house? Oh, that’s right. She still has her tit in your mouth, too.”
“Isn’t it something that our mothers get along great, and yet you and I have an eternal hatred brewing between us?” I head over to the fridge and pull out one of those pink coconut waters I love. Logan stocked the fridge with them for me because he knew I’d be stuck with the wicked witch all day. I suck half of it down while Chloe moans as if someone’s trying to pluck her eyeteeth out.
“Help me up, Skyla.” Her hand fishes for me and I head over because she’s right. I am nice.
Chloe latches onto me and I help navigate her upstairs, straight to the old bedroom I once shared with Gage. To the bed that we made love on, the furniture I handpicked for the two of us. If only I knew then that it would be Chloe I had chosen it for—that it would be this monster Gage would whisper his sweet nothings to before he fell asleep, I would have chosen a bed of nails.
“Bed of nails?” Chloe scoffs as I usher her into the bedroom. “You do realize I can still hear you when we touch.” She nods to the mattress. “Give me a push.”
She does her best to crawl up and I gladly give her a shove.
A horrid groan comes from her as she clutches her belly.
“Chloe? I think you might be in labor.”
“I think you’re right, Skyla.” She crawls over to the front of the bed on all fours, a vision I won’t be able to unsee. A position I’m sure she’s familiar with. Gage does like his girls on all fours. I’m quick to wipe the memory from me before it has a chance to form.
“This is happening fast,” she pants as she lands with a thud in the center of the bed. “I’ll need Ezrina. She promised me drugs. I left my phone downstairs on the counter.” She gets the words out between grunts. “Oh God, Skyla, this hurts like hell! How in the world did I get myself into this again?” She lets out a blood-curdling scream. “Help me!” She stretches out each word for ten seconds each.
“I left my phone downstairs, too,” I say, backing out of the room, my adrenaline spiking to unsafe levels.
“Come back.” Chloe holds her hand out my way, her eyes glowing with agony. “Please, Skyla. I need you. I need you to get Gage and stay with me until he gets here. I can’t take the pain. Get Marshall. He can take the edge off until Ezrina arrives. But call Ezrina first!” she shouts as I get to the door.
“I will.” Not.
I slam the door and lay my body over the other side of it for a moment, my heart pulsating in my ears. This is it. Chloe and Gage are about to build their family, and it crushes my heart to think about it.
