Whatever life might throw at them after the near-death experience, Angela had no doubts that God would give them the strength to handle it.
EPILOGUE
Angela wrapped her fuzzy robe around her and left the bathroom, her steps slow. In the bedroom, she placed her hands on the bed and blew out a long breath, slowly swaying from side to side.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The pain finally ebbed, and Angela took one more deep inhale, then let it out before straightening.
The pains were still several minutes apart and didn’t last too long, but the time for her and Jude to meet their little one was nearing. It was a week before her due date, but at her last appointment, the doctor had said she could deliver any day.
Jude was at the security building, and Angela knew she had to let him know soon. However, she was trying not to ramp up his worry too much.
From the moment she’d shown him the positive pregnancy test, his protectiveness of her had ramped up even further. Thankfully, she’d had a fairly easy pregnancy.
She texted Kiara and Annie to let them know that she was in labor, but she made them promise not to tell Jude yet.
Kiki:Do you want me to come over?
No, I’m fine. I’ll tell Jude once the contractions get a little closer.
Kiki:Okay, but let me know if you change your mind.
She sent back a thumbs up, then tucked her phone into the pocket of her robe. While she waited for the next contraction, she retrieved her hospital bag from the large walk-in closet.
It had been packed—with Jude’s help—for almost three weeks. If he’d had his way, they would have moved to Coeur d’Alene two months ago.
Thankfully, Angela had managed to convince him to stay in their home on the estate. She liked the haven they’d created together since their marriage, and it was where she wanted to be as they prepared to welcome a child into their lives.
After doing a final check through the bag, Angela carried it out of the room. She paused in the hallway leading to the large open living area when another contraction crept up on her.
Setting the bag on the floor, she pulled her phone out and opened the app she was using to track the contractions. She started the timer, then put the phone back in her pocket. She pressed her hands against the wall and allowed her head to fall forward as she breathed her way through the pain.
Once it eased, she took a cleansing breath, then picked the bag back up. After setting it by the front door, she went to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.
She wasn’t really hungry, but she wanted to make sure she had fuel in her body for what was to come.
The contractions continued to come as she prepared herself some pasta with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. From the app, she could see they were coming about seven minutes apart.
She settled into her favorite overstuffed rocker with her bowl of pasta balanced on her stomach, and her large water bottle on the end table beside her chair. Tucking one leg under her, she used the other to set the rocker in motion.
She connected her phone to the Bluetooth speakers and brought up her favorite playlist.
Slowly, she ate her pasta, leaning her head back with her eyes closed when a contraction would tighten her stomach.
Though she would have liked to put off contacting Jude to spare him the worry so early in her labor, she knew there were logistics to take into account.
After two contractions that were a bit more intense, she set aside her nearly empty bowl of pasta and sent a text off to Jude.
I’m having contractions. <3
Jude:OMW
