Her clothing and the floor were wet.
“Girl, you surprised everyone with baby Denver so I guess this little one wasn’t going to be outdone,” Ruby said.
Summer rattled off orders taking charge. “Someone call Kace, 911, and tell Bodie to get in here.”
I watched as she and Ruby worked together as a well-oiled team to calm Teal and assess the situation.
When Teal screamed again, I knew she wasn’t making it to the hospital. Wouldn’t be the first time that it happened to her that way.
There was never a dull moment with my friends and me.
ChapterThirty-Four
BODIE
The sightbefore me had my head swimming with worry.
Sweat gathered on my face as I listened to Teal scream in pain.
Luckily, Paxton had still been with me outside shooting the shit, so when we got the text that Teal was in labor, his training kicked in.
He never hesitated to jump in to help and watching had my opinion of him going up a couple more notches. We’d heard about Paxton’s skills but seeing him in action was a whole lot different and solidified what we’d been told.
I just wished at that moment it would make me feel better or that the images flashing through my mind would disappear.
Another wail from Teal and I didn’t see her any longer, nor did I see my deceased wife.
I saw Gemma round with our child and crying out hysterically in agony while I had no way of helping her.
Soft skin brushed across my cheek and I blinked. Gemma’s beautiful face came into focus and I got lost in her eyes.
“Baby, Teal is going to be okay, just like Brinley was.” Her palm rubbed my cheek and then she stood on her tiptoes and gave me a sweet, featherlight kiss before dropping back down.
There was no need to voice what was going on in my head—I’m not sure I could at that moment anyway—my girl knew and she was there to comfort me.
I wanted to give her everything and I knew she wanted a baby. How could I ask her to give that up for me out of fear?
There was no way I could ever ask that of her.
That was why I needed to conquer my demons.
Because there was no way I could ever let Gemma go.
ChapterThirty-Five
GEMMA
So many thingswere swirling around in my head.
I knew Teal would be okay but it wasn’t easy watching her cry out in pain and hear her frantically yelling for her husband, Kace, who I knew would be breaking some speeding laws trying to get to Alley’s if he didn’t have their son in the car.
Teal was in good hands though. I watched my brother take charge like a seasoned pro and was beyond proud of him. He would fit in so well with all the guys in our group who were also exceptional men. My heart kicked painfully at the thought of him leaving again.
But it was blatant terror and the worrisome look in Bodie’s eyes as he watched another one of our friends go into labor that had my heart cracking wide open. He may not have watched his late wife, Isabelle, pass away but he knew it was due to complications during the birth and that she was taken from him as well as their children for that reason.
I knew he never wanted to experience that again but he’d also been open that he never wanted his friends to go through what he had.
The need to soothe was powerful and I wanted my touch to bring him peace. That same feeling had been within me when we’d barely known one another and I saw his broken expression when Brinley had gone into labor.
