“I’m not leaving.” Sterling’s voice rumbled in low protest. “Not while you’re out here.”
Sadie’s voice overlapped his. “None of us are. This doesn’t just look like Braxton-Hicks, Lane. I think?—”
Laney waved them all off. “Oh, stop. It’s probably just some gas. Leave me alone. I’ll be fine.”
I hung back, unsure whether to insert myself or return to my seat but feeling that invisible tether pulling tighter with every word. Sterling hovered at Laney’s side even though she kept brushing him off, saying she was fine.
Laney’s gaze flicked up to mine. For a second, I thought she was going to snap at me, tell me to stop lurking, and to go, but instead, her lips curved into a soft, understanding grin.
“It gets better,” she said, as though she’d read my mind. “You’ll find your place with us, and after that, the noise won’t feel like so much.”
Something loosened in my chest. The words felt like an olive branch, like she’d extended the invisible circle of this family and made space for me inside it. I found myself smiling back, tentative but real.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know I probably shouldn’t say this since I just met you, but you really don’t look so good. You’re so pale, you’ve become almost transparent.”
She let out a sharp laugh, then winced. “Yeah, I felt that happening. I really do think I’m fine. I probably just need to lie down.”
“Let’s just say goodbye, then we’ll go home.” Sterling was still trying to coax her back toward the dining room when she froze, her breath catching and eyes widening.
A moment later, I heard the unmistakable sound of water spilling onto the polished floor.
“Oh my God,” Sterling muttered, his hand darting to her elbow and his own face now draining of color. “Laney, I think your water just broke.”
Laney closed her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a curse, and I realized with a jolt that Harlan’scelebration dinner was officially over. This evening was about to turn into something else entirely.
CHAPTER 25
HARRISON
With another Westwood grandchild on the way, my first niece, things moved fast. One minute, we were still sitting at dinner, and the next, we were all crammed into the hospital waiting room, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead and the sharp scent of antiseptic hanging in the air.
Laney’s dad, Vincent, had charged in not long after we’d arrived. The man was built like a linebacker, still carrying that detective’s edge even though it was the middle of the night and he hadn’t been on duty at the police station.
“Where is she?” he’d barked, startling the nurses and our family alike. “Where is my daughter? Laney Westwood.”
The first person his gaze landed on was me, and my eyes widened, but I pointed in the direction of the hall my mother had disappeared. “That way. Room 304.”
He gave me a quick nod, racing toward the glass doors that separated the waiting room and the ward, impatiently demanding to be let in. A security guard at the nurses’ station handed over a clipboard and he hastily filled it out before he was buzzed in.
I watched him go, but then I turned my attention back on Aurelia. She was perched on a chair between Sadie and Maisie,the three of them bent close together, whispering like they’d known each other for years.
She laughed softly at something Sadie had said and I dragged my gaze away from her before I made it too obvious that I was staring. Across the room, Callum had passed out on the couch with Brody curled against him, the kid’s little arm thrown across his dad’s chest.
Our own dad was asleep in a reclining armchair he’d sniffed out the second we’d walked in, making himself comfortable for what the nurses had warned us could be a long night. Mom had gone with Sterling and Laney, and we hadn’t seen her since.
That left me leaning against the wall next to Jameson. He was scrolling through his phone, his thumb flicking absently through a news site. He suddenly pressed the button to lock the screen and looked at me.
“This is why you were asking me about the Van Alens, isn’t it?” He inclined his chin toward Aurelia. “Why didn’t you tell me about her?”
I met his gaze, seeing a complete lack of judgment, but maybe a smidgen of concern. “CC and her mom don’t get along. We were trying to find out why out of respect so we could figure out how to tell them without detonating both of their lives as they knew it.”
He nodded slowly. “That plan changed, huh?”
I shrugged. “We were together when I got the call about dinner from Mom. I was tired of hiding it, and besides, no one seems to know what happened between CC and Regina. It was starting to feel like it was time to just tell them and find out exactly how much they hate each other from them once they knew.”
“Good plan,” he said, his lips quirking into a slight smirk. “Just show up to Dad’s retirement dinner with a fiancée, from afamily Mom doesn’t even talk about, no less. I wish I’d thought of that.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, I feel for you. You only brought home a woman Mom and Dad thought was going to bankrupt you.”
