“Thank you,” I said softly. “All of you.”
I turned back to my family. Sarah was gathering her things, Noah was texting on his phone, and Knox was watching me with that protective gaze he always had. Like he was ready to throw himself between me and any threat that might appear.
We walked out of the hospital together, the night air cool against my skin. Hunt was waiting by the car, leaning against the driver’s side door with his arms crossed. He must have been watching the perimeter while we were inside.
When he saw me, his face softened into concern. He pulled me into a quick hug, careful of my belly, before stepping back.
“You okay, Lina?”
“I’ve been better.”
“You’ve been worse too.” He grinned. “Remember that time you accidentally set your hair on fire trying to light birthday candles?”
“That was one time, Hunt. Let it go.”
“Never.”
We sorted ourselves into cars. Noah took his with Sarah, the two of them already bickering about music choices as they climbed in. Hunt slid behind the wheel of the second car, and Knox helped me into the backseat before climbing in beside me.
“I feel like a chauffeur,” Hunt complained as he started the engine. “Next you’re going to ask me to wear a little hat.”
“The hat would be cute on you,” I offered.
“I’m not wearing a hat.”
“What if I ordered you to?”
“You’re not my Luna.”
“I’m literally your Luna.”
“Fine, but I’m still not wearing a hat.”
Knox snorted beside me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as Hunt pulled out of the parking lot. Despite everything, despite the fear and the uncertainty and the woman in the sketch that none of us recognized, I felt myself relaxing into Knox’s warmth. We were going home. We would figure this out. Together.
The drive was quiet after the initial banter faded. Hunt focused on the road, pushing the car faster than was probably legal but not quite as recklessly as Noah had driven on the way here. Knox held me against his side, one hand resting on my belly where our baby was shifting and kicking.
About an hour into the drive, I started to feel strange.
Not strange in the normal pregnancy way, where my back ached and my feet were swollen and I had to pee every fifteen minutes. This was different. A weird tightness in my lower belly that came and went in waves. Uncomfortable but not painful.
I shifted against Knox, trying to find a more comfortable position.
Then it hit.
A pain, sudden and brutal, exploded through my abdomen. I doubled over with a gasp, my hands flying to my stomach.
“Lina?” Knox’s voice was sharp with alarm. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“My stomach,” I managed, trying to breathe through the pain. “It hurts. It’s-”
Another wave hit before I could finish the sentence. Stronger this time. Different from the cramps I’d had after the chocolate cake incident. This wasn’t digestive distress. This was deeper, lower, more intense.
Oh no. Please no. It couldn’t be. It was too early, I still hadweeksleft. The baby wasn’t ready.Iwasn’t ready.
But the moment I thought that, I felt something warm spill between my legs.
13
