My head lifted at the sound of Gio entering the bathroom. Had I really been in the shower that long?
When I didn’t respond, my husband pulled open the glass door, frowning. Shaking his head, he muttered, “I knew I went too hard on you.”
“I’m o-okay.” It wasn’t overly convincing when my breathing hitched, and I winced, my palm rubbing circles on my hard belly.
Gio’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Why don’t you come out of there?” He offered me his hand.
Reluctantly, I turned off the water and let him help me onto the bathmat. He’d just spun around to grab me a towel when an intense pressure gripped my stomach, and I doubled over with a low groan. A split-second later, there was a gush between my legs, and my eyes widened as hot liquid splashed on the floor.
Wide-eyed, my head snapped up to find Gio frozen only a few feet away, his gaze locked on the mess I’d made. I could only imagine the shock on his face mirrored my own.
Voice shaky as reality sank in, I whispered, “We need to go to the hospital.”
Chapter 24
Gio
Ohshit.
It wasn’t just baby time; it was time for me to disclose the secret I’d been holding onto for weeks.
And Rory was not going to be happy about it.
“We’re not going to the hospital.”
Blue eyes bulged from across the bathroom. “Excuse me, what? Did you miss the part where my water just broke? We need to go. Now.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to come up with a different way of saying it so she would understand.
“What I mean is, wecan’tgo to the hospital. It’s not secure enough.”
A burst of hysterical laughter sounded from my wife. “I don’t give a flying fuck about security. Do you understand me? Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a tiny person about to rip their way out of me and an epidural waiting at Windy City General with my name on it.”
She moved to shove past me, but I wrapped my fingers around her damp bicep, halting her.
Staring up at me with murder in her eyes, Rory gritted out, “Gio, I swear to God . . .”
“Rory,” I drew her name out slowly. “I need you to listen to me.”
“No.” She shook her head so violently that wet strands of red hair whipped me in the face. “I’m not interested in anything you have to say unless it’s, ‘Honey, I’ll grab your bag and warm up the car while you get dressed’.”
Yanking her arm out of my hold, she stormed into the bedroom, grabbing underwear from a drawer.
Since words weren’t getting through to her, I strode to the window and pulled back the curtains. “Rory, for fuck’s sake, will you just look at this?”
Radiating annoyance, she swiveled her head around, but the fire seeped right out of her when she caught sight of the whiteout conditions beyond the glass.
Mouth dropping open, she breathed, “Oh my God.”
“Even if I wanted to take you, baby. I can’t.”
“No. No, we can make it. The hospital’s not that far, and we’ve got four-wheel drive.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Four-wheel drive doesn’t matter when you can’t see two feet in front of the vehicle. Would you rather give birth in the car after we’ve crashed into a snow bank, or do it in the comfort of your own home, where it’s warm?”
“Um, how about none of the above? I want to go to the hos-pi-tal.” She clapped out each syllable for emphasis.
“Rory, that’s not an option.”
