Lucas started to rapidly notice details. Her pale, sweaty face, the storm racing by in the windows. Thecarwindows. Headlights flashed across her dashboard, snow whirling like white static around her. His stomach bottomed out. His whole body went cold in a way that had nothing to do with the winter storm outside.
“Are you driving?!”
“Obviously,” she said, shaking her head like she didn’t have time for stupid questions.
“Are you insane?” August asked, voice calm.
“Not that I’m aware.”
Lucas made a noise of frustration. “Pull over right now, Cricket Kennedy Mulvaney!”
“Don’t you government name me, Lucas Nathanial Blackwell-Mulvaney. I’m not one of the children.”
Lucas’s lip curled at the sound of his own name. He forced himself to calm down, words tight as he pleaded with her. “You have to pull over. Please.”
“Relax, I grew up in Minnesota,” Cricket said, eyes rollingexactly like Ara’s had. “But there’s been a slight change in our Christmas plans.”
“What do you mean? Cricket, what the hell is going on? You’re supposed to be with Calliope and Lola! Why are you driving?! Where are they? Please pull over!” Lucas said again, his heart in his throat. He could feel August tense behind him, his expression as placid as Lucas’s was panicked.
Cricket gave them a tight smile. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Her wipers squealed across the glass, clearing heavy snow only for it to immediately build up again. “So, funny thing. Arlo and Dimitri’s car got stuck in the snow.”
“And they thoughtyouwere the best person to help?” Lucas asked, exasperated.
“Of course not,” Cricket said. “They didn’t want to have a super-prego person out in the snow, so they took the truck to go help and left me at home with my feet up by the fire. However…about fifteen minutes later…my water broke.”
“You can’t be serious?” Lucas said, brain numb. His pulse thrummed wildly in his ears, drowning out even the howling wind. “This cannot be happening.”
The cozy glow of the living room seemed to tilt, warmth replaced by sharp, dizzying adrenaline.
“Cricket,” August said, taking the phone from his fingers. “Why are you driving if you’re in labor?”
“The cell phone reception was pretty spotty because of the storm. When I did get through, emergency services said it could take a while, so when I saw the snowplow guy heading up the road in the distance, I flagged him downand asked if he could clear the road for me.”
Lucas shook his head, trying to fathom how someone so smart could do something so stupid. “You’re in active labor, Cricket. Youcannotbe driving.”
She rolled her eyes once more. “This is my fourth baby, third pregnancy. I think I know my body by now. I’ve had periods worse than this. It’s early. I got a hold of my midwife as soon as I got someplace with a signal. I’m on the highway now so we’re all good. I just wanted to let you know I’m heading to the mansion early so you might want to meet me there. Oh, and maybe call Calliope and Lola so they don’t have a heart attack when they see my car’s gone.”
Lucas pressed a trembling hand to his forehead, the last remnants of arousal evaporating into pure, white-hot panic. “This woman is going to kill me,” he whispered.
“Cricket—you really should pull over,” August demanded, already reaching for his jacket. Lucas’s heart lurched, his mind racing ahead to every worst-case scenario. “We’ll come get you.”
“Nope,” she said cheerfully. “Too late. I’m literally like ten minutes from the mansion. You should call everybody and tell them it’s gonna be a messy Christmas. Baby number four is about to steal the show. Hope you picked a name.”
“This is insane,” Lucas muttered again for the thousandth time. His hands were shaking, cold even in the warm living room. He could still feel the ghost of August’s body heat from their interrupted kiss, now replaced by panic. His pulse thudded in his ears, drowning out the crackle of the fire.
“I know, right?” Cricket said. “I’m hanging up now. Ipromised Charlie I’d call her so we can FaceTime during my labor. She’s on a shoot in Brazil. Toodles.”
The two of them sat staring at the screen for a long moment.
Lucas gave August a confused look. “Did she say…toodles?”
“I told you that girl Charlie was gonna be trouble,” August said, shaking his head.
Lucas scrubbed a hand over his face, the room spinning just slightly as the reality settled. “Okay,” he murmured, voice thin. “Okay. Fuck. I need to call Dad. I need to make sure we have all the necessary supplies, and her bag and the baby’s bag and everything the kids might need?—”
“Hey, Dad,” August said into the phone, already two steps ahead of him. “Yeah, did Cricket call you? No? Well, she’s in labor and driving herself to your place as we speak. Her midwife is on the way. Who all is there?”
Lucas could hear Thomas’s booming voice crackling through the speaker.
