“Hey, there’s a new guy that’s kind of cute. I need to watch my girlish figure.”
“I’m leaving,” I say, laughing and walking out the door, trying to get the image of Miss Alice and a man, any man, out of my head.
“Hey, sis, you’re leaking,” Nico says and I look down at the water pitcher in my hand. I don’t see it leaking, but I do see water running down my legs and onto the floor at my feet. I look back at the pitcher and then back at my feet, and then I realize that it’s time.
“I...I’m, well, I think my water broke,” I tell him and he looks like he may fall over.
“Your water broke?” He stumbles back.
“Oh crap!” I mumble.
“What’s going on?” Cash asks.
“My water broke and Nico is freaking out,” I tell him, waving a hand in front of Nico’s face. Then I look at Cash and he looks the same as his brother. “Come on. You can’t be serious?” I groan.
“Is everything okay?” Trevor asks and I don’t even tell him. What’s the point? He’s just going to freak and I don’t have time to deal with them.
“Your water broke?” Trevor says from behind me and I notice that he sounds normal, so I stop and look at him.
“Yes, and I need to find your brother. Will you help me without going comatose?”
“Sure.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, and his other two brothers aren’t standing four-feet away staring into space. He grabs me around the waist and slides his arm under my thigh, lifting me. I scream and hold onto his neck for dear life.
“I could have walked,” I tell him, digging my nails into his back.
“This would be easier if you would retract your claws there, kitten.”
“Oh, sorry,” I mumble.
“What are you doing? Put her down,” Asher says when he sees uscome through the backdoor.
“Her water broke. I’m taking her to the car.”
“Your water broke?” he asks in the same tone as Nico and Cash.
“Asher James Mayson, if you freak out, we’re going to have so many problems, especially after you shoved that damn baby book down my throat every day for the last nine months. You know everything that is going to happen. You cannot be surprised by any of this.”
“You tried to burn it,” he reminds me of my failure. When we finally got home from the hospital and the guys came over for dinner that weekend, they decided to grill steaks and found the baby book still inside the grill, safe and sound, not even slightly damaged by the horrible rains that we had for two days before. He brought the book inside, set it at the island, and then went back out to the grill, never saying a word about it.
“That book is like the damn Chucky doll,” I complain and dig my nails into Trevor’s neck again when the first contraction hits.
“Holy mother of God that hurts!” I say, breathing deep and looking at Asher.
“Go get her stuff. I’ll take her to the car,” Trevor tells him.
“Put me down.”
“I’m taking you to the car.”
“Put me down right now!” I yell and he sets me on the floor.
“What’s going on?” Susan asks, walking around the corner to the living room.
“My water broke and all of your sons, except Trevor, turned comatose at the mention of it. I need to get my bag and get to the hospital.”
“How far apart are your contractions?”
“I just had my first one, so I don’t really know. I haven’t timed them.”
