“Was that a contraction?” I ask, already starting to panic.
“I’m sure it’s not a real one. I’ve been getting Braxton Hicks contractions off and on for weeks. That was a bigger one, though. Back to you and Theo. You’ve told me all the details, except for the most important thing. How do you feel about him?”
That question got my attention. “Confused. He’s incredibly attractive. Like, so, so, so hot.”
“Obviously.”
“He can also be rude and arrogant, and he sometimes thinks he knows more than anyone else about a lot of things.”
“Like what?” she asks, unclasping the bra and holding the band to her chest to test the width.
“Like… business-stuff. He thinks he knows everything there is to know about managing staff.”
“Uh-huh, well, you did say he has over eight thousand employees, so maybe he does know a thing or two about that.”
“True, but did he really need to give Harrison his opinion about me?” A familiar sense of righteous indignation creeps back up.
“Noooo,” Hadley moans.
“Exactly,” I answer, before I realize she’s bent over again, but this time, there’s a splash of liquid on the floor underneath her.
“Oh, God, why here?” she asks me, wincing.
My heart starts to pound. “Is that—? Did your water just break?” I whisper.
She nods. “Apparently Apple Blossoms is my go-to place for life’s most embarrassing moments.”
“And for life’s biggest moments,” I tell her, tearing up a little.
The saleswoman comes around the corner, then stops in her tracks when she sees the puddle. Rolling her eyes, she says, “Not again. Why don’t you people go bra shopping earlier in your pregnancies?”
“Sorry, I’ll clean that up,” Hadley tells her.
“No, you won’t. Not in your condition,” I say. Turning to the woman, I say, “I’ll do it.”
Hadley has another contraction, adding to the pool on the floor.
“On second thought, maybe we should go,” I say.
“Yes, I think that would be for the best,” the woman tells us.
The next hour is a flurry of activity and emotions: me rushing Hadley to the hospital, her calling Heath to meet us there, me checking her in at the maternity ward and getting her off to a labour room, where I stayed until Heath arrived. According to the nurse who had a look under Hadley’s gown, this baby is coming fast.
So now I’m sitting in the cafeteria alone, sipping green tea and waiting for the big news. My emotions are all over the place, but my main thought is I hope she and the baby will come out of this okay. She’s my best friend, and I’m scared for her, though I’m sure there’s no reason to be. She’s healthy, and all signs point to an equally healthy baby waiting to come out and meet the world.
One thought that keeps popping into my mind is wishing Theo were here. I really, really wish he was. Somehow, I know he’d help keep me from worrying, and we’d have fun passing the time together. He’s the man I could do nothing with and still have the best time ever. If that’s not a good sign for long-term potential, I don’t know what is. And he saved our family. After I bluntly turned him down, he still stepped up and saved us when he had no reason to do so. As far as he was concerned, we were never going to see each other again. Yet he must have gone to a lot of trouble, and likely to some considerable expense, to fix things for us.
My mind wanders back to Hadley asking me how I feel about him. I told her I was confused—and I am—but I’m also in love with him. If things could work out between us, I’d be the happiest woman on earth. I could put up with the odd display of arrogance and his tendency to be overly honest when he doesn’t have to be, because there’s so much good in him. So, so much good wrapped up in that deliciously hard body.
My phone pings; it’s a text from Heath.Baby’s here! Come meet her!
A girl! I jump up and rush out of the cafeteria, happy tears already flowing.
When I get to her room, I gently push the door open. Hadley is lying in the bed, exhausted, sweaty, and filled with joy. Their tiny baby lies on her, swaddled in a blanket, fast asleep.
Tears fill Hadley’s eyes, and mine too, as I cross the room. I look at the baby’s tiny, perfect face. She’s red and puffy of course, but she has the cutest little nose and a mini-version of Hadley’s mouth. “She’s absolutely perfect, and I’m so glad you’re both okay,” I whisper.
“Thanks,” Hadley says, beaming. “She really is something, isn’t she?”
