My brows pull into a deep frown, the heat of insult bursting through my cheeks. “Excuse me?”
“You’re practically stumbling into your due date. You should be at home, resting. I would’ve handled this whole thing on my own, and you know that. At most, you should be out there, wearing a beautiful dress, saying no to champagne and accepting compliments for this exquisite menu.”
Glancing down at my baby bump, I have to admit he does have a point. But with all the setbacks we’ve had, I couldn’t sit back and let Matty carry the whole load. I didn’t want to.
“We were supposed to open three months ago,” I say with a deep sigh. “But hey, the hospitality world can be unpredictable.”
“Well, that, and the fact that Alex and the guys insisted on you getting married before the opening,” he grumbles and rolls his eyes.
“They wanted to make an honest woman out of me before we opened the doors.” I laugh lightly.
“You would’ve been an idiot to say no,” he says. “Point is, I can wrap this up. You should change out of your uniform and get comfy at the table. Sample the goods while you’re at it, you know?”
I shake my head slowly. “I need to keep working until I physically can’t anymore.”
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” He pauses to look at me.
I take the green sauce bowl and start adding to the dessert plates where he’s already applied the red sauce. “I’m scared out of my mind,” I admit. “Twins, Matty. My first pregnancy ever, and I’m having twins. I’m nowhere near ready for this. One would’ve been a big enough challenge.”
“Yeah, but the universe thought you could handle it.”
“Maybe I can. Until then, I’m going to keep working. The doctor said it’s good for me to keep moving, anyway. And you’ve seen me. I always take a seat when I get tired.”
He shrugs and finishes applying the red sauce. “You make the rest of us look like slackers.”
“Ah, well, setting standards isn’t such a bad thing,” I say with a laugh.
My laughter turns into a yowl of deep pain as I drop the bowl. It crashes to the floor, the green sauce splattering across the white marble and all over my shoes.
I hold on to the edge of the table, feeling the warm wetness spread down my pants.
“Holy…” Matty gasps.
“I think…”
“Your water just broke, didn’t it?”
I nod once. His eyes widen with shock.
At the same time, the doors burst open, and in comes Alex with a most satisfied smile. “They’re loving the food out there,” he says. “We’re already getting booking requests for the first half of next year. Event planners dropped a few cards because they want to work with…” He pauses a few feet away from me, measuring me from head to toe, as I lean against the counter and try to keep it together while remembering the breathing exercises I learned for precisely this occasion.
“What’s going on?”
“The twins are coming,” I manage before another contraction hits.
“Oh, shit,” Alex says, but he remains calm.
Matty nods a few times. “I can handle the rest of the evening, no problem.”
“How’s our lovely, hard-working wife doing?” Max asks as he and Vincent join us in the kitchen.
“We need to restock the Bordeaux,” Vincent adds.
Alex gives Matty the keys to the cellar. “You can handle this. Have Carla help you.”
“Sure thing,” Matty replies, then grabs the keys and runs out.
“What’s going on?” Max’s amusement fades as he notices my discomfort.
