Gunner shook his head as he walked down the hall. Life had taken the most unexpected turn when he had to travel back to Connecticut to say goodbye to his mom. Lily being there, what a fucking blessing that had been. It was worth giving up every field op, every government contract, every dream of traveling the country protecting people he didn’t know, to spend life with Lily and their children.
Gunner peeked his head through the doorway of their daughter’s bedroom. Both girls were fast asleep, Sage in her big girl bed, and Magnolia in her crib.
Like an absolute rookie, Gunner struggled to get the damn seat into the SUV. He’d spent weeks researching this damn thing, noting every safety rating and feature it had, just like he did for the girls anytime they needed a new seat. But this was a different one than Sage or Noli had as babies. Three installation videos and about a hundred swear words later, Gunner was finally back inside… one newborn car seat installed properly and their overnight hospital bag tucked safely beside it.
He didn’t hear Lily moving around, which was good. His next stop was to pop up to the bathroom and check on her. Lights flashed across the living room, and Gunner spun, watching a familiar car pull up next to his truck.
“Uh, hey guys. What’s going on?” Gunner asked as he opened the door, Sloane and Gage standing in front of him with smiles on their faces.
“Where’s Lily? How’s she doing?” Sloane asked, ignoring his question as she pushed past him. “Lily?”
“One sec,” she answered as she came down the stairs, her one hand supporting the underside of her belly while her other held the railing. Lily’s eyes grew wide before she reached the bottom step and Gunner moved to support her as her face crumpled.
“Lil? Shit. Is it really time?”
“I think you knew this was coming.” Her hand rested against his arm as he guided her towards their friends. “I complained so much your son finally took pity on me. Of course, he waited until I was standing in the bedroom for my water to break. I think by how quickly these contractions are picking up, he’s finally ready to meet us.”
“When she called, I just assumed she told you,” Gage laughed.
“Stubborn woman.” Gunner’s heart was about to beat out of his damn chest. As incredible as it was to be there to support Lily as she brought their children into the world, itstill scared the hell out of him. So many things could go wrong… and she was the most important thinginhis world.
“Yeah, yeah. Just help me out to the car, would you? Oh, grab the bag from the closet too. And the car seat…”
“I installed it while you were taking a bath. Figured tonight was the night.”
Lily smiled as she looked up into his eyes. “This feels familiar.”
“We’ve done this dance before,” he replied. “And I’m sure we’ll do it again.”
Lily laughed. “I hope we do.”
And then he watched her body grow stiff as her breath whooshed in and out of her chest. His wife’s face came to rest on his shoulder as her hand wrapped around his waist and her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt.
“We need to go,” she groaned.
“Sure thing, boss.”
“I’ve got the girls,” Sloane said.
“They’re down for the count and should sleep through the night after all that running around they did… today….” Lily hissed as she turned into Gunner’s chest. He wrapped his arms low around her back as her arms came up around his neck and they rocked back and forth.
“There’s breakfast stuff in the fridge and—” Gunner started to explain before Gage cut him off.
“We’ve got them, Reap. I’ll text you if anything comes up. Just take care of your girl.”
“Thanks, Tracker.” Gunner cleared his throat as Lily pushed away from his chest.
“Thank youboth,” Lily huffed as she pulled Sloane into a hug. “You truly are lifesavers.”
“The perks of being the kid-free auntie and uncle,” Sloane joked.
“Mm. Just don’t let the girls bribe you into ice cream for breakfast.” Gunner smiled.
“Oh, no bribing will be necessary. We’re already planning Graham’s birthday party!”
“You know what?” Lily laughed. “As long as the sugar rush has worn off by the time we come home, whatever you need to do to survive is AOK with me.” Her hand rested against Gunner’s bicep. “Okay, handsome. We need to get going.”
A few minutes later, as they pulled onto the highway between Silver Springs and Bell Ridge, Gunner’s hand slid over Lily’s bump. The ride to the hospital was a sacred time to him. The last few minutes he’d be able to feel their sweet child wiggle and kick through Lily’s belly. Her hand pressed down over his and her head rolled so her gaze warmed the side of his face.
