“Uh-huh.” Just then a call comes in on his Bluetooth, with Hadley’s name appearing on the dashboard screen. “Sorry, I should take this.”
“Of course, happy wife, happy life.”
He sidelines his eyes to me with a smug smirk before answering. “Hey, Sprinkles.” Damn, that’s a little sappy.
“Connor.” I hear Hadley’s voice. “I need you to come right away to the hospital.”
Fear hits Connor as he grips the steering wheel. “Wait, what? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I just need you to come right away. Can you do that for me?” She sounds upset.
I mouth yes to Connor, assuring him that we can take a detour.
“I can be there in ten minutes, okay?”
“Hurry.”
* * *
Ten minuteslater we are running into the hospital and up two floors to find Hadley standing by a room, pacing the hall. She immediately runs into Connor’s arms.
“Hey, it’s okay. What’s going on?” he asks as he holds her tight and rubs her back.
She gently pulls back. “It’s Isla.”
Instantly, my body tenses, and my eyes shoot to the door to Isla’s room. Hadley notices me, and her face is indescribable, as if she is surprised that I’m here and equally worried.
“Oh, hey, Vaughn… didn’t realize you would be here.”
Connor interjects. “I mentioned this morning he will be our new GM, I picked him up from the airport.”
“Right.” Her T is tight.
I can’t figure out why she is acting odd, but I can’t focus on that. Not when I know Isla is on the other side of the door.
10
ISLA
Ipractice my yoga breathing while I sit up on the bed. Closing my eyes, I do my best to calm down while my hand is firmly set on my belly that has a belt of cords around it to monitor the baby, and I also have a pulse oximeter attached to my finger.
The door opens a crack, and Hadley slips through the tiny opening, careful to ensure nobody else can enter. Her face seems panicked.
“We have a problem,” she states.
“What? The doctor said I’m fine and it was just a false alarm. They will just double-check everything when my doctor arrives after they notify her upstairs.”
Her mouth is in a strained line as she shakes her head before her face squinches. “It’s not that. I was so worried when we first arrived that I phoned Connor. I didn’t say anything, so he thought it was me hurt, but that doesn’t matter because…”
I stare at her blankly. “And? He’s your husband. I sent a message to Briggs too because I was freaking out.”
“So…” She quickly walks to my bed and perches on the end. “When I asked you to meet at my studio to go for lunch, it was actually because I wanted to talk to you about something that Connor told me about this morning at breakfast.”
“Get to whatever it is faster.”
“He told me that later in the week they are going to announce the new GM for the Spinners… Vaughn.”
My eyes instantly widen and my nose tips up. “Come again?”
