“Come home with me tonight?” he whispered.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I said. When he went to pick me up, I put a staying hand on his chest. “Jake, what are you doing?”
“I want to carry my woman off.” He gave me a cocky grin. “But I guess I should ask if that’s okay with you. Is it?”
“It is. Take me home and make love to me, cowboy,” I said, and he lifted me in his arms.
EPILOGUE 1
JAKE
Four months later
For the first time in my life, I felt nervous in front of others. The people gathered in the living room were those closest to me. Brian and Caitlin and their baby girl, Ella Rose, who’d been born just a month earlier. Amy, Cal, and Henry were also here. And my mother and Julia’s were just coming in from the kitchen.
“Dinner’s about ready,” my mother announced to everyone.
“Before we eat, I’ve got something to say,” I announced. “Everyone have a drink?” People raised their glasses as they watched me closely. I noticed their gazes turning to Julia, standing next to me, as if anticipating where this was going.
In the four months since we’d committed to each other, I’d learned quite a bit about the woman I loved. For instance, I knew she didn’t mind being the center of attention if it was a small gathering filled with people she was close to, which was why I chose to ask her a very important question in front of our families.
I turned to Julia, taking her hand in mine, and opened my mouth to speak. Before I could get a word out, she let out a cry and doubled over in pain. For a second I froze, unsure what to do, but Caitlin rushed forward.
“Are you having contractions?” she asked Julia.
Contractions? As in…the baby was coming?
“No, too soon.” Julia was struggling to catch her breath. “I think they’re just Braxton-Hicks. It’s been going on all day. That one was a lot worse, though.”
I saw Caitlin shoot a look at the other women in the room. They all moved forward, surrounding Julia and getting her to sit on the sofa.
“How many have you had?” Julia’s mother, Lisa, asked.
“I don’t know. Coming and going. It’s fine.” Julia’s voice sounded remarkably calm. “My water hasn’t broken, and I’ve got almost two weeks until my due date. This isn’t the real thing.”
Oh boy, if that contraction wasn’t real, I was frightened of what was going to happen during the actual birth.
“My water only broke with the twins, not with my other two deliveries,” Laura said. “That doesn’t always happen in advance of labor, you know.”
“I know. It’s the same with animals.” Julia was breathing easier and sitting up straighter. “See, it’s passed. We can go ahead with dinner.” She’d barely gotten the words out when another wave of pain hit. Her face turned red and sweat broke out on her forehead.
“How close together were those?” Amy asked.
“Not much more than three minutes,” Brian replied. “I don’t think there’s time to get to the hospital. I’ve been in on a few births in my line of work.”
“What?” I barked. The hospital was an hour’s drive. Surely we could… “You mean she’s going to have the baby now? Here? In the house?”
“Looks like it,” my mom said, her voice calm. “We need to get her to bed.”
I felt panic like I never had before. Julia was going to give birth at home? I needed to take action. I yanked myself together. “Right. Brian, go get Doc Billet. He’s the closest. And don’t drive like an old man. Amy and Caitlin, get towels and other stuff we’ll need. Mom, Lisa, help me get her to the bedroom.”
I put my arm around Julia and got her to her feet. The fact that she didn’t protest me giving orders showed how much things had changed. We’d gotten better at reading each other. She no longer minded when I stepped forward to take charge, if the situation called for it—and I was a lot more careful about making plans that would suit her.
“What about us?” Henry asked pointing to him and Cal.
I had no idea. I’d confessed to Julia that I’d been plotting contingencies, but this had never been one of them. “Uh, why don’t you follow me, in case we need help?” Henry nodded, his face solemn. He followed along next to us, his hands out as if he could catch her if she stumbled.
It felt like slow progress to the bedroom since we had to stop when another contraction hit her. I wanted to carry her, but when I tried to lift her, she shook her head, and I didn’t press the issue. When we reached the bedroom, Cal and Henry pulledthe blankets back and grabbed a bunch of pillows while I got her settled on the bed. I held her hand through another contraction. This one was definitely more painful based on the death grip she had on my hand. My mom and Lisa were quietly moving around the room getting things ready.
