Eli had worked his tail off to get his restaurant in order before the baby came. They were hosting Jase and Heather’s reception that night, but they didn’t officially open for two more weeks. Tonight was more of a dress rehearsal for the restaurant.
A dress rehearsal where the chef wore a tuxedo and stressed out way too much because he was in the bridal party and not in his kitchen.
He’d left one of his sous-chefs in charge there.
Another contraction—she’d been having them for weeks—took Marlee’s breath away. She waited until it passed, gripping the edge of the bar top until her knuckles turned white.
“What do you say we take a breather in Eli’s office?” Sadie asked super gently once the contraction was over.
That was an excellent idea. Marlee nodded and followed Sadie through the room filled with Jase and Heather’s friends and family, past Babushka and her boyfriend, Morty, and down the hall to the kitchen. Eli’s office was just off the kitchen here.
This one had real walls. Marlee liked to think it was innocent, but she was pretty sure he’d ditched the glass this time so he could have conjugal visits whenever Marlee popped in.
She turned the handle to the door and slipped inside, Sadie two steps behind her.
“We should text Kellie and Becca, see what they’re up to,” Marlee said as another contraction swiped her breath clean away.
Lothario took one look at Marlee from his perch on Eli’s chair and yipped. He trotted toward her. She waited until the contraction passed before she knelt to pick the little dude up.
She’d chosen the green maternity dress because it had loads of room to move around and it went well with Jase and Heather’s wedding colors. Funny thing. Three months ago, it had loads of room to move around. Tonight, it was extra tight around the waist.
“Why don’t I go catch Eli, let him know he needs a break from pictures?” Sadie asked, helping Marlee to the sofa.
Marlee didn’t need help to sit on a sofa.
“I’m. Fine,” Marlee said as an answer, setting Lothario beside her.
The truth was that the contractions were coming closer together. But they weren’t so close that she was ready to head home, grab her bag, and insist they head to labor and delivery. She’d already been there twice. Both times were false alarms.
Both times were also over a week ago.
The door flung open before Sadie could even get past the desk to go find Eli.
“Mar?” Eli asked, breathless, heading straight for her.
“I say, ‘I’m fine,’ but no one listens,” Marlee said, readjusting herself on the sofa so the pillows gave her some support.
“They’re closer together,” Sadie whispered. Not so quiet that Marlee couldn’t hear, but loud enough to make her grumpy.
“How close?” Eli asked like Marlee wasn’t sitting there able to answer herself.
“I wasn’t timing, but three minutes, I’d guess,” Sadie replied like Marlee wasn’t the one actually having the contractions.
“Hey,” Marlee called to them.
They both looked at her. Finally.
She gave a wave she hoped was reassuring. She was at Heather and Jase’s reception. Eli was supposed to be posing for photos. Thumper was already a week overdue—what was a few more hours?
“I’m. Fine,” she said, just as another contraction made her pause.
So she might’ve grunted with this one. Sue her.
“She’s not fine.” She heard Sadie say on the periphery. This contraction took all her attention. Not painful, not really, just intense. The kind of intense that required her attention, that was all.
Except this didn’t feel like before. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but this wasn’t the same.
She focused on their baby, just like they’d learned in birthing class, waiting for the contraction to finish. This one just seemed to keep going. She might’ve made some noises, she couldn’t be sure. Probably. Definitely. She’d made noise.
