Slade’s head snapped up, as did Evan’s.Holly was grinning like she’d just won the lottery.Darius nodded while Jay stared blankly at him.
“ArcherHalligan?”Charlie repeated as though the past minute or two hadn’t happened.“FromHavoc Your Way?”
Brantley looked at Holly.“Should I be worried that she’s repeatin’ herself?”
Holly giggled.“She’s had less time to get used to the idea.He’s kinda a god among men for those of us who like the podcast.”
“Yay, me,” Atticus said facetiously.
Brantley noticed Evan was grinning like an idiot.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
Brantley stared, waiting him out as he took the coffee mug Elana brought him.“Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
Evan laughed.“Sorry, boss.It’s just…” He coughed to cover up another laugh.“It’s nothing.I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Somethin’ goin’ on that I should know about?”Brantley directed the question at Evan, but his attention shifted to Slade when the man ducked his head.It wouldn’t have been quite so obvious if Atticus hadn’t turned away at the same time.
Great.
“You two got a thing?”
Holly giggled.
Then Elana did.
And last, Charlie.
Brantley looked at each of the women.“What’s so funny?”
“Nothin’, boss,” Slade said, his tone rife with frustration.
Brantley studied him for a moment, then looked at Atticus.He’d heard whispers that the two of them had a thing, but he’d purposely ignored them.Since they weren’t paired up, he didn’t really care what they were doing.
Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep an eye on them.
Baz sat in the recliner on thefar side of the room, his gaze locked on JJ.He was doing his best not to hover, but it wasn’t easy.Every time she made a sound, he wanted to launch to his feet and get her whatever she needed.
The problem was, she didn’t need anything.
At least that was what she’d told him—very loudly—the last time he asked if he could do anything for her.
So here he was, sitting on his ass, not taking it personally because the JJ he knew and loved was hanging by a thread, and rightfully so.
In the time he’d known the woman, he’d seen her go through so much.From waking up in a bloody bed and not knowing how she got there, to finding her ex-boyfriend’s finger—only the digit, not the ex—in her living room, to learning her house and everything she owned had exploded, to being kidnapped by a couple of lunatics.There was no doubt the woman had been put through the wringer.
She could handle labor.Hell, she was the strongest woman he knew.JJ could handle anything.
But he wasn’t sure he was as strong as she was.He was antsy and nervous and maybe a little eager.He was ready for the babies to be born, but at the same time, he didn’t want them to be born too early.Dr.Tinder seemed optimistic, although he did warn them that there was a good chance they’d be moved to the NICU—neonatal intensive care unit—for a period of time.He assured them they would be in good hands.
According to what Baz had read on the internet, the babies should weigh somewhere around five pounds each and be close to eighteen inches long.Of course, Dr.Tinder informed them that it was a good rule of thumb, but there were other factors that played into that, so there were no guarantees.
Baz liked Dr.Tinder.He also trusted the man, which was why he was practically living in a hospital and sleeping in an uncomfortable chair just so he could keep JJ from getting up and moving around any more than she absolutely had to.It was also the reason he was still carrying around an engagement ring in his pocket; he feared asking her to marry him might cause more stress than was necessary.
