JJ exhaled, a modicum of relief inching out some of the panic.Iris and Frank had been the closest thing she had to parents since her own parents pretty much forgot about her.She wanted them to be there.No, sheneededthem to be there.
A soft knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Baz called.
The door opened slowly and Wes’s handsome face appeared.“Wanted to let y’all know we’ll be down the hall if you need us.”
“Don’t go yet,” JJ told him.“It’s not time.”
The door opened more and Wes held out his hand, urging Jules to come in.She had a beaming smile on her face, and her brown eyes didn’t reflect an ounce of worry.The woman was far too kind to let JJ think she was worried.
“How far apart are the contractions?”Jules asked, moving to the side of the bed.
“Right about eighteen minutes,” Baz answered.“And lasting close to forty-five seconds.”
“You might have a ways to go,” Jules acknowledged.
“They started about two hours ago.Almost an hour passed before we realized they were consistent,” Baz told his mother.
“Well, we’ll just let those babies take their time, and we’ll all be here to take care of anything that comes up.”
JJ fought the urge to cry when Jules brushed her hair back from her face.
“From here on out, your only job is to breathe,” Jules said, her tone soft and soothing.“You let the rest of us worry about everything else.You breathe for yourself and for those beautiful babies who’re ready to see their mama.”
A tear trickled down her cheek, but JJ didn’t wipe it away.It was pointless.She was flipping between white-hot rage and bone-chilling sadness for absolutely no reason whatsoever, all thanks to the hormones flooding her system.
Another knock sounded, this one louder and more authoritative.JJ didn’t have to guess who it was, and apparently neither did Baz because he didn’t call out.He didn’t have to.Dr.Tinder strolled into the room, a smile on his face.
For a doctor, the guy really was attractive.JJ figured it was a damn good thing the man was gay; otherwise, she might’ve been too freaked out to let him see her girly parts—medical degree be damned.
“I won’t ask how you’re feeling,” he said, holding her gaze.“I can see by the glare that it’s the wrong thing to say.”
He knew just how to make her smile.
“But I will tell you, I’m here and ready to go as soon as the little ones are.How about you?”
JJ nodded, although she definitely wasn’t ready.It was easier to nod than to explain how freaked out she was.Plus, she didn’t want Baz’s parents to know.They might think she was a horrible person, and the last thing she needed was to piss off another set of parents to the point they wanted nothing to do with her.
“We’ll start with an exam.Why don’t we get a little privacy here?”Dr.Tinder said.“You’re welcome to stay, but you’ll probably want to movethatway.”He pointed toward the head of the bed.
“We’ll step outside,” Jules said, grabbing Wes’s hand.
JJ didn’t bother telling them they didn’t need to.
“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”Dr.Tinder said, grinning.
“Looks like they won’t be makin’ ittoday,” Archer told Simon.
Rather than sit at the apartment, they had gone back to the B&B to wait for Brantley and Reese to arrive.Or rather, Archer had come back to the B&B and plopped his ass right on the couch to watch TV in the common room.Simon had snuck over to the bookstore to have lunch with Violet.He’d walked in a few minutes ago, his smile amped up a few million megawatts.
“Why not?”
Archer held up his phone.“If I’m gettin’ it right, JJ’s in labor.”
At least, that was what he assumed the text from Reese meant.He’d been surprised to get it, but it appeared they’d added him to a group text they had for the team.
“Is that good news?”
