Brantley got up to move around when they left the waiting room.He took one of the bottles of water that Holly had brought with her.He was about to take a sip when the doors opened and Wes appeared.
“Any news?”
Wes shook his head.“No babies yet.She’s only at six centimeters.”
“Six centimeters?How big is that?”Atticus asked.
Slade held up his Dr.Pepper can.“About the width of this can.”
“Oh, Jesus.Holy fuck.Her…” Atticus looked down at his lap, then back to Slade.“Her—” he waved a hand—“She’s got a holethatbig?”Atticus shook his head dramatically as he leaped to his feet.“Uh-uh.Nope.”
Wes chuckled.“I came out to get Jules some water.”
Brantley grabbed one of the unopened bottles and passed it to him.“How’s JJ doin’?”
Wes grinned.“Good.The epidural is working, and Jules is distractin’ her by makin’ her talk.She’s tellin’ all kinds of stories about you.”
“Oh, boy.”Since most of her stories involved him and high school, Brantley could only imagine what she was saying.
“Your mama’s lovin’ it.”
Oh, shit.Brantley forgot his mother was in that room.His father had opted to hang with everyone else in the waiting room, but Iris was in there holding JJ’s hand and likely making the nurses crazy.
“Is it true that you and her brother streaked through town on a dare?”
“We did,” he said, remembering that night like it was yesterday.
“Is it true you and her brother are the reason they removed the fountain in Walker Park because you opted to pee in it?Repeatedly.”
“That wasyou?”Slade bellowed, laughing.
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“I guess I better get back in there.”Wes held up the bottle.“Thanks for this.”
Brantley nodded and took a stroll around the room, glancing from face to face.The team was all there.Everyone looked content to ride this out for as long as it took because that was what you did for friends.
Then it dawned on him.They weren’t just a team anymore.And they weren’t merely friends.
They were family.
Chapter Eleven
Archer was straddling his Harley, about tostart the engine, when his cell phone buzzed, vibrating in his back pocket.He pulled it free and glanced at the screen.
“Hey,” he said, forcing more cheer into his tone than he felt.A call right before a date was never a good thing.Especially when it was a callfromyour date.
“I was thinkin’…” Spencer said.
“Were you now?I was, too.About how much I’m lookin’ forward to dinner with you tonight.”
There was silence for a moment, followed by, “Me, too.”
“Yeah?So you’re not callin’ to cancel.”
“Actually, yes.”
“Well, I’m glad you changed your mind,” Archer told him, hoping he would continue to veer in the direction of keeping the date.
