“Your phone, it’s ringing,” he repeated, moving into the room. He was still up so I couldn’t have been asleep for very long.
My hand reached blindly for the nightstand, noting blearily that it was only 11 p.m. I had just fallen asleep but it felt like hours ago. “Hello?” I rasped.
“Kat’s in labor. We’re headed into the hospital. Can you meet me there?” Sal’s voice came urgently through the line.
I sat up abruptly, suddenly wide-awake. “Yes! I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I answered, thrilled that my niece was on her way.
I disconnected and clicked on the light, moving at hyper speed to find my clothes.
“Can you stay with Mad?” I asked urgently.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I want you to be really careful driving down the mountain. The roads are slick,” he warned.
“I will,” I nodded. I’d been driving regularly in what I affectionately called “The Tank.” Axel had claimed my ginormous SUV was safer on the mountain and had plenty of “space.” That man and the brood he wanted.
I rolled my eyes at the time, but I had to admit I did feel safer in it.
He kissed me tenderly, his fingers running through my hair. “Relax for me a bit. I don’t want you driving like this,” he said against my lips. His methods for relaxation usually worked like a charm and this was no different.
“Okay,” I sighed, wishing I could delay for a bit longer.
He grinned knowingly, delivering a swift smack to my ass.
“Hey!” I protested with a grin.
“Later,” he nodded, his eyes full of promise.
My knees went weak. “Later,” I agreed breathlessly.
Thirty minutes later, I was pulling up to the hospital and running through the halls like a madwoman.
When I spotted Jill looking adorable in her hospital scrubs, I immediately sighed with relief. We hadn’t known if she’d be on shift when Kat went into labor. She’d been working at the hospital for a few weeks and seemed to love it. Her divorce was ugly but we’d gotten her a kickass lawyer. The outlook was good for her to get full custody of Mason.
“You’re here,” I breathed, hugging her.
“My only swing shift this week,” she nodded with a smile. “Piper’s with Mason so I can stay until the baby comes.”
“That’s great. Kat will be so glad,” I smiled. “Ry still seem interested in her?” I asked as we headed down the long brightly lit hallway.
She looked thoughtful. “It’s more than that. We all may have misjudged him on this one,” she admitted. “I think he really cares about her. I feel badly for giving him so much shit,” she smiled ruefully.
Well, that was something. I wanted to meet this Piper.
“How’s Kat?” I asked as a baby’s wail ricocheted off the walls.
“Great. She’s progressing relatively fast with it being her first baby,” she explained as we arrived at their room.
Kat was sitting up in bed with Sal leaning over her. His forehead was pressed to hers and I waited quietly, not wanting to interrupt the moment between them.
“Hey, you’re here,” Kat smiled when she saw me.
“I’m here,” I nodded with a grin. “Okay?” I asked, my eyes shooting to Sal.
“I’m just telling this guy to chill,” Kat replied, quirking her thumb at my brother.
“I am chill,” he argued.
“Right,” I nodded, trying to keep the sarcasm from my tone as Jill moved around the room checking vitals and noting a few things in Kat’s chart.
