Page 113 of Road to Absolution

CHAPTER 23

And the Gifts Keep Coming

DELILAH

Sitting in bed, an abundance of gifts around my legs, I watched as Gator came into the room, looking half afraid and half depressed. Wincing through another Braxton hicks, I watched as he walked to my side. He held up a pink bag. “I’m so sorry. Do you need anything?”

Baffled, I asked, “Are you guys okay?” I gestured to all my unexpected presents.

As if in mourning, his ringed and tattooed hand covered his mouth. “Please excuse me.”

I repeated, “Please excuse me?” as he left the room in a hurry. “Umm,” I looked to Scorch sitting next to me, “do you know what’s going on?”

He was biting his nails.

“Scorch!” I laughed. “Are you okay?”

He pointed to the show, Vampire Diaries, on my TV. “Delilah, this doppelganger stuff is legit! One Catherine is good. One is a bitch. Brothers fighting over one girl, and she ain’t even one girl!”

“Have I stepped into another dimension? How are you believing this stuff?”

He looked away. “I heard a very disturbing story today.”

I held my belly, laughing so hard. “Do I need to order you a shot of whiskey so you can calm down?”

“I’m too upset to drink.”

Hysterically laughing, I rolled out of bed. “You guys are killing me—”

Uh oh.

Me no longer talking, Scorch eyed me. Then the floor. “Oh, Puddles. Again?”

“Not exactly. I don’t think these contractions have been a false alarm.”

“Oh, shit!” He leaped out of bed. “No! Not on my fucking shift!” He ran to the hallway like a crazed Irishman. “Help! Help!”

Standing in my biggest puddle of all, I kept laughing. “Scorch! You have got to pull yourself together!”

Men came running…

“What’s wrong?”

“Again, Puddles?”

“Damn, that’s a lot of pee—Wait a minute.”

“Help! Help!” ran all the pansy-assed bikers.

Now in the room by myself, I chuckled. “Umm, guys?”

Viola had a contingency plan in place, one she had tested the guys on, but one sight of amniotic fluid and these men were no longer deadly. They were squealing like girls in a complete panic.

So much for dangerous bikers helping me.

Pulling a throw blanket from the end of the bed, I dropped it to the floor to help out the carpet I would have to deal with later.

Surprisingly, even in pain, I found myself to be very calm and serene. This was the grand moment I had been waiting for. I was happy it had finally arrived. My heart told me it was going to be everything I had dreamed of.