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“Are you feeling okay, Ladybug? Are you hurt at all? Is your arm okay?”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine, I promise. It just scared me a little.”
“That’s good because I’m not fine. I’m fucking terrified.”
She cups my face, a cheeky smile curling her lips. “We’re going to have a baby soon. It’s time to buck up, soldier.”
A hysterical laugh bubbles up my throat, and I kiss her hard. “You’re such a brat.”
“Punish me later. Let’s get to the hospital.”
“Oh, fuck. Right.” I run back around to the driver’s seat and jump in. At Kylie’s insistence, I don’t speed to the hospital like I’m dying to. Apparently, even though her water broke, the baby isn’t coming right this second. But what if they are?
“You want to tell me what the fuck happened between when you left and I arrived at your mom’s house?” I try to keep my voice even, but I don’t think it works because Kylie raises an eyebrow at me. How the fuck is she so fucking calm?
“Gray, honey, take a deep breath. You’re going to have a heart attack if you don’t calm down.”
I suck in a long inhale. She’s right. My heart is racing right now. When I release all the air in my lungs, my shoulders drop a little. I do the breathing cycle twice more before I feel more composed.
“Now hold my hand, please.”
Her command is the final piece I needed to help get rid of the last bit of panic. I slide my fingers between her and kiss the back of her hand.
“Are you ready for this story now?”
I bite her knuckle in retaliation for her being a smart-ass. “Yes, I am.”
The second she starts talking, I realize I lied to her. I was not ready for this story, but I do my best to listen. When she’s finally done, I kiss her hand again, incredibly grateful for her bravery and strength.
“I should’ve punched that asshole years ago.”
“Probably. But I’d have been mad at you back then if you did. Do you think Mom will be okay with him? He was starting to come unhinged there at the end.”
I take another calming breath, not wanting to think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t shown up. “I think she’ll be fine, but we should probably tell your brother to go check on her.”
Kylie uses my phone to call him, cringing when the string of curses he hurls out is loud enough that I can hear them too.
He promises to handle it before he comes to the hospital. Then she calls my parents and asks them to get Russell from our house.
Mom’s squeal at hearing about the baby’s arrival is just as loud as Jacob’s cursing. By the time Kylie hangs up the phone, we’re pulling into the hospital parking lot.
She bites her lip, her nerves starting to come through now that we’re here. “Are you ready for this?”
I grin at her, not ready in the slightest. “Let’s go have a baby.”
CHAPTER 39
Kylie
Ican’t stop looking at her.
Reina Elizabeth Reed arrived with a full head of dark hair, a tiny button nose, and round cheeks I’m completely obsessed with. Her little lips are pressed into a pout while she snoozes in my arms.
I’m absolutely in awe of her.
As I figured, it took her almost twenty-four hours to arrive after my water broke. Grayson was about to climb the walls by the time I was ready to push her out. He hated seeing me struggling with contractions for that long.
I wouldn’t have made it through without him.
