"We need to examine her, ma'am. But this boy may be ready." A nurse steps in.
"I can wait outside?" It's an offer to give her privacy.
Darby shakes her head, gripping my fingers fiercely.
I don't pay attention to what's happening behind my back as they instruct and prep her. She listens and doesn't even flinch when they check her.
"You can get an epidural anytime you're ready," the nurse says, and there's the first flare of panic in Darby's eyes.
My phone buzzes in my dress pocket, and I'm grateful when Miller's name pops up. "Hey, we're in her room."
"Traffic is closed off. I'm stopped but Pierce took off. He's running."
"Running? He's running?"
Darby giggles sweetly and releases my hand. "Of course he is."
I don't see the humor and turn. "Miller, they may be ready for epidural. She's going quick."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck. Don't leave her."
"Never!"
"Be there." He disconnects, and I glance back at Darby, who remains calm.
"Your husband is running because of traffic."
"Got that."
"You're stuck with me."
"I'm happy to be with you, but how are you with needles?"
I cringe overdramatically. "Better with assholes that need to be taken down a few notches because of their over-inflated egos."
She lurches up, laughing so hard her nurse panics.
"Mrs. Kendrick! You can't do that!"
I zip my fingers across my mouth and give the 'stop' signal to the nurse who's getting her set up with machines. When she gives the IV, it gets real, and Darby motions to me from the other side of the bed.
"He's coming," I try to assure her.
As if on cue, the door flies open and sweaty, dirty, and very unnerved Pierce Kendrick appears. He's at her side in less than a second.
"Baby?"
"I'm good. The anesthesiologist can come anytime, but so far, it's bearable. Quick pinches of pain and some pressure with stinging."
"No shame in getting ahead of it early. I don't want you to have unnecessary pain. Remember what the doctor told us." He bends, caressing her cheek affectionately.
The room is full of people, but I begin to feel uncomfortable. This is an intimate moment. I step back, ready to slink out gracefully when Darby shocks me.
"Get in that shower. I have Ashlyn for a few minutes," she instructs Pierce. "You're dirty, and he's got a while before he'll be here."
He looks at me, torn and uneasy, but I get it. "I'll take care of her."
He kisses her and grabs a bag, disappearing into the private bathroom.
She reaches for my hand again, and I comply. "You know this could go on for hours, sitting here waiting."
"It could also go quick. It's better to be ready for anything."
"Any chance we can barricade the door until we figure it out?"
The door swings open again, and the crowd files in. Annie, Edward, Evin, Jill, Warren, Stephanie, Renee… I lose count as my chest squeezes. Throughout it, Darby holds my hand. It isn't until I feel Miller's arms around my waist, his face at my neck, and his lips at my ear, that she loosens her grip.
"Princess, you did well."
My heart takes over hammering as the impact hits me. Months ago, I would have called nine-one-one and had no idea what to do. But this is family. My instincts knew.
This is my life. And it all overwhelms me too much, but at the same time not at all.
"I think I need to—"
"Got you." Miller bends down, kisses Darby's cheek, and leads us through the throng of family, taking us into an empty room. "You did great."
"For a split second, I was scared, but Darby wasn't. Right after her water broke, I kinda lost it, but she gave me a verbal slap in the face and it all clicked. She was so unruffled, so peaceful—even knowing the immense gravity of what was happening. It was… I can't even explain. She is amazing."
"You are amazing."
"I did what anyone would have done for the people they love. I wish you could have seen the serenity on her face when she slid into my car. It was," I search for the right word, "inspiring."
He grips my jaw, making me face him. His gorgeous blue eyes pierce deep, the heat and affection bleeding into me. My hands go to his chest, clutching his shirt to remain standing.
"I swore to myself the next time we had this conversation it would be different. I wouldn't be fucking you against your fireplace, and we sure as hell wouldn't be standing in an empty room in a hospital amid chaos, but it is what it is, and life happens."
I brace with the severity of his tone and intensity in his posture. "Sweetie?"
"I love you. I love you so fucking much it's an addiction. What you did this afternoon aside, I think I've loved you since you slid your sexy ass in a barstool next to mine."
His words wash over me, and I'm helpless to the tears that spill down my cheeks. "Miller, I love you, too."
He closes his eyes, laying his forehead to mine and exhaling sharply. "Say it again."
"I love you. I love this. I'm scared out of my mind right now for many reasons, but the instant you wrapped your arms around me in that room a few minutes ago, I was in my safe place. You do that for me. You give me that security and protection."
His hand moves from my jaw to my back, and his arms wrap back around me. Now that the damn has broken I can't stop talking.
"It's not only that, it's the way you take care of me, the way you push me, the way you take care of those you love. It's everything. And I knew the day you drove me to your house to politely hand me my ass for being a know-it-all haughty bitch that I loved you. It petrified me. It still does."
"Shut it, Ashlyn,"
I press my lips together, my gut churning at his silence. "Maybe I shouldn't have…"
His eyes snap open, and the coiling stops, my stomach pitching
