Page 137 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“You’re having this baby today, aren’t you?” Gigi asked.
I nodded. “I think so.”
She held out a hand to help me up off the chair.
“I’ve got the kids,” Emmeline said as Gigi walked me inside. “Good luck!”
I followed Gigi blindly into the kitchen, the reality of what was about to happen both unnerving and exciting. Oh my god. I’m having a baby.
“Olivia,” Gigi said into the kitchen, “would you mind going down to the corral and telling Silas he’s about to be a daddy?”
The room erupted in cheers and clapping. Mom and Olivia rushed to my side for hugs and kisses before making room for Khloe and Maisy.
“I need my bag,” I said. “Would one of you buzz down to the house and get it? It’s in our bedroom, right inside the closet.”
“On it!” Maisy bounced toward the door with a beaming smile.
I sucked in a sharp breath as another contraction started, gripping Mom’s hand as I waited for the twisting pain to subside. “Phew. I am definitely getting the drugs.” I had been flip-flopping on whether or not to try a natural childbirth. Definitely not.
Waddling outside with my entourage, I caught a glimpse of Maisy’s car disappearing down the gravel road toward our house.
A few months ago, the construction crew had finished building our forever home. Silas and I had gone a little crazy on size, building a five-bedroom, three-bath house on the edge of the meadow where he’d had first taken me fencing. We’d opted for a craftsman style instead of log but had incorporated a lot of wooden beams and stone accents to give it a rustic feel.
It was everything I wanted in a house, designed with plenty of open space for family time and entertaining friends.
My head whipped away from the road and toward the corrals as the sound of a galloping horse pounded our way. I smiled as Silas came barreling up on Courage, his cowboy hat shielding his dusty face from the sun and his T-shirt pulled tight across his rippled stomach. God, he was sexy. Any other day, and I’d sneak him into the now-empty barn apartment for some afternoon nooky.
Silas swung down off Courage and took the porch steps two at a time. “You’re in labor? Are you okay?” he asked as he wrapped me in a hug.
“I’m fine.” My nose scrunched up as I pushed him back. “But you smell like burnt hair and cow shit. I’m not pushing out this baby with that smell wafting in my nose. You need to shower.”
He lifted his armpit and sniffed. “It’s not that bad. Let’s go.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Gigi said. “She’s right. You stink. Shower, use extra soap, then meet us at the hospital.”
“Hold up.” Another contraction started and I grabbed Silas’s hand as my uterus squeezed. When it stopped, I looked to Gigi and said, “Time to go,” before turning to my husband. “Silas, shower. Don’t forget the car seat.”
“Lis—”
“Now is not the time to argue with me, baby.” Water ran down my legs and pooled at my feet. Okay, that was kind of gross. “Silas!” He was staring at the puddle with wide eyes but at my shout they snapped to mine. “Get a move on.”
He turned on his heel and leapt down the steps, sprinting for the barn.
Maisy returned with my bag before Gigi and Mom helped me into her car and off we went, speeding down the road toward the hospital. Gigi made short work of the trip, but by the time I arrived, my contractions were less than a minute apart.
“He’d better hurry.” Bad smell and all, I needed Silas with me now.
I waited for a contraction to pass before pushing open my car door, but before I could step out, Silas’s hand was there to help me down.
“How did you get here so fast?” I asked. “And you showered?”
“There was no way I was missing my girl’s arrival just to obey the speed limit. Come on, babe.”
Four hours later, Silas and I were staring at our beautiful baby girl.
Victoria Noelle Grant.
I was exhausted and in desperate need of a nap, my entire body ached, and things between my legs would never be the same.
