Page 97 of The Bitterroot Inn (Jamison Valley 5)
I chuckled. “He’ll be fine.”
In Alana’s eyes, Michael could do no wrong. His firework show could consist of one sparkler and a flaming lotus flower and she’d say it was the most spectacular event in Prescott’s history.
“We’re here!” Coby shouted when I pulled into the parking lot in front of Slater’s Station.
Maisy sat straighter in her seat and undid her seat belt. She was out the door before I’d even shoved the 4Runner in park.
Then she got mobbed by her crew.
After the women dispersed, Gigi went right to the backseat to unbuckle Coby so he could run off and find the other kids. Felicity and Sabrina popped open the back of the car to get the cookies Maisy had made for dessert. By the time Emmeline waddled over from the garage with her heavily pregnant belly, we were ready to turn back.
“Will you grab the cooler?” Maisy called to me as she walked with Emmeline.
“Got it.” I waved and went to the backseat for the drinks.
With the cooler deposited by the fridge in the garage, I joined the guys huddled around a classic black Camaro Nick was restoring.
“Hey.” I shook Nick’s hand. “Thanks for having us.”
“Welcome. Glad you could make it.”
I shook hands with Jess, Silas and Beau. I’d met some of the other guys before, including Nick’s dad and brother, who were in town for the weekend and staying at the Bitterroot.
“This is sweet,” I told Jess, running my hand across the hood of the car.
“No shit. Makes me want one of my own.”
I nodded. “It would be fun to get an old one and rebuild it. Maybe do it together with Coby.”
Conversation stopped and all eyes came to me.
My spine went straight. “What?”
Across from me Beau was grinning. “Just glad you’re stepping up.”
I relaxed and grinned back. Fuck yes, I was stepping up. Beau’s time as Coby’s father figure was over.
That was my job.
“I—”
A woman’s cry interrupted my sentence and all heads turned to the open garage doors at the front of the shop. Jess and I moved first, both of us trained over the years to recognize the sound of pain. Nick sprinted past us, knowing the sound of his wife’s cry. When we got outside, all of the women were hovering over Emmeline, who was bent over and clutching her belly.
“What happened?” I asked when I reached Emmeline’s side.
“Contraction,” Emmeline hissed. “A big one.”
“How far apart are they?”
“Ten minutes or so. I’ve been having them all day but nothing too close so I wasn’t worried. But that one came right on top . . . uh-oh.”
A trickle of water ran down her leg. “Okay. Time for the hospital. Are you ready to meet your baby girl?”
She looked over to Nick at her side and smiled.
Then chaos erupted as the party got shut down, the Slaters roared away to the hospital and I kissed Maisy on the cheek before following.
Nine hours later, I stepped out of Emmeline’s hospital room, leaving her, Nick and baby Nora alone to rest.
