Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“I’ll even pick up sandwiches at that deli I like so much.”
“Good idea.” He laughs at that, but then his voice drops to a whisper. “Lord knows you’re going to be starving after I’m done with you.”
“And what about you?”
“Oh, don’t you worry about me. I’m going to eat. A lot.”
Oh boy.
“Yeah, okay, I’m getting off the phone now.”
Noah’s chuckle fills my ears again. “Love you, Sam. See you soon.”
“Love you too.” You horny, sexy bastard.
Just as I’m hanging up the call, Zoe is unlocking our front door and stepping inside.
“Zoe!” Grant exclaims, and both he and Seth practically barrel into her on a sprint.
She hugs them both tightly. “You guys ready to hit the zoo?”
“Heck yes! I want to see the alligators!” Grant cheers.
“But we gotta stop at the polar bears first, Grant!” Seth exclaims.
And just before my two boys can start their usual round of bickering, Zoe is quick to chime in, “Do you guys mind if we stop and see the monkeys first?” she asks. “I heard we’ll get to see them eat lunch if we go there first.”
“Really?” Grant asks, and Seth is already giving in to my nanny’s request.
“Oh yeah, let’s see the monkeys first!”
“Man, I’m going to miss you when you’re off to Texas in a month,” I tell her, and she looks up at me with a sad smile.
“And I’m going to miss you guys like crazy too.”
“Just know, you’re always welcome back here. Anytime,” I state and step over to wrap her up in a tight hug while the boys put on their shoes. “Even if you just want to come hang out in the city for a week or two during breaks or summer, we’ll always have a place for you.”
“I’m probably going to take you up on that,” she says, and I release her from my embrace with a smile.
“You better.”
It doesn’t take long before Zoe ushers both Seth and Grant out the door, their little asses far too excited to get to the zoo to dillydally, and I start to get ready to head to the park with Dolly.
But I only manage to get her leash in my hands before my phone starts ringing from my purse.
Incoming call Brooke sits front and center on the screen.
“Hey, sis,” I greet, but all I get back is a good ten seconds of moaning. But, like, not the good kind of moaning. It’s mixed with panting breaths. “Brooke? Are you okay?”
“I…ah… Contractions! L-l-l-labor!” she eventually pushes out. “Ch-chase isn’t h-home.”
Shit!
“Sit tight. I’m coming over right now!” I end the call and am instantly thankful I didn’t start the process of getting Dolly hyped to go to the park. She’s still snoozing on our bed.
Quick as my feet can take me, I rush out of our apartment, only pausing to lock the door behind me, and sprint down the hall to Brooke and Chase’s. I don’t even bother knocking. Instead, I use my emergency key to get inside.
Instantly, my eyes are graced with the view of Benji pacing around Brooke while she grips the kitchen counter, breathing through what I’m assuming is a contraction.
“You okay?”
“Do I look okay?” she cries through gritted teeth. “I’m pretty sure my water broke, and these contractions feel like a real motherlover!”
Definitely in labor.
I step up to exert a little counterpressure on her lower back. “Did you call your doctor?”
“They told me to come right away, but Chase ran to the office and isn’t answering his stupid phone!”
“That’s strange,” I comment because it is. If there’s one person who is at Brooke’s beck and call, it’s her fiancé. “Maybe it’s not going through?”
She huffs out a sigh when the contraction subsides and snags her phone off the counter. Instantly, her fingers tap against the screen, and she puts the receiver to her ear. “Chase! I’m in labor! What? What pizza? This isn’t the time for jokes! I’m in la—” When another contraction begins, she drops her phone to the counter again and only focuses on breathing through it.
Quickly, I pick up her cell and try to take over the call while still giving her lower back some counterpressure. “Chase?”
“Ma’am, do you want to order a pizza or not?”
Huh? “Who is this?”
“This is Darryl from Pizza Hut. Who is this?”
Oh, for the love of everything.
Instantly, I hang up the phone and start to scan her contacts for her actual fiancé.
“Is he coming?” Brooke asks.
“Brooke, honey, you weren’t calling Chase. You were calling Pizza Hut,” I tell her, but she’s beyond caring at this point. The pain of her contractions is her only focus. “Let’s head to the hospital,” I add as I try to guide her to a standing position. “And I’ll work on getting Chase on the phone.”
She doesn’t respond, but she also doesn’t protest.
Once I grab her hospital bag from the baby’s nursery, I put Benji’s service dog vest on and usher all of us out of her apartment and onto the elevator.